--- title: "When children forced to carry drugs are treated as offenders" url: https://wearenotforsale.org/human-trafficking/county-lines-child-criminal-exploitation/ author: "Not For Sale" published: 2026-11-13 topic: "Human Trafficking" publisher: "Not For Sale" --- # When children forced to carry drugs are treated as offenders A review of modern slavery cases in England and Wales urges police and prosecutors to look earlier for signs that a child suspected of a drug offence may have been exploited. By Not For Sale · November 13, 2026 · Human Trafficking Police can seize the drugs a child is carrying as soon as they find them. It can take longer to establish who supplied the drugs and what the child was told would happen if they refused to carry them. By then, the child may already have been arrested. In its first report, published on 9 November 2026, the Crown Prosecution Service’s Modern Slavery National Scrutiny Panel examined completed cases involving county lines, sexual exploitation and forced labour. In county lines cases, the panel found that readily available evidence of drugs or weapons offences could shape which charges were considered. It urged investigators to look sooner for signs that a suspect may have been compelled to offend. ## How county lines gangs gain control of children County lines networks use dedicated phone numbers or other channels to take orders for drugs. They may recruit children or vulnerable adults to carry or store drugs and cash. A child may be sent to another town or made to work close to home. Home Office guidance describes how offers of money, gifts or protection can give way to threats and violence. A child may be told to work off a debt after a supposed loss or theft. Research published in November by the Modern Slavery and Human Rights Policy and Evidence Centre describes how contact with a child can move between social media and in-person encounters. The study drew on existing research and interviews with 12 practitioners. A message that looks harmless on its own may make more sense alongside what happened when the child met the sender. Child criminal exploitation is the wider safeguarding term. It includes exploitation to commit theft or fraud and to work in cannabis production, as well as county lines drug running. In England and Wales, a trafficking offence under section 2 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 involves arranging or facilitating travel with a view to exploitation. A journey within the UK can qualify, and the person’s agreement to travel is legally irrelevant to that offence. The facts of the case determine which offences investigators should consider. ## What the county lines figures show The Home Office recorded 1,994 UK modern slavery referrals flagged as involving county lines in the year ending June 2026. Of those referrals, 1,506 concerned boys under 18 at the time of referral, or 76 per cent. Across all referrals concerning children, criminal exploitation was the most frequently reported type, accounting for 3,639 referrals, or 48 per cent. The National Referral Mechanism is the UK system for identifying potential victims of modern slavery. Its figures depend on someone recognising possible exploitation and making a referral. The 1,994 county lines referrals cover all ages. The 3,639 referrals concern children and include other forms of criminal exploitation, such as being made to steal. The scrutiny panel selected completed cases to identify lessons for investigators and prosecutors. Its review gives no national rate for how often exploited children are arrested, charged or prosecuted. ## What should happen when a child is arrested A child may be afraid of the people giving the orders or may have been told what to say. The CPS advises prosecutors to consider possible exploitation even when the suspect has said nothing about it. Its guidance recognises that fear and trauma can delay a disclosure. In England and Wales, children held in police custody have the right to free legal advice. Police must normally have an appropriate adult present when they interview a child under caution. The appropriate adult helps the child understand the interview and safeguards their rights and welfare. A school might know about repeated absences. A carer might have reported the child missing. Messages and travel records can help police work out who gave the instructions. The scrutiny panel called for police and prosecutors to discuss cases early enough for those enquiries to inform charging decisions. CPS guidance recognises that police may need to interview the child as a victim as well as a suspect. Police and local authorities are among the designated organisations that can refer a potential victim to the National Referral Mechanism. First responders should safeguard a child and make a referral where they suspect modern slavery. They can refer a child without obtaining the child’s consent. In areas with an Independent Child Trafficking Guardian service, a guardian can help the child understand the processes around them and advocate for their interests. Local safeguarding can begin while the trafficking assessment is being made. The authority responsible for the referral decides whether to recognise the child as a victim of modern slavery. Prosecutors make the charging decision and must take the authority’s findings into account. CPS guidance says they should, as far as possible, wait for that assessment before deciding whether to prosecute a possible victim, with particular care in cases involving children. If they proceed after a final decision that the child was a victim, they should record clear reasons. ## How the section 45 defence works In England and Wales, section 45 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 can provide a defence to certain charges. The test for someone who was under 18 when the alleged offence took place has two substantive parts. The act must be a direct consequence of being, or having been, a victim of slavery or relevant exploitation. A reasonable person in the same situation with the child’s relevant characteristics would have done the same. The Act defines the relevant characteristics as age, sex and any physical or mental illness or disability. For adults, the law also requires compulsion attributable to slavery or relevant exploitation. It asks whether a reasonable person with the same relevant characteristics, in the same situation, would have had a realistic alternative. The child’s test has no separate requirement to prove compulsion. Schedule 4 lists offences to which the defence does not apply, including robbery. In those cases, prosecutors must still assess the evidence, consider whether there is a credible defence of duress and decide whether prosecution is in the public interest. ## What the European Court of Human Rights ruled In 2021, the European Court of Human Rights ruled on two cases involving young people found working on cannabis farms in the UK. Both were prosecuted for drug offences and later recognised as trafficking victims. The court found that the UK had breached its duty to protect them from trafficking and their right to a fair trial. The court said that where there is a credible suspicion of trafficking, a qualified person should assess it promptly. That assessment should inform the decision to prosecute. Prosecutors who depart from its findings should give clear reasons consistent with the legal definition of trafficking. ## What families and schools can do An absence from school, unexplained money or a change in who a child spends time with can have many explanations. The Home Office guidance asks practitioners to pay attention to patterns, including repeated missing episodes, unexplained travel, new possessions and relationships that appear controlling. Information held by a school, a family and children’s services can make more sense when considered together. A child should have a chance to speak to a trusted adult without having to establish that a crime has taken place. In England and Wales, concerns about exploitation can be raised with the child’s local children’s social care service. School staff can speak to their designated safeguarding lead. Call 999 if a child is in immediate danger. GOV.UK provides routes for reporting concerns to the relevant local authority across the UK.