Professor Martin Innes featured on ITV News discussing 'county lines' crime

Crime and Security Research Institute Director Professor Martin Innes has been featured on ITV Wales at Six news, commenting on the problem of 'county lines' crime, where criminal gangs operate outside of their known geographic location, using young and vulnerable people to traffic drugs.

Martin's comment was featured in a news article regarding the sentencing at Swansea Crown Court of two gang members found guilty of trafficking a vulnerable young woman into Swansea. The gang members forced the woman to conceal drugs and held her against her will, in a 'country lines operation'. On Friday 13th April the pair were sentenced to a total of 19 years in jail.

Professor Innes said of the case:

"County lines are about drug gangs and organised crime gangs trying to exploit differences between Police Forces accross the country. So if a gang is well known in one part of the country they will try and move to another geographic location to try and exploit the fact that they'll be a bit more anonymous."