Charity workers have raised concern about the number of vulnerable youngsters in the Highlands being targeted big city drug dealers from England. Barnardo’s staff say they’re being exploited and threatened by County Lines drug gangs in Inverness. The charity runs the Anchor project in the City, which is trying to help tackle the problem. Police reckon 12 organised crime groups are operating in the Highland capital.
BBC Scotland, in their BBC breakfast insert this morning, with a second only explicit mention of where the County Lines drug gangs are from.
I must say, I’m puzzled by this openness after 7 years of refusing to say ‘England’ in drug gang reporting, especially as we approach an election. Are they hoping they can contain this in one place?
Talking-up Scotland has reported on English drug dealers operating in Shetland, Thurso, Wick and Tarves in Aberdeenshire.
We’ve reported on them in Dumfries and in Auchinleck. There seem no reason to think they are not now, after, nearly a decade, everywhere, in your town.
In October 2025, The National Police Chief’s Council reported:
Covering the period from April 2024 to March 2025, the latest County Lines Strategic Threat Assessment found that there are over 6,500 County Lines in operation across England, Scotland and Wales.
From their County Lines Strategic Threat Risk Assessment also in October 2025:
County Lines is the supply of drugs at the retail end of the market, where violence and exploitation are an intrinsic part of the model. These lines continue to impact the entirety of England, Scotland and Wales.….The top impacted forces (importer) this year are Cheshire, Kent, Northamptonshire, Scotland and South Wales.
So, 6 500 over the country, Scotland more impacted by the trade than some other parts and 12 in Inverness alone? At least 600 probably more county lines across Scotland?
Another plague? Covid, Measles, Meningitis, Used chip fat theft, Reform UK…..the case for border controls?
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‘County Lines’ will become a strand of the unionist ‘Project Fear’, which is now the only strategy the unionists have. The spread of these gangs will be presented as having ‘mushroomed under the SNP governance.’ There will be no strategies on how to tackle this problem. They will just blame the SNP and the Scottish Government and the Greens for wanting to ‘legalise this menace.’
They will assert that CalMac ferries are the principal ‘vector’ for the distribution of drugs to the island communities.
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County Lines stories around Inverness have featured in all of BBC Scotland’s Highland Cops series.
This may explain their apparent myopia.
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The BBC are not entirely clear about the origin of the County Lines plague. Quoting a charity worker:
How did Glasgow creep in there?
Further on they quote the charity manager:
“From as far afield” suggests that these are outliers and the origins are closer to home.
Sleight of hand as usual from the BBC when a factual explanation would have been perfectly adequate.
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isn’t it surprising that after years of ignoring the presence of England based County Lines in Scotland the BBC suddenly discover them only weeks before the Holyrood Elections.
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