Criminals to face jail over forcing children to conceal drugs under new offence

Gang leaders who force vulnerable people to hide drugs and cash in their bodies could face up to 10 years in prison under a change in the law.

Ministers are seeking to create the new criminal offence to crack down on the action known as “plugging” typically used by organised criminals to move goods from one place to another in county lines drug running.

Children and vulnerable adults are forced to ingest or conceal the items in their bodies, which can cause significant harm and can be fatal if drug packages break open inside them, leading to an overdose.

The move will be included as an amendment to the Crime and Policing Bill currently going through Parliament.

Safeguarding minister Jess Phillips said: “There is something truly evil about the gang leaders who degrade young girls, young boys and vulnerable adults in this way, forcing them to put their lives at risk.

“This new offence will go alongside other measures in our landmark Crime and Policing Bill to turn the tables on the gang leaders and hold them to account for exploiting children and vulnerable adults.”

It comes as the Government committed to investing £42 million into a programme to tackle county lines gangs and support victims of the drugs trade.

Since July 2024, more than 800 violent criminals involved in county lines have been charged through the programme’s enforcement action and 1,200 drug lines have been closed, according to the Home Office.

More than 2,100 safeguarding referrals for children and vulnerable people have also been made, it added.

Jack O’Neill, of The Children’s Society, said: “Children forced to carry drugs in this way are subject to a form of abuse and exploitation that causes deep, long-lasting harm, and the law must reflect that.

“A clear legal definition of child criminal exploitation would help stop vulnerable children falling through the cracks and shift the focus onto the predators who profit from their abuse.”