A new criminal offence of ‘coerced internal concealment', to be
introduced as an amendment to the landmark Crime and Policing
Bill, will crack down on anyone, including gang leaders who
force people to hide items inside their bodies to avoid
detection.
This practice, also known by the street names ‘plugging',
‘stuffing' and ‘banking', is typically used by organised gangs to
transport items like drugs, money and SIM cards from one location
to another.
It relies on forcing or deceiving children and vulnerable adults
into ingesting or hiding items inside their bodily cavities and
is often linked to county lines drug running.
Internal concealment is an extremely dangerous practice. It can
be fatal if drug packages break open inside the body and can
cause significant physical and psychological harm to those forced
to do it.
Where senior gang figures are found to have coerced other
individuals to ingest or carry specified items inside their
bodies, they will face up to 10 years behind bars.
, Minister for Safeguarding
and Violence Against Women and Girls, 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.
As part of our Plan for Change, this government will give police
and prosecutors the powers they need to dismantle these drug
gangs entirely and secure convictions that reflect the severity
of these crimes.
To deliver the government's mission to halve knife crime in the
next decade and deliver safer streets, it is crucial to tackle
the drug gangs that run county lines through violence and
exploitation.
That is why the government has committed to investing £42 million
into the County Lines Programme this year, to break down the
organised crime groups behind this trade.
The latest statistics from the programme show that since July
2024, law enforcement activity resulted in over 1,200 line
closures and 2,000 arrests – including the arrest and subsequent
charging of over 800 violent offenders controlling the lines.
There were also more than 2,100 safeguarding referrals for
children and vulnerable people.
The County Lines Programme also provides specialist support for
children and young people to escape the drugs trade.
Over 320 children and young people received dedicated specialist
support during this period, which can include one-to-one casework
for young people and their families to help prevent exploitation
or support their safe exit.
The criminalisation of ‘coerced internal concealment' will ensure
that victims are properly recognised and receive the support they
need.
It also sends a clear message to offenders that the punishment
for this crime will match the impact of the harm they have
caused.
The new offence will join a package of other measures in the
government's Crime and Policing Bill designed to protect children
and vulnerable adults, including a specific offence of child
criminal exploitation aimed at the ringleaders behind county
lines operations.
Kate Wareham, Strategic Director of Young People, Families and
Communities at Catch22 said:
Catch22 welcomes the introduction of tougher consequences for
adults who force children and vulnerable young adults into
carrying drugs through invasive methods of bodily concealment.
From our county lines, child exploitation and our Redthread
embedded youth work in A&E services across England, we know
the devastating, life changing physical and mental impact of this
abuse on its young victims.
Robust, specialist exploitation and violence reduction services
are essential to ensure child victims are supported to process
their trauma and safeguarded from further harm. But we need to
prevent exploitation happening in the first place. By targeting
the perpetrators, this new offence of coerced internal
concealment is a crucial step forward towards that.
Lucy D'Orsi, the Chief Constable of British Transport Police
said:
We welcome this new measure which increases the safety of those
at risk and supports bringing their abusers to justice.
Safeguarding the vulnerable is a priority for BTP's County Lines
Taskforce. Our bespoke unit, made up of experienced social work
professionals, works to pull the exploited from the clutches of
organised crime groups by providing them with fast time support
and resources from our specialist partners.
We continue to put the exploited and the vulnerable at the
forefront of our fight against county lines gangs and take a zero
tolerance stance against anyone who profits from the exploitation
of children.
