What is CCE?

RUNNING… GOING COUNTRY… SHOTTING… GOING OT… TRAPPING…

These are all terms for supplying illegal drugs which is of course a crime for which you can be heavily sentenced.

If you or someone you know is dealing drugs or committing other types of crime on behalf of someone else, it may be that they are being criminally exploited. That may involve them being put under pressure to commit a crime or be rewarded for doing so.

Criminals target young people who they believe may be vulnerable such as those who aren’t in full time education, those who don’t have much money or those who don’t get along with their parents or carers. It’s important to remember though that any young person can be a victim of child criminal exploitation.

Once the criminal(s) have identified a target, they will often try and test them by giving them items such as small amounts of cash, drugs or weapons to keep hold of or perhaps delivering small packages of drugs to specific people or addresses. Usually, young people are rewarded for this and may be given small amounts of money or drugs themselves.

After that, once you’ve proven you can be trusted, it’s likely that you’ll be expected to do more. Perhaps more deliveries, hold more drugs, enforce debts by assaulting others or you may be taken to an area that you don’t know to supply drugs there.

Imagine being taken hundreds of miles away from your home to a place you’ve never been before, being made to stay in a house with thousands of pounds worth of drugs that you’ve got to sell before you can return home. Coming in and out of the house all day are drug users coming to buy drugs from you … some that will be nicer than others! You may be expected to sell the drugs, keep a look out for the police or perhaps to guard the drugs – or maybe all 3 roles will be left to you. That’s just one of ways that young people can be exploited.

Some young people start off by enjoying the thrill of delivering drugs, others like the money or drugs that they get and others say that they feel protected by the criminals involved. Ok, so it’s a crime but apart from that, what’s the harm? Check out our risks and consequences page to find out!

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