TEENAGERS seduced into running drugs for city dealers “don’t know what they’re letting themselves into”, the head of Wiltshire Police’s drugs squads has warned.

It came as a Swindon court heard that a 16-year-old boy was believed to owe drug gangs up to £33,000, after heroin he was holding for others was seized by police. The teen, who has pleaded guilty to possession of class A drugs and £1,100 in cash, will be sentenced next month.

Det Insp Paul Franklin, who runs the county’s dedicated crime teams, urged parents and teachers to be alive to the dangers of so-called county lines drug gangs. The term refers to the out-of-town dealers who move into smaller cities and towns to sell class A drugs like heroin and crack cocaine, often using vulnerable adults or children as runners.

In the past, the gangs have used younger gang members from their own neighbourhoods as runners, sending the youngsters to sell drugs in Swindon. However, as the dealers develop their network in the town, more and more local children are persuaded to take up the trade.

Mr Franklin said: “Teenagers push boundaries. They like to do dangerous stuff. But these are the risks children getting into drug dealing face. They don’t see the potential outcomes.”

Those outcomes can be far-reaching. Peddling class A drugs carries a prison sentence of up to 16 years for anyone convicted in an adult court. Runners can be victims of violent older dealers or could have their drugs robbed from them by addicts.

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And, if they have their product confiscated by police, they can end up owing vast sums to unscrupulous gangsters.

One boy, who appeared in court earlier this month, was said to have a nominal £33,000 drugs debt after twice having class A drugs seized by police officers. He was found with several hundred grammes of heroin. The teenager, who was picked up by police on Grange Drive, claimed he was holding the drugs for another person, who had paid him £1,100 for his troubles. He will be sentenced at Salisbury Youth Court next month.

The youngsters groomed by the gangs will not consider the long-term impact of their behaviour, Mr Franklin told the Advertiser.

“They won’t think, ‘I could be in debt’,” he said. “They won’t think, ‘I could be injured because I’m carrying a knife.’ None of this enters their heads.”

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While the promised rewards, including easy cash and flash trainers, may sound tempting the workload is punishing and often not worth the hours the young dealers put in

Mr Franklin said: “You get four hours of sleep, living in a squat with no running water. When you work out how much you earn per hour, you find you could have earned more at Aldi or Lidl.”

He added of the teen drug dealers: “They’re used and abused.”

The detective, who has worked in London and Wiltshire, said parents needed to take an active interest in what their children were up to.

“It’s very easy to say, look at the troubled kids or the cared-for kids. But what we’re finding is children running drugs can be from any background,” he said.

“It’s about knowing what your children are doing. Try and find out what they spend their time doing when they’re on social media.”

Adults, including parents and teachers, should be quick to pick up on changes in children’s lifestyle, appearance, how they spend their time and their friendship group. One Wiltshire child linked to drug dealing was said to have been telling his parents he was at a friend’s house for a couple of nights when, in fact, he was selling drugs hundreds of miles away.

“I think parenting is difficult in this day and age. I know it’s not easy, but you need to have an idea of what your children are doing,” Mr Franklin said.