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Police are trying to raise awareness of cuckooing - Credit: Archant Vulnerable people in Essex are being targeted by County Lines drug gangs who take over their homes and use them as bases for drug dealing. Essex Police is launching Operation Trespass to help raise awareness in communities and help victims find help.   The tactic, known as cuckooing, sees the gang manipulate people to gain access to their properties; often specifically targeting those with drug and alcohol addictions, financial problems and learning difficulties. The groups have also been known to target vulnerable individ...

A MUM was kept prisoner by a knife-wielding gang that ran a drug house in her flat.

The gang had been in the flat for more than a month when a series of events brought Clare’s situation to the attention of the police. She continued: “One day I came out of my room and one of (the gang) had a picture of my daughter hanging out of his pocket. It was the school picture on the keyring for my front door keys and my car. “I chased him down the stairs, out onto pavement and ripped them out of his pocket. He smacked me on the head and I fell to the floor. The lump on my head was massive but I was scared to phone the police.

A MUM was kept prisoner by a knife-wielding gang that ran a drug house in her flat. Clare – not the woman’s real name – is a mum to grown up children but has suffered from addiction and mental health issues in her life. As a result of Clare’s ex-partner’s drug use, a gang from outside of the county occupied her flat and used it as base to deal drugs from. The gang took Clare’s car, and she became a prisoner in her own home, scared for her own safety and too frightened to call the police. She said: “The cuckooing started because my ex-partner had a drug problem. He brou...

"The gangs would previously use Airbnb, guest houses or hotels to set up but now they’ve been forced to use individuals’ houses. “When we find dealers on the streets from London, they’ve generally all got somewhere they’ll go back to. Covid has made travelling on the train more risky for them, so they prefer to find a local base to operate from.” Spotting the signs that cuckooing is taking place is one way that the public can look out for their neighbours and help stop this criminal activity.   “Every case is slightly different, but we’d look for people who you wouldn’t exp...