The Story

Mike started selling drugs for a county lines gang when he was just a teenager. After being arrested and getting stabbed, he left that life behind. But he's been willing to share his experiences with The Times’ crime editor David Woode for the first time, explaining how he got caught 'under a spell'.

This is episode four of a five-part special investigation into county lines drug dealing, running in audio, video, print and digital from The Times and The Sunday Times.

This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestory

Host: David Woode
Producers: Kate Lamble and Taryn Siegel.
With thanks to the St Giles Trust
We want to hear from you - email: [email protected]

Read more: Inside the case of a 15-year-old caught with a machete and pistol
Further listening: Why I carried a knife
Photo: Getty Images.
This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Children aren't just running drugs for county lines gangs - sometimes they're running the lines themselves.

Today The Sunday Times's northern editor David Collins talks to the police officers who worry laws designed to protect victims of exploitation might actually encourage gang leaders to promote teenagers into higher positions in their criminal organisation.

This is episode three of a five-part special investigation into county lines drug dealing, running in audio, video, print and digital from The Times and The Sunday Times.

This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestory

Read more: Drug gangs swamped York. This is how police stopped them | I was a county lines drug runner. I tried to quit, then I was stabbed
Watch: School-age kingpins: why children now hold the key to county lines

Host: David Collins
Producers: Kate Lamble and Taryn Siegel
Executive producers: Tim Walklate and Dan Box
We want to hear from you - email: [email protected]

Photo: Getty Images.
This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today we go inside Operation Titan, as North Yorkshire Police fight back against county lines drugs gangs. But with each line the police shut down, another pops up in its place, sometimes within days. The Sunday Times' northern editor David Collins investigates how to break the cycle.

This is episode two of a five-part special investigation into county lines drug dealing, running in audio, video, print and digital from The Times and The Sunday Times.

This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestory

Read more: Drug dealers use anti-slavery law to escape prosecution | I was a county lines drug runner. I tried to quit, then I was stabbed
Watch: School-age kingpins: why children now hold the key to county lines

Host: David Collins.
Producers: Kate Lamble and Taryn Siegel
Executive producers: Tim Walklate and Dan Box
We want to hear from you - email: [email protected]

Photo: Getty Images.
This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Part one of a five-part special investigation into county lines drug dealing, running in audio, video, print and digital from The Times and The Sunday Times.

Today we reveal how police took down the family controlling the drug trade in one British city, creating a power vacuum that was filled by a new breed of violent, criminal operation - county lines.

The Sunday Times' northern editor David Collins is given unprecedented access to North Yorkshire Police as they fight back against the drug gangs.

This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestory

Read more: Exposed: how drug gangs deal without fear as the law can’t keep up | I was a county lines drug runner. I tried to quit, then I was stabbed
Watch: School-age kingpins: why children now hold the key to county lines

Host: David Collins
Producers: Kate Lamble, Taryn Siegel
Executive producers: Tim Walklate, Dan Box
We want to hear from you - email: [email protected]

Photo: Getty Images.
This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After years in hiding, The Sunday Times has obtained images of Christy and Daniel Kinahan, leaders of the all-powerful Kinahan cartel, living freely in Dubai. They are some of the most wanted criminals in the world. So why aren’t they in custody?

This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestory

Guest: John Mooney, Investigative reporter, The Sunday Times.
Host: Luke Jones.
Producer: Taryn Siegel.
We want to hear from you - email: [email protected]

Read more: The world is looking for the Kinahan drug lords. We found them
Further listening: Gourmet gangster: Could Kinahan be caught by his Google reviews?
Clips: 971 FC, Irish Gangland, FM Boxing, Storyful.
This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.