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Drug gang activity ‘poses threat to passenger safety’

ASLEF general secretary Mick Whelan spoke out about passenger safety yesterday, warning police at railways need more resources to tackle drug gangs.

The train drivers’ union leader made the comments ahead of a briefing by the National Crime Agency (NCA) about the so-called county lines epidemic.

The NCA, set up in 2013 as a non-ministerial government department replacing the Serious Organised Crime Agency and Child Exploitation, warned yesterday that criminal gangs are exploiting thousands of children as young as 11 to run drug networks that rake in hundreds of millions of pounds a year.

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