'Children as young as six are being groomed by drug dealers'

Policing Authority says gangs are exploiting vulnerable kids in a practice that is now being dubbed a form of child trafficking

Troubled children in Ireland are sought out by dealers — who lure them with 'gifts' such as high-end trainers or cannabis or nitrous oxide — and exploit them to deliver drugs. Picture: iStock

Children as young as six are being used as “runners” for drug dealers, who “seek out” vulnerable kids and lure them in with 'gifts' such as top-end runners and 'free' drugs.

Communities in disadvantaged areas told the Policing Authority that the “seeming ease” with which money can be made at a very young age for simple tasks entices children into criminality.