Cuckooing is named after the nest-stealing practice of wild cuckoos.

It is a form of exploitation where vulnerable people are tricked or coerced into allowing criminals to use their property as a base for their illegal or illicit activities.

Such activities may include using the property:

• To deal, store or take drugs (this is the most common)
• To store cash, weapons, valuables or other items
• For sex work
• As a place to sleep
• To financially abuse the tenant

Cuckooing is often, but not always, linked to county lines operations.

County lines is a form of drug trafficking in which organised crime operatives in major cities establish networks for the supply and sale of illegal drugs in smaller towns and cities, often crossing police and local authority boundaries. Such activity is facilitated by the use of a dedicated mobile phone line or other form of ‘deal line’.