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British drug dealing gangs are moving off the streets and into vulnerable people's homes. Alamy Stock Photo
Series7 deadly reads
Sitdown Sunday: Gangs are 'cuckooing' vulnerable people's homes
Settle down in a comfy chair with some of the week’s best longreads.
IT’S A DAY of rest, and you may be in the mood for a quiet corner and a comfy chair.
We’ve hand-picked some of the week’s best reads for you to savour.
1. Gangs are ‘cuckooing’ vulnerable people
British drug dealing gangs are moving off the streets and into vulnerable people’s homes to conduct their illegal operations. The insidious process is known as ‘cuckooing’ – and it’s on the rise.
(The Guardian, approx. 23 mins reading time)
“Cuckooing can involve sexual and financial grooming, the targeting of disabled and mentally ill people, people in private rented properties in affluent neighbourhoods, and even relatives and carers of gang members. In one case, said Insp Andrew Cameron of Operation Pantera, which was aimed at tackling the problem in London, a nephew cuckooed his aunt’s house for a south London drug gang. In another, a care worker cuckooed the home of a patient, who was tortured with cigarette burns and beaten by drug dealers.”
2. Gen Z undertakers
Emily, a 20-year-old undertaker, was inspired to pursue the career after watching a TikTok video. She’s never looked back.
(Dispatch, approx. eight mins reading time)
“On nights out in Liverpool, young men are usually shocked when they find out that Emily’s ‘body count’ refers not to the number of people she has slept with, but to the number she has laid to rest. ‘They say: ‘I’m a bit scared. Are you gonna bury me?’”
3. The Texan father in a Russian prison
David Barnes’ kids were abducted and brought to Russia by his ex-wife after she lost a custody case. He tried to save them and is now stuck in a Russian prison.
(Texas Monthly, approx. 50 mins reading time)
“Last winter I received a series of phone calls from Barnes from his Russian prison. He told me that he had lost 25 pounds and half his teeth over the previous four years. ‘It’s been hell,’ he said. The scratchy connection made it sound like he was calling from outer space. He had travelled across the world on a long shot mission to rescue his children. Now he was the one who needed rescuing. Barnes begged me to convey a message to the American officials who he believes have abandoned him: ‘Just print that I need help.’”
4. This year’s fat bears
It’s Fat Bear week! The yearly tradition involves the public voting on which brown bear in an Alaskan national park has gained the most weight – and therefore is the most successful – before hibernating for the winter. The cute photos of bears mean the competition now has a cult-like following.
(National Geographic, approx. seven mins reading time)
“With plenty of salmon to go around, 2025’s bears are even chunkier than usual. ‘The bears are extremely fat this year, and I’m looking forward to seeing how people react to how fat they are,’ he said. In a world where ‘things suck for wildlife and ecosystems around the world,’ Fitz said, Fat Bear Week provides a temporary antidote, spotlighting a fully intact ecosystem with wildlife that’s thriving.”
5. Why has the mask policy of a lesbian bar become global news?
A lesbian bar in the US state of Massachusetts has made headlines worldwide this week after it announced masks were optional for one night each week.
(The Boston Globe, approx. 10 mins reading time)
“The thread grew to 442 comments, some supportive, but many furious. The people running the bar were accused of being ableist — eugenicist, even — for relaxing their signature policy.”
6. The celebrity profile
Journalist Jonah Weiner, who spent 20 years working as a profile writer, has shared some of his interesting accounts of hanging out with famous people and his love for the celebrity profile.
(Black Bird Spy Plane, approx. 10 mins reading time)
“Spending time with somebody for a profile can create a singular kind of intensity, not least because, if you’re doing the job well, you find yourself asking them profoundly intimate questions, and they find themselves answering them.”
…AND A CLASSIC FROM THE ARCHIVES…
7. The bone collector
This Vanity Fair article from 2021 looks into the case of Don Miller. In 2014, the FBI discovered that Miller, then aged 90, had amassed a collection of thousands of human remains in his Indiana home, including over 2,000 human bones looted from Native American burial grounds.
(Vanity Fair, approx. 30 mins reading time)
“Miller opened the door. He was tall, thin, elderly, happy—eager, even—to invite them in. He seemed thrilled to have someone to talk to. Inside, his house was cluttered. Miller guided them through, talking about himself, his life, and his collection, and soon led them down a stairwell. As Carpenter descended, the room below felt as if it was expanding with each step, like a camera aperture widening and widening, until he finally reached the bottom. “I just stopped,” Carpenter said. “I stood there and looked around, like, You have got to be shitting me.”
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