London Councils hail prison sentences for 'county lines' drug dealers guilty of modern slavery offences

London Councils has welcomed the prison sentences given to three drug dealers believed to be the first to be charged under the Modern Slavery Act.

The defendants recruited vulnerable teenagers to act as couriers to run drugs to coastal communities.

The three men were also given 15-year-long Slavery and Trafficking Prevention Orders (STPO), which come into force on release from prison. These severely restrict their use of mobile phones, SIM cards and computers for the duration of the order. The men will also be unable to drive a car with anyone under the age of 18 inside, apart from family members, and will need to register their addresses, mobile phone numbers and computers with police.

Cllr Nickie Aiken, London Councils’ Executive member for Schools and Children’s Services, said: “We welcome these sentences and the pioneering use of modern slavery powers to prosecute these criminals. The county lines drug trade is a plague across the capital and London boroughs support a hard-line approach to the ‘county lines’ drug dealers who ruthlessly exploit young Londoners and groom them into lives of crime.

“The men jailed today were prepared to deploy terrifying levels of violence to ply their trade and ensure those under their control did their bidding. We will continue to protect vulnerable young Londoners by putting people like these defendants behind bars.” 

DAC Duncan Ball from the Metropolitan Police and NPCC County Lines lead, said: “Use of modern slavery legislation is an important aspect of targeting those criminal networks who exploit vulnerable children and adults to maximise their profits from drug supply. Today’s convictions send a clear message that we will utilise all legislation nationally to suppress county line activity.”