A man has been jailed for hiring children as young as 14 to sell drugs in Newham.
Dominic Francis, 31, was jailed for five years and 10 months after being found guilty of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs, two counts of conspiracy to supply Class B drugs and conspiracy to facilitate the movement of a vulnerable person for the purpose of exploitation, namely a 14-year-old boy from Newham.
He was also issued with a Slavery Trafficking Order for six years.
Another man, aged 22, was sentenced to three years and two months in prison for two counts of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs and two counts of conspiracy to supply Class B drugs with the use of children as an aggravating factor.
He has since been released as it was deemed he had already served his time while in custody.
Both men were arrested following an investigation by the Met’s Modern Slavery and Child Exploitation unit in 2020.
Investigators found that Francis had been making calls to a 22-year-old in prison, in which he ordered him to recruit children to sell drugs from Newham and throughout London and the south east.
The male on the other end of the phone was traced to an address in Kent and arrested for his involvement in the drug operation.
Two children, a 14-year-old boy and 16-year-old girl, were also found to be involved in the operation. Both were safeguarded by officers.
More than 25 children - all aged between 14 and 17 - were identified and safeguarded by detectives throughout the investigation.
Detective Chief Inspector Laura Hillier, from The Met’s Specialist Crime, said: “This investigation has brought justice to a man who used the lives of young and vulnerable people for his own personal gain. We focused on rescuing these children who had no option but to do as they were told through fear of violence from those controlling them.
“This investigation took my officers months to investigate, compiling a voluminous amount of evidence whilst ensuring the safety of the children involved and the conviction of these three people.
“They used children as commodities, grooming them and putting them in an adult world full of danger.
“Child exploitation causes violence and anti-social behaviour in London and we do not tolerate the harm that comes with it.
“Francis also implicated drug suppliers higher up the criminal chain which led to a further investigation into a separate crime group. This also resulted in the disruption of a drugs line that had been in existence for over 15 years.”
