Laws meant to stop "modern slavery" and "human trafficking" are being stretched beyond comprehension, once again. When most people hear a term like "human trafficking," they imagine someone being violently abducted, possibly smuggled across borders, and forced into something like manual labor or prostitution. But laws against human trafficking—or, as it's often referred to in the U.K., "modern slavery"—target a much wider range of conduct, including actions way less severe than the modern slavery label would imply. Human trafficking laws are frequently used to justify stings on sex workers, and charges may be levied against sex workers themselves or anyone who facilitates their business, even when all parties are consenting. Now, the U.K. is further twisting the meaning of human trafficking, this time to go after people who sell drugs.
Glodi Wabelua was the test case for this sort of prosecution. As a teenage immigrant with few prospects, Wabelua began selling drugs. Eventually working his way up from drug runner to shift supervisor, the 20-year-old Wabelua wound up overseeing the business of other drug runners, including a 16-year-old boy. After the boy was caught—and criminally charged—Wabelua was charged with trafficking him.
