A gang of hardened drug dealers who groomed and trafficked a 14-year-old boy to sell heroin on the streets were taken down when police seized his phone.
In a change of approach, the teenager, who refused to answer questions or co-operate, was treated as a victim of modern slavery rather than a youth offender and an investigation was launched into how he ended up selling heroin and cocaine on the streets.
The boy was arrested in Rhyl, North Wales, in February, 2021, as part of a major undercover investigation by North Wales Police into an out-of-town drugs ring known locally as the 'TJ Line'. The boy was found to have £2,500 worth of heroin and crack cocaine in his possession after selling a wrap to an undercover officer for £20.
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His phone was seized and analysed, and the results painted a harrowing picture of how the teenager had been trafficked across the country to line the pockets of grown men. At the top of the gang was 29-year-old Wesley Hankin, a career criminal from Wavertree with a raft of previous conviction for guns and drugs offences.
In 2011, the ECHO reported how the then 19-year-old was locked up for nine years after being caught in possession of a Luger handgun and bullets. At the time the boy was arrested, Hankin was already behind bars, hundreds of miles away in HMP Portland, Dorset, after being convicted of drug supply offences and wounding.
The boy, who has not been identified, was under the care of social services until he went missing early in 2021. It emerged the boy had been recruited around a week before he disappeared by Darren Courtney, 25, of Plymouth Close in Runcorn, via messages on Snapchat.
Courtney put him in touch with Hankin, who the boy knew as "the main man"'. The teenager sent Hankin a message asking whether there was any "work". Hankin told him he would provide him "with a brand new blower [phone]".
Caernarfon Crown Court heard the gang boss arranged for the boy to be taken to Liverpool to get a Nokia "graft" phone used for dealing drugs, with the help of Gareth Jones, 40, of Norris Grove in Widnes.
For the next fortnight the boy was taken all over the country, staying in "trap-houses" and selling drugs in Wigan, Bedford and finally Rhyl. During that period he was sent on detours to Liverpool, where detectives believe he was stocked up with stashes of heroin and cocaine to sell.
While staying in a house in Wigan, occupied by 54-year-old Amanda Watkinson, he recorded videos showing himself brandishing a serrated knife, while Watkinson could be seen taking drugs in the background. At another Wigan trap house, occupied by Vicky Bannister, he was chided for not being around to serve "customers".
The boy used the Nokia phone to send out "flare" messages, advertising drugs for sale, before taking taxis to meet punters. After selling for a time in Wigan, Joshua Ellerbrook, St Helens, took the boy to Bedford after stopping off in Liverpool to collect more drugs.
A few days later he was back in Liverpool, before being taken to the home of Anthony Buckley-Mellor on Wood Road, Rhyl. The court head 48-year-old Buckley-Mellor admitted to allowing the boy to stay at his home for a few days but claimed he had been told the boy was 19.
He later accepted the child "looked about 11". Another co-defendent, Michael Hill, 27, from Wrexham, who was acting as the boy's minder, was contacted by the undercover police officer asking to buy drugs, and was told "I'll send the kids over".
The boy and another teenager were sent to a hut on the promenade in Rhyl. Later that day, Hill asked how much money the boy had earned that day, and was told "410". The teenager was arrested a few days later in a nearby nature park, where he again sold drugs to the police officer.
The court heard that while the boy appeared willing to immerse himself in the world of drug dealing, Judge Nicola Saffman noted that at one point Hankin accused him of "working for the feds" which would have been "terrifying".
Eight defendants were jailed at Caernarfon Crown Court last week for numerous offences, including human trafficking and supplying heroin and cocaine. In a frustrating turn for officers, Hankin was cleared of modern slavery offences because it could not be proved by the prosecution that he knew he was directing a child.
Despite him only admitting drugs supply offences, Hankin was, however, issued with a slavery and trafficking risk order lasting 15 years. Those sentences in connection with the investigation included:
Wesley Hankin, from Wavertree, jailed for 10 years and two months for drugs supply offences. A Slavery Trafficking Prevention Order was applied for 15 years.
Gareth Mark Jones, from Widnes, jailed for seven years and four months for human trafficking and drugs supply offences. A Slavery Trafficking Prevention Order was applied for seven years.
Darren Courtney, from Runcorn, jailed for six years and eight months for human trafficking and drugs supply. A Slavery Trafficking Prevention Order has been applied for seven years.
Michael Hill, from Wrexham, jailed for seven years two months for human trafficking and drugs supply. A Slavery Trafficking Prevention Order has been applied for seven years.
Callum Wright, from Wrexham, jailed for three years for human trafficking and drugs offences
Anthony Buckley Mellor, from Rhyl, jailed for one year and 10 months for human trafficking.
Joshua Ellerbrook, from St Helens, jailed for one year and 10 months for human trafficking.
Victoria Bannister, from Wigan, jailed for 18 months for human trafficking
Amanda Watkinson, from Wigan, sentenced to 16 months in prison suspended for 24 months for human trafficking
Superintendent Simon Williams, Head of the Protection of Vulnerable People Unit in North Wales, said: “This case marked a significant change in our approach in that the child dealing drugs on behalf of the group was treated as a victim, not a criminal, as it was clear he was being exploited and at risk. The other major difference is that some of the group were not only charged with drugs offences, but with human trafficking, which came as a surprise to them.
“This vulnerable child was trafficked across the North West, he was at the behest of these criminals, dealing drugs on their behalf. The risks and exploitation were massive.
“Our message to those who use children in this way is that we, along with partners, will relentlessly pursue you and bring you to justice, even if, as in this case, we haven’t got a victim willing to stand up in court. We will focus on all opportunities to gather evidence from all available sources.
“To young people caught up in County Lines and their parents or carers, our priority is to safeguard children and to pursue those who exploit them. I appreciate that it can be a difficult step to disentangle from the situation, but you should be confident that we will support and safeguard you.
“Modern slavery and trafficking happens in plain sight, impacting on the most vulnerable. It could be happening on your street, learn to know the signs, the public are key to helping identify this criminality.
“My hope is that those involved in offending of this kind think again about what they’re doing. This case highlights the approach that we will continue to take to successfully prosecute those who engage in such exploitation and provides a blueprint for prosecution and the managing of offenders after release via associated orders."
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