A London drugs gang recruited and used Welsh children living in care homes to deliver Class A drugs on its behalf. The vulnerable youngsters and supplies of heroin and crack cocaine were shuttled around Cardiff in taxis booked by gang members running the so-called "Banks" drugs line.
Londoner Abdilgader Yasin had been sent to the Welsh capital from London to manage the operation while Sultan Ismail helped to run the Cardiff end of the network by directing street dealers and "runners". Sending the pair to prison a judge at Cardiff Crown Court said they had "exploited and manipulated" vulnerable children and involved them in the world of drugs.
Byron Broadstock, prosecuting, said Yasin and Ismail had been responsible for holding a county lines drug phone known as the "Banks" line and for taking orders from customers and the directing others to supply Class A drugs to users. He said some of those doing the supplying on the streets were children living in the care of local authorities – one of whom was aged under 16.
