Xavion Benson, a drill music artist linked to the notorious Peter and Zak drug lines, has been sentenced to five years and seven months in prison after trafficking a teenage boy from London to Clacton, Essex. Between November 2021 and March 2022, Benson’s operation distributed Class A drugs along the London-Essex corridor, resulting in the first-ever conviction in Essex under the Modern Slavery Act.
In January 2022, Benson trafficked a vulnerable teenager to Clacton and forced him to sell drugs. The boy endured appalling living conditions for nearly two weeks, during which he was unable to wash, eat, or drink properly, and visibly lost weight before returning home. Benson had promised the boy £2,800 for his “work,” but the payment never materialised.
The investigation began after the boy’s parents reported him missing to the Metropolitan Police. Officers traced the boy’s phone to the Peter and Zak drug lines, which were already under police scrutiny. Following a joint police operation in March 2022, Benson was arrested on suspicion of Class A drug supply and human trafficking. Ryan Arrowsmith was also identified as a key figure who sent bulk marketing texts advertising large drug deals.
Benson, 22, of Creek Road, London SE8, pleaded guilty to drug supply and human trafficking charges. Arrowsmith, 32, who was caught attempting to flush drugs during a raid at his home in Sidcup, pleaded guilty to supplying heroin and crack cocaine. Arrowsmith was jailed for four years and three months in November 2022.
Benson received his sentence at Chelmsford Crown Court, along with a slavery and trafficking prevention order that bans him from arranging travel for others for seven years. Arrowsmith was also given a seven-year criminal behaviour order.
Detective Inspector James Healy commented, “County lines gangs target vulnerable children to traffic and exploit them. This is trafficking and exploitation; nothing less. This is the first conviction of its type in Essex, and I’m proud of the team for relentlessly pursuing justice not only for drugs but for the human cost this case revealed.” PC Harlie Turner added, “These gangs promise kids money and designer clothes but deliver squalor, terror, and hardship. We’re glad we saved this boy from a life of crime and abuse.”
Originally published by UKNIP.
