In a significant victory against organised crime, five men have been sentenced for drug supply and modern slavery offences, which included exploiting a 15-year-old child as a drug runner from West London to Hampshire.

In September 2021, the missing 15-year-old boy was discovered at an address in Andover, Hampshire, with wraps of crack cocaine and heroin for sale. The operation, led by 30-year-old Rhys Johnson from Acton, used the child as a “runner” on a county line extending from West London to Andover.

The investigative efforts revealed that the boy was transported by 31-year-old Michael Mcdonnell, accompanied by Johnson, 18-year-old Jaion Jacobs, and 17-year-old Miguel Fiorenzi. A subsequent search of a safe house in High Wycombe, controlled by Johnson and Mcdonnell, uncovered a substantial amount of Class A drugs, a high-value Rolex watch, cash, and correspondence linking them to criminal activities.

All five men, including Jordan Barnes from Andover, were arrested and charged with various offences, leading to guilty verdicts following a trial. The trial disclosed that the boy was groomed by Jacobs and Fiorenzi before being introduced to Johnson for drug running.

Rhys Johnson and Michael Mcdonnell were both sentenced to over 16 years in prison on October 20. The sentences mark a successful dismantling of an organised gang involved in exploiting children for drug distribution.

Police Constable Tom Quinn, leading the investigation, stated, “This investigation is an excellent example of how our Met officers have successfully dismantled an organised gang who coordinated the distribution of drugs through the exploitation of children.”

The sentencing followed a week of action by the Metropolitan Police targeting county lines drug dealing, resulting in over 290 arrests, safeguarding 110 individuals, seizing 16.9kg of suspected drugs, and closing 92 drug lines.