County lines drug dealers trafficked vulnerable teenage boy to sell heroin

Two drug dealers who trafficked a vulnerable teenage boy more than 100 miles from his home to sell crack and heroin have been jailed.

Jamal Andall and Alex Anderson are the first members of a county lines drug gang to be convicted of modern slavery offences by Bedfordshire Police.

The pair were sentenced to a total of more than 13 years in prison, at Luton Crown Court.

The victim, a 15-year-old boy, went missing from his home in Bedfordshire in February 2020.

He was found nearly three weeks later in Lowestoft, Suffolk, with £3,000 worth of crack cocaine and heroin, a large amount of cash and three phones.

One of the phones was linked to the Bedfordshire drug dealing line known as ‘Craig’.

County lines typically involve gangs selling drugs in other towns using a dedicated phone line.

Andall, of Stonesdale, Luton, pleaded guilty to facilitating the travel of another person with a view to exploitation, being concerned in the supply of cocaine and heroin, and possession with intent to supply cocaine and heroin.

Anderson, of Acworth Crescent, Luton, pleaded guilty to facilitating the travel of another person with a view to exploitation and being concerned in the supply of cocaine and heroin.

Andall was sentenced to seven years imprisonment for being concerned in the supply of heroin, while Anderson received six years and four months for the same offence.

They were further sentenced to six years for exploitation, and three years for being concerned in the supply of cocaine, both to be served concurrently.

Detective Constable Colin Knight, from Bedfordshire Police, said: “We were able to show Andall and Anderson were behind a county drugs line and maintained persistent contact with this teenage boy, sending him to another part of the country and exploiting him to sell drugs on their behalf.

“Drugs are a catalyst for many crime types, with organised crime groups often driving serious violence, exploitation, and anti-social behaviour in our community.

“This case shows that we are not here to criminalise young people, and we will instead go upstream to identify the exploiters."

The victim is now back with his family and has moved out of Bedfordshire.

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