…Researched and contributed by Joseph Benjamin.
Liverpool drug lords are using social media platform Snapchat to deceive young boys into believing they are gangsters, according to recent court cases.
These drug lords are grooming vulnerable young boys and turning them into foot soldiers, promising them new phones and a taste of the high life.
Recent court cases show how Liverpool-based drug bosses are ensnaring vulnerable young people into selling heroin and crack cocaine.
“County Lines” operation
Recently, Devon and Cornwall Police disrupted a sprawling “county lines” style organised crime group where nine of the 16 defendants sentenced as part of the operation were under the age of 18, with some as young as 15.
Some of the 15-year-olds had been given the responsibility of directing other young dealers, an unusual feature according to the Liverpool ECHO.
Billy Curtis, 21, was described as “recruiting” children to sell crack and heroin, despite only being 18 himself at the start of the conspiracy.
In February this year, two of the younger gang members, both 14, were caught dealing in an Exeter park.
They were each described as enduring childhoods marked by trauma, school exclusion and care, typical characteristics of the boys being targeted.
Delusion and Manipulation
Judge Anna Richardson told the boys that they had been “manipulated by those above you into thinking this was the life for you” and that they were “deluded and didn’t see the reality of the situation.”
The drug lords make use of these young boys by tricking them into believing that they are capable of being bosses, and this is leading to a surge in drug trafficking cases involving juveniles.
Halewood thug Carl Masher, 24, was jailed for three years over his involvement in a drug line known as ‘Scouse Les’.
The line also resulted in a “young person being safeguarded” by Dorset Police.
In another case relating to the south coast, Wesley Hankin, a Wavertree career criminal, was at the head of another North Wales drug conspiracy.
Hankin was jailed for ten years and handed a Slavery and Trafficking Prevention Order lasting for 15 years.
Commentary
The use of social media platforms such as Snapchat by Liverpool-based drug bosses to groom young children into the world of drug trafficking is a cause for concern.
Vulnerable young people are being deceived into believing that they can be bosses, leading to a surge in drug trafficking cases involving juveniles.
The courts have recognised the manipulation tactics used by these drug lords on the young boys who are enduring childhoods marked by trauma, school exclusion and care.
The severity of the situation has resulted in young people being jailed for their involvement in the trade, whereas the real perpetrators who are manipulating them remain free.