John Smith
A Nuneaton man played a role in child drugs trafficking ring that spanned from Luton to the South West. Mohammed Sillah of Kings Meadow was involved in the supply of drugs that youngsters had been trafficked to sell.
The 34-year-old man was found guilty of two counts of supplying crack cocaine and heroin and for being in possession of criminal property and cannabis. These drugs were being sold by youngsters.
Sillah was sentenced to four years and nine months in prison and will also be the subject of a Proceeds of Crimes (POCA) hearing. Avon and Somerset Police officers were behind the investigation and discovered that two teenagers had been trafficked from Luton to the South West by Tai Makessa with the sole purpose of selling drugs.
One teenage adult was also trafficked from one part of the South West to another. Makessa was arrested and he went on to plead guilty to two counts of being concerned in the supply crack cocaine and heroin, and one count of arranging or facilitating travel of another person with a view to exploit them.
Makessa, of Hepburn Road, Bristol, appeared at Bristol Crown Court on Thursday, April 18 where he was sentenced to three years and nine months in prison. He was also handed a five-year Slavery and Trafficking Prevention Order and will also be made the subject of a POCA hearing.
A third offender, Harvey Worthington, aged 24 of no fixed address, was sentenced at Bristol Crown Court in August last year as part of the investigation. He was handed a 22-month-long prison sentence which has been suspended for two years.
‘Long, detailed investigation’
Speaking about the case, Detective Inspector Angela Burtonwood from the force’s County Lines Team in Op Remedy, said: “This has been a long, detailed investigation and I praise the hard work carried out by the County Lines Team to bring these men to justice.
“Drugs, and the crimes associated with them, have a significant impact on individuals, their families and the wider communities. We hope that this result provides reassurance to the community that we are dedicated in our effort to crack down on the plight of drug dealing in our area.
“The County Lines Team continues to target adults who use children and vulnerable people to traffic drugs across the country.”
