Emad El-Haddad, 23 of Gloucester Terrace, Westminster was sentenced on Thursday, 2 September at Taunton Crown Court to seven years and two months’ imprisonment. He is also subject to a confiscation order under the Proceeds of Crime Act and a ten-year Slavery and Trafficking Prevention Order (STPO). The terms of the order include strict conditions on his access to a mobile phone, prevent him from arranging travel or accommodation for any person under the age of 18 except for immediate family members and bar him from travelling to the Avon and Somerset policing area. He pleaded guilty on Wednesday, 1 September at the same court on the first day of his trial to possession with intent to supply crack cocaine and heroin as well as arranging or facilitating the travel of another person with a view to exploit. The investigation was jointly carried out by officers from Operation Orochi, the Met’s specialist crime team dedicated to tackling high harm offenders involved in county lines drugs supply, and Avon and Somerset’s equivalent Operation Remedy. Detective Constable Ben Baker, the investigating officer from the Met’s Operation Orochi, said: “El-Haddad has exploited this young and vulnerable boy to facilitate his drug supply. This sentence highlights our ability to pursue those involved with exploiting children for drug supply, irrespective of whether a victim assists the police or not. We hope this case will discourage future gangs from using children as drugs runners by showing it isn’t any barrier to their prosecution. “Offenders like him hope that by using vulnerable children as drugs runners they will shield themselves from identification and prosecution by law enforcement. This is because frequently, these exploited persons are too scared to assist the police.”
