Leicester Man Jailed for 66 Months Over Drugs and Forced Labour of Teen Victims
Leicestershire Police statement: An investigation by the force’s exploitation team has resulted in a man being jailed for 66 months for drugs and forced labour offences.
Donnell Magezi, 25, made threats of violence to the then-teenage victims, attempting to force them to sell class A drugs on his behalf in Leicestershire.
He was sentenced on Friday (6 March) at Leicester Crown Court following a trial in November last year, where he was found guilty of all counts, as well as one count of perverting the course of justice.
Magezi had travelled from London to set up the drugs line and looked to recruit local children to be part of the operation. The victims, who are now both adults, had previously been drawn into selling cannabis for the gang by a mutual school connection.
However they were soon debt-bonded to the gang who then wanted them to sell class A drugs.
The threats began on the evening of 8 January 2022, when they were visited at their homes in the Charnwood area. They were forced into a car and told they were not able to leave until they agreed to do what they asked – sell class A drugs.
They were taken to their knees in a secluded area on the outskirts of Loughborough and threatened.
Threats were made to one of the victims that he and his family could be harmed before they were eventually taken home – and told not to tell their families or police what had happened.
However, the threats continued via phone calls the following day – with Magezi saying that other gang members from London were going to come to Leicestershire and hurt them and their families and demanding access to their homes.
Fearing for the safety of his family and himself, one of the victims told his parents what had happened and they subsequently called the police.
Magezi, of Almond Avenue, Ealing, was arrested on 9 January 2022 on suspicion of modern slavery offences and being concerned in the supply of class A and B drugs.
He was subsequently charged with two counts of requiring a person to perform forced or compulsory labour one count of conspiracy to supply a class A drug – cocaine.
Magezi, who is originally from London and ran the ‘Adam Line’ between West London and Loughborough, was also found guilty of one count of perverting the court of justice.
The charge related to an offence in December 2022, where he gained a false letter of employment from stating that he was required to work overnight. This was submitted to the court and there was a hearing for his bail conditions to be changed – which originally had an overnight curfew. Further enquiries found this offer of employment to be false.
