Pair jailed for human trafficking and drugs operation which endangered young people
Victims aged 15 and 16 carried enough drugs inside their bodies to kill them if the bags burst
A former couple from London have today been given a combined jail sentence of 11 years and nine months for exploiting vulnerable young men to sell heroin and crack cocaine throughout Devon and Cornwall between December 2019 and March 2020.
It is the first human trafficking related county lines drugs operation in Devon & Cornwall, with Torquay, Plymouth an Penzance particularly targeted.
Both Itman Ismail, 28, and Omorie Nixon, 20 were convicted of four counts of human trafficking, while Nixon was also convicted of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs.
They were sentenced at Exeter Crown Court to four years and seven years and nine months respectively - with both now eligible for release on licence after serving half of their terms.
The court heard some of the young teenage victims, aged 15 and 16, were carrying enough drugs inside their bodies to kill them if the packaging broke.
The pair, who were in a relationship, spent thousands of pounds on hire cars and Airbnbs, making numerous journeys from London to Devon and Cornwall.
Four vulnerable youths, three of whom were assessed as high-risk missing children, were transported on these trips and used to carry heroin and cocaine inside their bodies.
On one occasion, police found two of the boys to be carrying large amounts of heroin and cocaine inside their rectums. One of the teenagers had 80 wraps (10.8g) of crack cocaine and 49 wraps (5g) of heroin –inside him, totalling £1,290, while the other was found to have 39 wraps (6.12g) of crack cocaine and 23 wraps (2.28g) of heroin, totalling £1,100 inside him.
A forensic toxicologist ruled that if the packages inside the boys had split, they could have died.
Examination of Ismail’s bank accounts revealed that in little over two months, between January and March 2020, more than £7,000 entered her accounts through third party transfers and cash deposits and Nixon received more than £6,000.
"A massive detrimental effect on the community"
Officer in the Case, Detective Constable Ben Paul, who is also a modern slavery/human trafficking specialist investigator, said: “This was an extremely complex investigation and required us piecing together a mosaic of evidence which would prove that Nixon and Ismail were linked to a number of different youth victims and isolated incidents.
“Early on we recognised the warning signs indicating that the young people involved may be the victims of human trafficking.
“This jigsaw of evidence was pulled together through the collaborative working of a number of different specialist and expert teams within the police.
“The supply of Class A drugs on the streets of Devon and Cornwall has a massively detrimental effect on the community and those vulnerable individuals who live here.
The Chief Constable praised Devon and Cornwall Police
Chief Constable Shaun Sawyer, Devon and Cornwall Police and National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking, said: “This is the culmination of exceptional work by Devon and Cornwall Police officers who worked closely with the Metropolitan Police Service Operation Orochi team.
“The exploitation and trafficking of children and young people for drug related purposes and other criminal enterprises can often fall under the auspices of modern slavery. This sounds shocking to all of us in the UK and can occur to children born here as well as those trafficked into the UK and exploited here.
“The work of colleagues within this investigation is particularly commendable and will play a significant part in enabling these young people to begin to rebuild their lives whilst their abusers serve their sentences.”
Ann Hampshire, Senior Crown Prosecutor for CPS South West, said: “This successful prosecution has resulted in the jailing of two individuals and the safeguarding of the four teenage victims they were exploiting.
“Modern slavery cases are highly complex, involving criminal networks that can span the country. Close cooperation across multiple agencies, including the police and CPS, is therefore essential if we are to succeed in taking down these networks.