Drug gangs get kids to sell crack, heroin & cocaine
POLICE are arresting more than 30 school-aged drug pushers every week.
Some of those picked up in the last 12 months were as young as 10.
Across the country kids are regularly getting caught selling class A drugs such as heroin, crack and cocaine. They have also been picked up offering class B drugs such as cannabis.
In the last year, officers in England and Wales detained 1,631 children aged 16 or under for supplying drugs or having drugs with intent to supply.
It is feared some drug gangs recruit youngsters, often using the threat of violence, knowing they are likely to attract less suspicion.
Drug gangs also work on the assumption that if they are caught they will be dealt with more leniently than an adult.
Around one in 10 of the child suspects arrested were girls.
In London, where 499 child drug dealer arrests were made last year, boys of 12 were caught with cannabis, cocaine and crack with intent to supply.
Also arrested by officers in the capital were three 14-year-old girls on suspicion of dealing class A and class B drugs.
In Essex a 10-year-old girl was interviewed by police after allegedly being caught trying to sell cannabis.
The same force had to deal with a 14-year-old boy who was caught trying to sell Xanax, a powerful prescriptiononly tranquilliser.
Officers in Dorset took in a boy, aged 12, for questioning on suspicion of having a class A drug with intent to supply.
Police in Cambridgeshire recorded a total of 33 cases involving children allegedly dealing drugs. They included a 16-year-old girl believed to be dealing in crack cocaine and a 13-year-old boy selling cannabis. Northamptonshire Police arrested a 13-year-old girl on suspicion of having cannabis with intent to supply others. They also held a 14-year-old boy for the same offence. In the West Midlands, where 93 children were pulled in last year on suspicion of dealing drugs, officers arrested two 13-year-old boys. One was suspected of dealing cannabis while the other was picked up for allegedly passing on cocaine. Officers there also had a case of a 16-year-old who was allegedly selling amphetamines. It is known that in some of the nation’s most drug-riddled communities so-called “olders” – late teens to 20s – give younger teens and “tinies” – aged 13 and below – drugs to sell or hold. The statistics have been released by police forces after they were sent Freedom of Information Act requests.
Separate figures from the Department of Education show there were close to 9,000 incidents last year – around 45 every school day – where a child was in serious trouble because of a drug or alcohol related incident.
The figures revealed there were 8,240 pupils suspended from school for this kind of rule breaking.
A further 490 were expelled for the same type of offence.
Anastasia De Waal, who is head of family and education at the think tank Civitas, said: “These figures reveal an alarming picture of criminal activity made easier by the exploitation of youngsters.
“Not only do these kids facilitate crimes such as drug-dealing, children engaging in crime are at far greater risk of graduating into adult criminality themselves.”