Two men who exploited young people to sell drugs - including a 14-year-old caught with crack cocaine and heroin in his underpants - have been jailed.
Dante Morrison, 25, and Wojciech Huczko, 43, both of Brownlow Road, Harlesden, as well as Judah Ross, 19, of Merlin Crescent, Edgware, were sentenced at Harrow Crown Court on July 27 for their part in dealing crack and heroin to more than 1,000 people.
Ross received a suspended sentence.
The main offender, Morrison even claimed to be a modern slave acting for older gang members - but investigations revealed he wore designer clothes and enjoyed foreign holidays.
The Met's investigation began following the arrest of a 17-year-old boy in February 2022 who was found in possession of crack cocaine and heroin in Marian Way, Church End.
In April, a 14-year-old boy was stopped and searched by the same officers in nearby Fortunegate Road who found "a quantity of crack cocaine and heroin concealed within his underwear", Scotland Yard said.
Detectives quickly identified they were both operating as drug runners for a gang and that both boys were in regular contact with two significant phone numbers. One was a known drugs line operating under the name ‘Marlo, the other was Morrison's personal number.
The 'Marlo' line supplied crack cocaine and heroin in the Church End Estate in Harlesden. Operating since 2021, it had more than 1,000 customers in contact with the dealers in Harlesden and surrounding areas in Brent.
Data showed Morrison had controlled the Marlo drugs line between at least December 2021 and August 2022, supplying an estimated of more than five kilograms of Class A drugs.
At least four children, aged between 14 and 17, had been used by the network during the period Morrison controlled it.
Morrison employed his neighbour, Huczko, as his second-in-command and Ross was identified as being a long-standing runner operating on behalf of them both.
On August 2, 2022, officers from the Met’s Territorial Support Group executed five search warrants across north-west London and Morrison, Huczko, and Ross were arrested.
Cocaine and heroin valued at around £47,000 was recovered from Huczko's home address.
The following day all three men were charged with conspiracy to supply Class A drugs.
Morrison claimed to be a modern slavery victim forced to run the drugs line by older gang-members with no financial reward, the Met said.
But independent enquiries revealed that during the relevant period Morrison had led a cash-rich lifestyle, regularly wore high-end designer clothing and enjoyed foreign holidays.
Morrison was jailed for seven years for conspiracy to supply Class A drugs and an eight-and-a-half year community behaviour order (CBO) prohibiting the use of unregistered mobile phones and large quantities of cash.
Huckzo and Ross were sentenced for conspiracy to supply Class A drugs and possession with intent to supply Class A drugs.
Huckzo was jailed for three and a half years and Ross for one year and four months suspended for two years.
The children used as runners were not prosecuted but were referred to children's services from respective local authorities.
Det Con Dec James, from North West Command Unit, said: “These men thought that by using children for their drug deliveries they would
not be tracked down by police. How wrong they were….
"I would urge parents and guardians who have concerns around child criminal exploitation to contact police or partners.”
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