A DRUG dealer who “coerced” a 15-year-old boy into helping him deal Class A drugs has been jailed for more than four years.
Chelmsford Crown Court heard how officers from the West Operation Raptor team stopped a teenage boy in the Ladyshot area of Harlow on March 12 this year after becoming suspicious that he may have been involved in the supply of Class A drugs.
They discovered the boy was being exploited by a drug dealer, calling himself “ACE”, who was ordering the boy to attend specific areas of the town to deal heroin and cocaine and take payment for the drugs.
Enquiries led them to arrest 27-year-old Ashley Baptiste-Peart at an address in Harlow. The property was searched and officers found three rocks of the Class A drug cocaine.
A number of phones were seized and they were forensically examined and found to contain evidence linking Baptiste-Peart to the supply of Class A drugs.
Baptiste-Peart of Willan Road, Tottenham was charged and pleaded guilty to two counts of being concerned in the supply of Class A drugs.
Handing down a sentence of 52 months the judge told the court Baptiste-Peart had a “bad record of offending” and had “coerced and corrupted” the teenage boy.
Following sentencing Sgt James Paget of the West Operation Raptor team said: “Drug dealers have absolutely no scruples – they will use violence without a second thought and they will exploit young and vulnerable members of our communities.
“Baptiste-Peart is no exception, he coerced a 15-year-old boy into transporting drugs to his customers and ensuring they paid, without any thought for the fact that he was exploiting this child and placing him at great risk.
“Operation Raptor will continue to target the ruthless criminals who target our young and vulnerable and attempt to sell drugs on our streets.”
Essex Police set up Operation Raptor teams in the North, South and West of our county to tackle those involved in drug and gang-related crime.
If you have information about drug or gang-related crime in your community contact Essex Police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 08000 555 111.
Baptiste-Peart was sentenced at Chelmsford Crown Court on May 17th