Sarina Duggal was part of a criminal gang that exploited two children. (file)
London:
A 28-year-old Indian-origin woman is among six people jailed for their role in using underage children in drug supply operations in the UK.
Sarina Duggal was sentenced last week to seven years imprisonment for her role as a member of a gang that controlled the supply of drugs in and around London and Birmingham, and supplied in Bournemouth, the Metropolitan Police said.
Five members of the group were found guilty after a seven-week trial at Bournemouth Crown Court last month, and Duggal and others were sentenced at the same court last Thursday to a total of more than 39 years in prison.
Detective Constable Jack Jeffries, of the Met Police-led Operation Orochi, said: “This investigation resulted in the closure of a vital county drug line supplying crack cocaine and heroin to the streets of Bournemouth, causing distress to local residents.”
“In addition, two missing children from different parts of the country were secured at different times, providing appropriate support and diversion mechanisms to help prevent them from engaging in activity across county lines in the future,” he added. may be established.”
“The sentencing of this group shows how seriously the courts take this crime and we will continue to use all available resources to combat this activity,” he added.
Operation Orochi is the Met Police’s specialist crime team dedicated to tackling high-harm criminals involved in the supply of drugs across county lines. It actively targets London-based line holders, working in partnership with imported county forces.
The gang members were found guilty of facilitating the travel of another for the purpose of exploitation and conspiracy to supply Class A banned drugs such as crack cocaine and heroin.
The Met Police investigation into the gang began in July last year when a 16-year-old boy from Farnborough was arrested in Bournemouth for possession of a large quantity of crack cocaine and heroin.
A mobile phone was confiscated from him following his arrest, and he was released under investigation while assistive devices could be put in place to protect him.
The investigation was referred to the Met’s Operation Orochi team due to concerns the child was being used by the County Lines gang – which transport illegal substances to various police jurisdictions – to supply drugs in Bournemouth.
Police said its detectives carried out a comprehensive analysis of communication data of key contacts between criminals, including mobile phone downloads, social media interactions between them.
He also spent hours looking at CCTV at a hotel inside Bournemouth. The four perpetrators, including Sarina Duggal, were identified as controlling the “Hustle” county drug line, which operated within Bournemouth, a coastal city in southern England. The 16-year-old caught earlier was found to be working for them.
It was found that the criminal gang had been exploiting two children missing from London to run their county line from London to Bournemouth and, in doing so, put them at the forefront of the supply chain when they were most at risk when exploited . Profits, the court heard.
The juveniles were not prosecuted and were instead referred to child services by the relevant local authorities.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV Staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)