A DRUG dealer who used a 14-year-old boy to distribute heroin and crack cocaine around Barry has been jailed for nearly six years.

Byron Facey Gordon, 36, from the Lambeth area of London, was sentenced to five years and eight months in prison after pleading guilty to possession of Class A drugs with intent to supply at Cardiff Crown Court in December.

Gordon had used the teenager to deliver drugs to his customers in the town, but the boy’s mum rang police when she noticed her young son with cash, wearing expensive new trainers and riding a new bike, having sometimes not been seen for days on end.

Gordon was apprehended on November 29 following an operation which had taken several months to complete. Officers identified him as the owner of a mobile phone number which featured repeatedly in police enquiries.

He would send out blanket text messages to hundreds of drug addicts offering crack cocaine and heroin and – as if running a local café – he’d announce that ’breakfast is served’ and introduce ‘lunch time’, ‘two for one’ and ‘happy hour’ offers to entice orders. He would use a 14-year-old local boy who he befriended to deliver his drugs and fulfil all of those orders, many times a day.

Chief inspector Lisa Gore said: “Our number one priority is to protect vulnerable people and this includes the children and the vulnerable adults who are ruthlessly exploited by these gangs to do their dirty work. Someone may be vulnerable to exploitation by organised crime groups for a number of reasons, but invariably there is a power imbalance. Factors include age, gender, cognitive ability, or social isolation.”

She added: “We will continue to work with our partners to tackle this problem and to prevent what is a very real threat from taking hold, but communities are our eyes and ears and they must shoulder some responsibility. We rely on the public to report suspicious behaviour and to act on their instincts, just as the 14-year-old boy’s mum did in the example we’ve given.”

Anybody who suspects drug dealing in their community is urged to contact 101 immediately or they can contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.