A County Lines gang which trafficked a 15-year-old autistic schoolboy from London to Wales to work as their drugs runner has been jailed for more than 40 years.
The five dealers employed the starving teen as their courier and repeatedly ignored his requests for food, Kingston Crown Court heard.
Meanwhile one of the leaders enjoyed a trip to Dubai with his girlfriend and was found with stacks of cash in his house when he was arrested.
The gang ran two drugs lines, called Gino and Gino 2, selling cocaine and heroin between January 23 and October 1 last year.
They were tracked down after the boy they hired as a courier went missing from his north London home for two weeks and was found at an address in Swansea.
Kenneth Langrish, who drove the young victim to Swindon for the first leg of his journey to Wales, was first arrested on October 6.
Investigators discovered how the desperate teenager had sent a text messages asking for food - only to be cruelly ifnored.
Jemy Capitao (pictured), of Llanelli, south Wales, admitted two counts of conspiracy to supply class A drugs and possessing criminal property at an earlier hearing. Part-way through the trial Capitao also admitted one count of arranging or facilitating the travel of another person with a view to exploit. He was jailed for 12 years.
Basky Capitao (pictured), 27, of Waltham Cross, Herts, was sentenced to 11 years’ imprisonment while (right) Ayyub Elaouzi, 22, of Waltham Cross, was sentenced to eight years and four months’ imprisonment
He said ‘can’t lie I’m hungry’ and in another text, he wrote: ‘I’m broke bro I haven’t eaten since yesterday.’
Langrish, 36, was found to have the 125 packages of crack cocaine in his bulging underpants when he was arrested.
One of the gang members, Ayyub Elaouzi, 22, was arrested on September 16 last year.
The Gino line, which had been active five minutes before he was arrested, then ceased, the court heard.
The next day Jemy Capitao, described as a ‘line runner’ bought two mobile phone top up vouchers from a newsagent in Swansea and bulk messages were sent out from the Gino 2 line.
Police found magazines and bullets for firearms during raids on gang members' homes
A Gucci box containing a 22-calibre pistol (pictured) was found at Harvey Kimpton's address in Harlow, Essex
One message read: ‘The real Gino is back on bang bang.’
Several of the gang went on the run after the teenager was found in squalor in Swansea on September 25.
Capitao, 28, was found in bed with his girlfriend in a hotel in Milton Keynes, Bucks, on October 1 last year.
Jurors had heard how Capitao and his girlfriend enjoyed a summer holiday in Dubai with the money they made.
Also in the hotel room officers found £2,910 in cash which was wedged into the handle of a kettle.
Harvey Kimpton, 21, was arrested outside his home after a Gucci box containing a 22-calibre pistol was found at his address in Harlow, Essex.
Text messages uncovered on the victim’s phone by officers from Operation Orochi - the Met’s specialist crime team dedicated to tackling county lines drugs supply - revealed the extent of the operation as well as those involved.
Harvey Kimpton (pictured), of Harlow, Essex, admitted two counts of conspiracy to supply class A drugs and possessing a prohibited firearm, as well as two counts of possession of Class A drugs with intent to supply. He was jailed for 11 years.
Harry King (left) was jailed for two years while Kenneth Langrish (right) will be sentenced at a later date
