A MAN who threatened children with violence to get them to deal drugs for him has been jailed for 11 years.
Arron Kenny, 24, of Ashton Old Road in Greater Manchester, was found guilty of supplying cocaine, heroin and cannabis and sentenced at Minshull Street Crown Court on Monday.
Speaking after the sentencing, Sergeant Matthew Elliot of Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said: "Using violence or the fear of violence to get the vulnerable in our communities to deal their drugs is bad enough, but to use a child is just unforgiveable."
Broken legs
The court heard how Kenny used threats of violence to get children to do his dealing, which was highlighted in GMP's Operation Charger investigation.
Running from 2019 until 2021, Operation Charger focused on the supply of Class A and Class B drugs within the Tameside area.
This included the Sam N Marco – or SNM — drugs line, which was run by Kenny, who coordinated the drug supply, cultivation of cannabis and movement of drugs from place to place.
He also used children to assist in the supply of drugs, including holding the drugs, the drugs line mobile phone and collecting the money.
Kenny, who was originally arrested 2021 before briefly disappearing, was apprehended in December of the same year.
He was found living in an apartment in the city centre and was relying on a driver to take him out to deal drugs as he had two broken legs.
A warrant was carried out and a large amount of Class A drugs, as well as cash, was seized.
'Complex and challenging'
"As a force, we are committed to protecting the children in our town and we are hopeful that this result allows the victims to put the experience behind them and allows them to live as the children they are," said Sergeant Elliot, who works with Tameside's Child Criminal Exploitation Team.
“This was a complex and challenging investigation with a lot of moving parts and I would like to thank members of both the Challenger and CCE teams who were committed to achieving justice in this matter.
"We will continue to work to take drugs off our city's streets and to prevent children from being coerced into doing something they don't want to do."
See More: Greater Manchester Police, Manchester, Tameside
