Manchester man who forced children to traffic cocaine has been jailed

A man who forced children to traffic cocaine and heroin has been jailed.

Arron Kenny, 24, used threats of violence to involve young people in his crime in Tameside, Minshull Street Crown Court in Manchester heard.

Kenny, of Ashton Old Road in the town, was found guilty of supplying cocaine, heroin and cannabis and received an 11-year sentence on Monday.

Sgt Matthew Elliot, from Greater Manchester Police, said: “Using violence or the fear of violence to get vulnerable people in our communities to switch drugs is bad enough, but using a child is just unforgivable”.

Sgt Elliot said the force was “committed to protecting children and we are hopeful that this outcome will allow the victims to put the experience behind them and allow them to live as the children they are”.

The court heard that Kenny ran a drug ring known as Sam N Marco, coordinating the supply and cultivation of cannabis and the movement of various drugs from one place to another.

He used children to help him supply drugs, including keeping the drugs and cell phone from the drug line and collecting money, police said.

Kenny also used a vulnerable adult to assist them in his illicit enterprise.

Police said he tried to evade justice when he was first arrested in 2021, briefly disappearing before officers caught up with him later that year.

Officers went on to seize a large quantity of Class A drugs and cash from his flat in Manchester during a raid in December 2021.

They discovered that Kenny had been relying on a driver to take him out to deal drugs because he had two broken legs at one point.

He was arrested as part of Operation Charger, which focused on the supply of class A and B drugs in the Tameside area between 2019 and 2021.