Guilty drugs gang flashed cash on Snapchat Published duration 25 April 2019

image copyright Devon and Cornwall Police image caption Yakub Sufi, left, and Hassan Sufi, centre and right, are showing flashing wads of cash on Snapchat

Members of a gang who used children as young as 13 to make drug runs and also filmed themselves showing off cash have been convicted of conspiracy to supply heroin and crack cocaine.

The county lines gang flooded Exeter in Devon with drugs from London.

They posted Snapchat videos of themselves throwing notes of money to the floor, with voices saying "splash that cash", Exeter Crown Court heard.

Other footage showed them showing off designer watches and shoes.

image copyright Devonand Cornwall Police image caption Robin Janowski, Khadija Shariff and Jake Taplin admitted conspiracy to supply Class A drugs

Police arrested the gang after an undercover officer bought drugs over the phone answered by a man with a London accent.

Officers went to the pre-arranged pick-up point and seized drugs, cash and mobile phones.

Three county lines called Mitch, Rico and Pricey were used to send hundreds of promotional text messages to drug users and dealers every day.

Shuiab Omar Awadh, 24, of Stratford, London and Bobo Faki, 19, of East Ham, London were found guilty of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs.

Children as young as 13 were "coerced and threatened" into making drug runs from London to Exeter, police said after the case.

In November 2017, a boy known as Kid B was located by officers and found to have crack cocaine and heroin hidden on him.

He was frightened and told police: "I'm in more debt now, I already owe them £600."

Awadh and Faki will be sentenced alongside a further seven defendants, who previously admitted their part in the operation.

They are:

Hassan Sufi, 20, of Valence Avenue, Essex

Yakub Sufi, 19, of Valence Avenue, Essex

Ahmed Abdullahi, 21, of Seymour Road, London

Faisal Ibrahim, 24, of Upper Road, London

Khadija Shariff, 20, of Crest Walk, South Woodford, London

Robin Janowski, 39, of Stepcote Hill, Exeter

Jake Taplin, 22, of Portelet Road, London.

A further 17 defendants, identified as local street dealers as part of the investigation, have already been sentenced at previous hearings.

image copyright Devon and Cornwall Police image caption Faisal Ibrahim, Shuiab Omar Awadh, Bobo Faki and Ahmed Abdullahi were among gangsters who preyed on children