A three month conspiracy to supply heroin and crack cocaine on the streets of Great Yarmouth was orchestrated by a 15-year-old boy who rented his own flat as a drugs base, while being supervised by the youth offending team.
Jayden Brookes, now 16 can be named publicly after a judge backed a request by the EDP that he should be identified. The teenager established the supply network by recruiting his older brother, Jordan, 18, using the family home as a base.
So lucrative was the operation, that Brookes was able to rent a flat in Yarmouth from which to deal, and the proceeds have since been blown on a lavish lifestyle and expensive clothes.
Brookes became attached to the London drugs scene through a 26-year-old man known only as AJ, who has since vanished.
Another 16-year-old boy, who cannot be identified, acted as a courier between London and Yarmouth, with responsibility for packaging deals.
Jordan Brookes, 18, and 20-year-old Ashley Gill, helped with street deals, and all four admitted two counts of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs at Norwich Crown Court
Judge Holt, honorary recorder of Norwich, said the case 'follows a very familiar pattern' of children being recruited by drugs networks.
'Very often the drugs supply team set up and recruited are young; no more than children as two of you are in this case,' he said.
'Large quantities of Class A drugs are available locally and that brings with it all the problems that we see; drugs related crime, burglaries, street robberies and local businesses being preyed on, to say nothing of the health of drug users and the harm it does to their lives.
'It reduces markedly the quality of life of the people living in these towns.'
The conspiracy ran from March to July of last year, and ended when police raided the Brookes' family home and Jayden's rented flat.
A total of 440 wraps of cocaine and heroin were seized, with a street value of up to £9,800, along with £450 in cash, scales, phones and train tickets to London.
Judge Holt added it was clear Jayden Brookes was 'in charge of the operation'.
The court heard the 16-year-old boy would act as courier, travelling up to London and bringing drugs back to the streets of Yarmouth, and was involved in packaging the drugs.
'All the evidence suggests large quantities of Class A drugs were being supplied by all of you on the streets of Great Yarmouth,' added Judge Holt. 'Your money was all spent on your lifestyle and expensive clothes, and there is no money left.'
Jayden, of Rodney Road, was serving a rehabilitation order at the time of the conspiracy, with five convictions for theft, burglary and robbery. He was detained under Section 91 powers for three years.
Jordan Brookes, also of Rodney Road, who has previous convictions including attempted burglary and false imprisonment and is expecting his second child, was sentenced to two years in a Young Offenders Institute along with 20 year old Gill, of Rockwell Way.
The 16-year-old boy given a detention and training order for two years.
After sentencing, Detective Constable Kirk Wilson said: 'We will not tolerate the distribution of drugs within our county. 'The Tactical Unit have specific resources to tackle drug dealing and use the skills of specialist officers to catch offenders. I hope today's results stand as a warning to anyone operating within the drug dealing industry.'
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