Drug dealer who groomed girl on Snapchat jailed

A man who groomed a girl on Snapchat and supplied her with drugs to deliver for him has been jailed for seven years.

Najib Arab from Cathays, Cardiff, gave the girl cannabis and ketamine, and showed her how to split the drugs into bags and hide them.

The teenage girl, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was found in the back of Arab's house when police raided the property in May 2024.

Arab had admitted two counts of supplying cannabis and ketamine, but had denied a modern slavery offence, which a jury at Cardiff Crown Court convicted him of in April.

The court heard Arab, who was in his 20s and a refugee from Afghanistan, met the girl after she had messaged him on Snapchat.

He would send taxis to bring her to his house, and show her how to handle, deliver, and collect money for the cannabis he supplied.

On one occasion, the girl was also told to bag ketamine, and given some of that drug to use.

The court heard the girl had lied about her age, but that Arab had also lied about his age and said he was only 17.

However, various documents seen by the authorities had shown his age to be anywhere between 27 and 33 years old.

The court heard a victim personal statement from the teenager, read by prosecution barrister Emma Harris, in which the girl said she had been living in care, and that Arab had "taken advantage" of that vulnerability.

He had given her "food, shelter and drugs", had sex with her, and given her the initial impression that he "genuinely cared" for her.

But she later said she felt as if she had no choice but to keep going back to him, "worried about the repercussions if I didn't".

She added she had felt "relieved" when police raided his home and found her, but that the ordeal still had an impact on her daily life and affected her mental health.

William Chipperfield, defending, said Arab had arrived in the UK as a refugee and that "to an extent, he himself has been a victim of trafficking".

Arab had "never meant to cause her psychological harm", he added, but his drug-dealing lifestyle meant the teenager's experience was "an unfortunate circumstance of the life that he was living at the time".

Arab had pleaded guilty to one count each of supplying cannabis and ketamine, relating to a period in 2024.

But he denied an offence of requiring a person to perform forced or compulsory labour, contrary to the Modern Slavery Act, which he was found guilty of in April.

At a hearing on Tuesday, Judge Lucy Crowther sentenced him to seven years – of which at least two-thirds would be spent in custody – and a further two years on extended licence.

Arab was also given two concurrent sentences of 10 months each for the drug offences, and a slaving and trafficking prevention order.

Judge Crowther said Arab clearly "had a very destructive effect" on the teenage girl, who "still struggles with confidence and trust in others".

"You didn't take any responsibility for your own actions," she added, criticising him for his body language in the dock as the victim personal statement had been read out.

She described Arab as "a manipulative individual", and said an extended sentence was necessary to protect the public since he "presents a risk, in particular to young females under 18".

Following Arab's sentencing, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said he had "lured a vulnerable child into his illegal trade by giving her free drugs".

"He controlled her and offered her drugs to maintain her compliance," said specialist prosecutor Louisa Robertson.