Officers from Operation Orochi, the Met’s specialist crime team dedicated to tackling high harm offenders involved in county lines drugs supply, raided an address in Hatfield in January last year and found two missing London boys, aged 14 and 15.

A short while later, in Streatham, detectives detained twin brothers Omar and Malik Aziz nearby to their home address.

A mobile phone and black ‘Hoodrich’ gloves were seized from Malik Aziz. The phone was found to be the number for a Hatfield drugs line. This line had been directing children to supply drugs on their behalf and sending out bulk SMS messages advertising crack cocaine and heroin for sale.

A search was conducted of their home address and officers discovered a bag containing a small unloaded Sig Sauer self-loading pistol. Eight rounds of ammunition were found in a man-bag. The firearm was later identified as belonging to Malik after footage was found on his mobile phone. He was seen holding the gun whilst wearing the same distinctive gloves he was wearing upon arrest. DNA matching that of the identical twins was also found on the firearm.

CCTV footage recovered from the home address of Malik and Omar Aziz showed the two missing children attending the premises prior to going missing. This is believed to be where they would have been supplied with the drugs for onward sale.

More than £2,000 in cash was seized from the address and Samir Mustafa’s driving licence was also seized, along with a zombie knife. Mustafa was arrested the following day after being identified as the person who physically transporting the children to and from Hatfield in his Mercedes S Class car, whilst being disqualified. He was located in the vicinity of Crawford Place in Westminster.

The two children were not prosecuted and instead, referred to Children's Services from respective local authorities and the Single Competent Authority/National Referral Mechanism. 

Since April the 1st this year, Orochi, working closely with Rescue and Response, have conducted 20 operations, rescuing 27 children from County Lines and charged 25 individuals with modern slavery offences.

The three men were sentenced at Kingston Crown Court after pleading guilty at the same court. They are:

24 year old Malik Aziz from Streatham was sentenced to nine years’ imprisonment after pleading guilty to conspiracy to supply crack cocaine/heroin and possession of a firearm.

24 year old Omar Aziz from Streatham was sentenced to three years and two months’ imprisonment after pleading guilty to conspiracy to supply crack cocaine and heroin.

24 year old Samir Mustafa from Reading was sentenced to two years and three months’ imprisonment after pleading guilty to conspiracy to supply crack cocaine/heroin and driving whilst disqualified.

All three were also issued with ten-year Criminal Behaviour Orders, with conditions which include:

Not making, participating in and/or publishing any material inciting gang-related violence and not to be in the company of any persons ages 16 or under without the express permission of their parents or legal guardian.