Drug dealer sentenced for modern slavery offence

A Cardiff man who groomed a teenage girl into bagging and delivering drugs for him has been sentenced at Cardiff Crown Court.

Najib Arab, a man in his twenties, met the girl after she had contacted him on Snapchat and he provided her with cannabis.

The two met regularly over the following weeks. Arab would send taxis to collect the girl and bring her to his address, where she would then split cannabis into separate bags. He would also tell her how to hide drugs on her and how to take money from people she handed drugs to.

On one occasion, the teenager was told to bag ketamine into individual deals and was given some of the drug to use.

When police raided Arab’s house in May 2024, the girl was found at the back of the property with Arab in the house.

Arab denied using the girl in his drug dealing activities, but a jury convicted him of a modern slavery offence after hearing all the available evidence.

Louisa Robertson of the Crown Prosecution Service said: “Najib Arab lured a vulnerable child into his illegal trade by giving her free drugs.

“He controlled her and offered her drugs to maintain her compliance.

“The exploitation of children by criminals is appalling.

“The Crown Prosecution Service will use the full extent of the law to bring those offenders who exploit children for their own criminal gains before the Court.”

Najib Arab was sentenced on 1 July 2025 to seven years’ imprisonment with an extended licence period of two years.