Ron Whyte receives a groundbreaking order to curb his drug-related activities in Southend
Southend: So, Ron Whyte, a drug dealer, just got hit with this new order after serving six years for drug offenses. It’s called a Slavery Trafficking and Risk Order, and it’s pretty innovative.
Essex Police are leading the charge with this tactic. They’re one of the first forces in the country to use it. The order puts some serious restrictions on who he can hang out with, where he can go, and even what he can post online.
If he breaks any of these rules, he could get arrested. This order lasts for eight years and has strict terms about his phone use, who he can talk to, how much cash he can carry, and his social media access.
Detective Constable Anna Lightfoot, who’s working on this case, mentioned that these orders are designed to limit gang members’ ability to commit crimes. They also help protect people that these gangs are exploiting.
She pointed out that while the Modern Slavery Act came into play in 2015, these Slavery Trafficking and Risk Orders haven’t been used much until now. They’re civil orders that help enforce restrictions on suspects.
Lightfoot added that if someone is being prosecuted for a county lines offense involving exploitation, they can use this order to limit what the suspect can do.
This order comes after an investigation into the “Richi” network, which was running nine different drug lines and sending out mass messages to users in Southend.
They were using young people to manage the drug line phones, basically employing them as runners. Whyte has been linked to this ‘Richi’ line since 2019.
The police found he was in regular contact with many of the runners involved. He admitted to conspiring to supply crack cocaine and heroin, got jailed last September, and just received this new order last month.
So far, over 21 years of prison sentences have been handed down to those involved in the ‘Richi’ group. It’s a big deal, and it looks like the police are really stepping up their game.
