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What Happens If Your Teen is Caught Dealing Drugs?

As the parent of a teenager, there are plenty of things to worry about – including the possibility of your child becoming involved with drugs. In this article, we’re taking a look at what happens if your teen is caught dealing drugs.

If your teenage child is caught with drugs and police are able to prove intent to supply, there can be serious consequences. In this article, we’re looking at what happens if your teen is caught dealing drugs.

Why Your Teen Might be Dealing Drugs

It can be hard for a parent to understand why their child may resort to dealing drugs but there may be a couple of reasons for this decision, including:

Cold hard cash

In the modern world, teenagers are constantly exposed to reality shows which feature young people enjoying glamorous lifestyles without the grind of a 9 to 5 job. For many teenagers, this leads to a belief that they too should be able to attain a life of luxury without being encumbered by a dull work routine. In some cases, a teen may see drug dealing as a way of earning easy cash.

Status

For some teens, dealing drugs affords them a heightened social status within some circles which they may find appealing.

Grooming

Unfortunately, teenagers can often be easy targets for drug trafficking gangs who will reel them in with free drugs before grooming them to become dealers. In this scenario, the teenager can often find it difficult to extricate themselves from the lifestyle as traffickers will often use the threat of violence and other manipulative tactics to keep them onboard.

What Happens if Your Teen is Caught Dealing Drugs?

If your teen is caught dealing drugs, there are a few things which may happen depending on their age and the circumstances. In this section, we’ll explain some of these.

Arrest

If your child is aged 10 or over, they can be arrested if found with drugs and the police have reason to suspect that they are dealing. If the child is under the age of 18, the presence of a parent or appropriate adult will usually be required.

If it is the child’s first offence, and the quantity of drugs is small and / or limited to marijuana, there’s a good chance that the teen will receive a caution. This means that, while no action will be taken this time, there may be more serious consequences should they re-offend.

In most cases (unless the dealing was accompanied by another crime, for example violence), the child will be bailed pending a court case if they are formally charged with the crime.

Trial and sentencing

If your child is aged between 10 and 17, it’s likely that the case will be referred to the Youth Court. Youth Court proceedings tend to be less formal than for adults and the judge will take into consideration the child’s age. Sentencing may include:

• Youth Referral Order – Running between 3 and 12 months in duration, a Youth Referral Order is a list of activities which the teen is not allowed to take part in. They must also attend scheduled meetings for the duration of the order.

• Young Offenders Institution – This is a form of prison for teenagers below the age of 18 and sentences will usually range between 14 days and two years. While this kind of sentencing was often used as a ‘short, sharp shock’ in the past, custodial sentences for teens will usually only be given to repeat offenders.

If your teen is 18 or 19, they could be tried as an adult, which means that the case will be heard in a regular magistrate’s court. If found guilty, penalties can include:

• Fine – In most cases, the penalty for first time offences will be a fine of up to £2500.
• Community Service – The teen will be required to work without pay for a service within the community.
• Suspended sentence – A judge may order a sentence, for example six months, whereby the accused will not have to go to prison unless they reoffend within the sentence timeframe.
• Prison sentence – In extreme cases, or for repeat offenders, a judge may sentence the accused to up to five years in prison.

Safeguarding your child’s future…

If your child is arrested on suspicion of dealing drugs, it’s incredibly important that you secure the services of a solicitor as soon as possible. If you don’t do this, a court appointed solicitor will be made available to your teen. However, this person may or may not have the highest level of experience in dealing with teen drug cases.

If you suspect that your teen may be involved in drug related activity, it’s important to try to steer them away from this as quickly as possible. As well as potentially facing some of the penalties mentioned in this article, gaining a criminal record for drug dealing can seriously impact on their future.

For example, if your child plans to go to university and wants to study medicine, teaching, social work or any work involving children or vulnerable adults, the university will look for criminal record disclosure – which may prohibit your child from taking their chosen course.

If you believe that your child may be dealing drugs, it’s important to speak to them about this in a calm and non-judgmental manner. You may also want to consider counselling for your child depending on the extent of their dealing activity.