Drug dealer who exploited vulnerable teens jailed
Levite Manaka bragged about selling drugs in rap videos under the name Levz Montana
Last updated 17th Dec 2021
A drug dealer who exploited "vulnerable" teenagers and Leeds and Bradford has been jailed for seven years.
Levite Manaka was arrested in March 2020 after police uncovered evidence linking him to an operation shipping heroin and crack cocaine between Leeds and Humberside.
It emerged he was working with four boys, as young as 14, from Leeds and Bradford, who were arrested in Bridlington.
Three of them had previously been reported missing.
At the time, Manaka was on licence from prison for almost identical offences and continued to attend Probation Service appointments.
He also produced rap videos under the name Levz Montana, in which he bragged about his lavish lifestyle and glorified drug dealing and gang violence.
He was charged with conspiracy to supply Class A drugs and other drugs offences.
Detective Inspector Kevin Daly, who heads the Leeds Precision Team, said: “This is an excellent result for communities both here in Leeds and in Humberside and should demonstrate our commitment to targeting those who seek to exploit vulnerable young people through the drugs trade.
“The world of drug dealing is a dangerous one and our evidence showed that the young people Manaka was controlling had been subject to serious violence and harm."
Manaka is due to be deported to the Democratic Republic of Congo on his release from prison.