Employment or Use of Individual Under 18 Years of Age in Drug Operations; Penalties

(a)Any person who is eighteen

(18)or more years of age shall not knowingly or intentionally employ, hire, use, persuade, induce, entice or coerce an individual under eighteen

(18)years of age to violate or assist in avoiding detection or apprehension for a violation of this Act.

(b)Any person who violates Subsection

(a)is guilty of a felony of the first degree, and shall be sentenced, in addition to the minimum sentence prescribe by § 67.401.4 of this Act, three

(3)years of imprisonment. Imposition or execution of such sentence shall not be suspended and probation shall not be granted. Parole or work release shall not be granted until the offender has served the additional three

(3)years prescribed by this Subsection.

(c)It is not a defense to a violation of this Section that the accused did not know the age of a protected individual.