4 days ago
Drug dealers hit with 340 years in prison amid major police crackdown in Essex
More than 340 years of combined prison sentences have been secured for drug dealers as police continue to tackle county lines across Essex.
The convictions are the result of a six-month crackdown led by the Serious Violence Unit (SVU) at Essex Police, which includes the force's dedicated Operation Raptor and Orochi teams.
In that time, officers have arrested 309 people, charged 236, and dismantled 93 drug lines, seizing more than 28kg of drugs, 89 weapons, and more than £302,000 in cash.
They have also safeguarded 164 vulnerable or exploited individuals, many of whom were young people coerced into criminal activity.
Class A drugs recovered during an investigation (Image: Essex Police)
One of the latest convictions involved the "Smokey" drug line, which supplied crack cocaine and heroin in the Basildon area between August and December 2023.
Three men were arrested after warrants were executed in Basildon and Pitsea in July.
Rangairai Gwatidzo, 33, of Turner Close, Basildon, was identified as the controller of the line.
Jason Kirby, 40, of Chevers Pawen, Basildon, operated the drug line phone, and Kevin Gormer, 43, of Goldhanger Cross, Basildon, acted as a runner.
At Basildon Crown Court in April, Gwatidzo was jailed for four years.
Rangarirai Gwatidzo (Image: Essex Police)
Mr Gormer received a 21-month sentence, suspended for two years, and Mr Kirby was sentenced last month to 22 months, suspended for two years, along with 100 hours of unpaid work and a rehabilitation activity requirement.
Detective Constable Daniel Onley, who led the investigation, said: "This case saw a wide variety of drugs recovered and a committed drug supply network removed from the streets of Basildon.
"The trade in crack cocaine and heroin is rooted in exploitation, violence and the misery of addiction.
"Where we disrupt the actions of county lines drug dealers, we bring down incidents violence and we bring down disorder associated with this activity.
"This work is having an impact already in Basildon and wider south Essex."
Roger Hirst, Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner for Essex, praised the force's approach.
He added: "The county lines drug trade shatters lives, blights communities and exploits the most vulnerable people.
"Working with our communities, maintaining their trust and confidence to use stop and search effectively and building on the success of the Violence and Vulnerability Partnerships' public health approach to addressing serious violence, we have achieved great success."
