Essex Police charge three men with human trafficking
They've also been charged with drug offences
Last updated 26th Feb 2024
Three men have been charged with three counts of human trafficking.
Essex Police have also charged 21-year old, Sumi Siwale, of no fixed abode, 21-year-old Billy Johnson of Ken Gatward Close in Frinton-on-Sea, and 18-year-old Wade Lovell, from Chelmsford, with being concerned in the supply of heroin and crack cocaine.
At the beginning of the year, in January, officers were receiving reports of drug dealing in Tendring's district.
Warrants were carried out on Wednesday (February 21), at three warrants in Frinton-on-Sea and Chelmsford, where the men were arrested.
Another man was also detained due to a warrant for his arrest, and officers say another was arrested on suspicion of driving without an insurance and possessing Class B drugs.
The three men charged appeared in court earlier this week, and have been remanded in custody to appear at Chelmsford Crown Court on March 21.
Superintendent Phil Singer said: “This was a huge effort from multiple teams across the Operational Policing Command.
“The work of our specialist county lines investigators for Operation Orochi, the Raptor Serious Violence Unit, officers in the Operational Support Group and our drug expert witness all played key roles in turning the intelligence we had collected into search warrants, arrests and now charges agreed by the Crown Prosecution Service.
“We will be continuing to build this case before it is presented to court next month.”