Grays man jailed for nine years after selling 50kg of cocaine
He was convicted after bragging about his drug dealing operation on a secret messaging app
A Grays man has been jailed for more than nine years after police were able to prove his involvement in the sale of more than 50kg of cocaine.
47 year old Sokol Zaimi, of Boscombe Avenue, bragged about his drug dealing operation on a secret messaging service he used to organise the import of Class A drugs into the UK.
He was involved in the large scale purchase of drugs between March and June 2020 and told users he had a secret compartment in his vehicle to hide cash and drugs during transportation.
He was convicted of being concerned in the supply of Class A drugs and possession of cocaine at Basildon Crown Court.
On Tuesday (December 20) he was handed a sentence totalling nine years and four months in prison.
Detective Inspector Yoni Adler, of Essex Police, said: “Our operation into deciphering encrochat has yielded a number of successful prosecutions with a number of people already prison for their involvement in drug supply."
“Zaimi was brazen about the role he was playing in the purchase and supply of Class A drugs in Essex.
"In fact, it is likely that the amount of drugs and cash he was noted to be discussing during this period would be significantly lower than it would have been had the country not been in lockdown.
“As a result of the work carried out on these chats, we were able to identify him as a significant member of an organised crime group and enforcement action was quickly taken.
“It is telling that two days after his arrest he felt he had no option but to admit his guilt in court, such was the overwhelming evidence against him."