Two jailed for conspiracy to supply drugs in Essex worth over £112K
Officers seized cocaine estimated to have a street value of almost £110,000
Two men have been jailed for conspiring to supply drugs in Essex with a street value over £112K.
Following information received in 2021, officers from the South Disruptor Team launched a ten-month investigation into an organised crime group dealing drugs in the south of the county.
It culminated in warrants at the homes of three men identified as part of the group on 21 July last year.
Officers seized cocaine estimated to have a street value of almost £110,000, several thousand pounds of cannabis and around £10,000 cash.
Mirel Zeneli took a leading role in the group that dealt in cocaine and cannabis between September 2021 and July 2022 and focussed on some of our biggest towns and Chelmsford city.
Ben Chadwick and Laurie Landman both played key roles within the organised crime group in conspiring with Mirel Zeneli to supply large amounts of cocaine for financial gain.
The three men were remanded in custody overnight for their first hearing at Southend-on-Sea Magistrates’ Court on 22 July 2022.
The trio denied the charges, but the jury found each of the men guilty of conspiracy to supply cocaine and conspiracy to supply cannabis following a trial at Basildon Crown Court.
Ben Chadwick
On Friday 31 March, the men were sentenced as follows:
Mirel Zenelli, 33 of Hutton Road, Shenfield, was jailed for six years for conspiracy to supply cocaine.
Ben Chadwick, 23, of Stock Road, Billericay, was jailed for three years for conspiracy to supply cocaine and cannabis.
Laurie Landman, 24, of The Foxgloves, Billericay, was handed a two-year sentence suspended for two years for conspiracy to supply cocaine and cannabis.
Sergeant Adam Jarvis, who led the investigation, said:
“The length of the investigation shows the high number of man-hours needed to obtain all the evidence required to bring these three men before the court.
“But my officers are dedicated to keeping drugs off our streets and out of our county.
“Their attention to detail and their perseverance paid off. With over £112k worth of drugs being seized and destroyed, they have protected our communities and remove the potential harm and misery they would have undoubtedly brought to the south of our county.”
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