Basildon: Pair jailed for their role in drug gang

Two men who were part of a gang who polluted Basildon with drugs has been taken down thanks to the work of our Disruptor Team.

Warrants were carried out a number of addresses in Basildon on 27 July last year.

Four men were arrested, and a firearm, £9,000 cash, and 1.4kg of cocaine and £22kg of cannabis with a combined street value of £200,000 were seized.

The warrants were the culmination of an investigation into a drug line, known as ‘The Albanians’, which was responsible for the large-scale supply of cocaine into south Essex, predominantly Basildon.

Officers had first become aware of the line the previous December when a mobile phone being investigated as part of a separate matter showed drugs marketing sent from a number which they then found was linked to the line.

The existence of the line was further established when another phone seized as part of another separate investigation in a month later had on it a text conversation trying to arrange the sale of drugs with the same number.

Through further investigation, the gang consisted of 29 year-old Mario Tsorri, 27 year-old Klodjan Doci, 23 year-old Alfonc Palaj, and 31 year-old Dennis Hoj.

Following the warrants all four were charged.

At Basildon Crown Court on 31 January

• Tsorri, of Norwood End, Basildon admitted being concerned in the supplying cocaine, being concerned in supplying cannabis, possessing criminal property, possessing of a prohibited weapon and possessing ammunition without a firearm certificate;
• Palaj, also of Norwood End pleaded guilty to being concerned in the supplying cocaine, being concerned in supplying cannabis and possessing criminal property;
• Hoj, also of Norwood End, admitted being concerned in the supplying cocaine and being concerned in supplying cannabis;
• Doci, of Courtney Park Road, Langdon Hills, pleaded guilty to being concerned in the supplying cocaine, being concerned in supplying cannabis, and possessing criminal property.

In September Doci was jailed for three years and three months while Hoj was sentenced to three years and five months.

On Tuesday of this week (8 November), Tsorri was sentenced to a total of 11 years and four months in prison while Palaj was given five years and 10 months.

PC Trevor Phillips, from the Disruptor Team who led the investigation, said:

“This gang polluted Basildon with Class A drugs.

“Drugs are a blight on society, ruining lives and destroying communities.

“Where drugs are sold, there is often violence and the exploitation of vulnerable people.

“We will continue our work to put drug dealers behind bars and take the poison they push off the streets.”