Southend: Men jailed in Class A drug investigation

Jailed - Ahmed, left, and Elorby, right.

Two men have been jailed after specialist anti-drug officers were able to prove they were behind the supply of Class A drugs in Southend.

Our Op Raptor South team launched an investigation in April 2021 after becoming aware of the ‘Trouble’ line which was advertising to drug users in the city.

As a result of officers’ enquiries, they were able to identify Moteeb Ahmed as a potential suspect.

Through further work, we were able to link the phone number being used by the Trouble line and Ahmed’s personal phone.

Between April and June 2021, the two numbers were linked to each other more than 47,000 times.

Further investigations suggested Ahmed and another man were using violence and the threat of violence to take over the home of a vulnerable Class A drug user in Southend and were using that property as a base from which to run the drug line.

On 31 August 2021, officers executed a warrant in Chestnut Grove, Southend.
During that operation Ahmed was arrested and a search of the home led to the drug line being located alongside Ahmed’s personal phone and more than £1,100 in cash.

As part of that operation, Anas Elorby was also arrested.

Both men were questioned in suspicion of drug offences and were subsequently charged.

Ahmed, 22 of London Road, Morden, SM4, and Elorby, 22, of no fixed abode, were charged with two counts of being concerned in the supply of Class A drugs and assault.

Both men admitted the charges and were sentenced at Basildon Crown Court on 23 November.

Ahmed was sentenced to a total of 60 months in prison while Elorby was handed 53 months in jail.

The man whose home had been taken over has been safeguarded.

Detective Sergeant Rob Maile, of our Op Raptor South team, led the investigation.

He said:

“Ahmed and Elorby exploited a vulnerable man in Southend and used his home as their based from which to operate in Southend.
“They believed they were getting away with their poisonous actions, but they were unaware of the sophisticated investigation being carried out into them which meant when they were arrested in Southend in August 2021 the weight of evidence against them left them very few options but to admit their roles.”
DS Maile added: “While our focus can often be on enforcement, this runs hand-in-hand with the work we do to help and safeguard others whose home are being used by these gangs under threat of violence. This is not acceptable, and it truly shows how these gangs exploit vulnerable people.”