Organised crime group jailed for almost 30 years

Committed criminals caught supplying cocaine in wholesale quantities have been jailed alongside two of their customers thanks to an investigation by our Serious Organised Crime Unit (SOCU).

Those involved in the conspiracy have been handed prison terms totalling almost 30 years.

They were headed up by Vlad Filin, 27, of The Bringey, Great Baddow, who was responsible for operating the group’s drug line phone, sourcing cocaine in bulk and liaising with customers.

Our investigation found the line ran from September 2022 to July 2023 and typically supplied the Class A drug in ounce-sized quantities.

The operation

Filin purchased in bulk, before enlisting associates Ryan Connor and Alfie Fieldson to distribute the drugs to customers.

Fieldson, 30, was largely responsible for the storage of cocaine and its onward supply from his base in Rothmans Avenue, Great Baddow.

Connor, 28, of St Michaels Walk, Chelmsford, was responsible for the delivery of cocaine across north Essex to both wholesale and personal customers.

Enquiries established Damon Wager and Henry Davis, 27, of Cromwell Road, Colchester, were customers of Filin’s illicit business.

Wager and Davis, cocaine suppliers in their own right, operated from their home addresses in Witham and Colchester respectively.

We found Wager was supplied on numerous occasions by both Connor and Fieldson.

Wager was seen to stop near Fieldson’s home address on five separate occasions in 15 days.

Following the final visit, after an exchange was observed between the pair, Wager was stopped in his Range Rover on the A12 and filmed on body worn video discarding drugs from the window of his vehicle.

Officers recovered the drugs - found to be 26g of cocaine - nearby.

We carried out coordinated strikes at addresses linked to Filin, Connor, Fieldson and Wager in Chelmsford and Witham, making arrests and seizing cocaine, cannabis and large sums of cash.

All four were charged with and admitted conspiracy to supply cocaine.

Davis was arrested at an address in Colchester in August last year.

Material recovered during the investigation established he had contacted Filin to enquire about the availability and price of cocaine on offer.

Appearing at Chelmsford Crown Court on 15 February, Davis was sentenced to three years and four months’ imprisonment.

At the same court on Thursday 11 April, Filin was jailed for seven years and six months.

Connor, Fieldson and Wager were each jailed for six years.

'Sights set on those at the top'

Detective Inspector Frazer Low, of SOCU, said:

“Piecing together this network of organised, dedicated criminals took patience and coordination together with a number of teams across the force.
“We often see the results of the good work going on to disrupt the street level supply of cocaine, but this result shows we also work consistently to tackle those further up the chain.
“We know to disrupt the flow of harmful substances onto the streets of our communities, we need to spend time and effort on putting together solid cases against organised crime groups.
“The lengthy sentences passed down in this case reflect the serious nature of this offending.
“Those involved were committed to making significant financial gain from the sale of Class A drugs.
“Instead, they now face an immediate future behind bars and serve to reinforce our message – Essex remains a hostile place for drug dealers of any level to operate.”

Chief Superintendent Stuart Weaver, of our North Local Policing Area command team, added:

“The actions of those involved in this conspiracy brought significant issues to communities across north Essex.
“The sale of drugs on our streets brings with it associated anti-social behaviour, violence and crucially can often result in the exploitation of the vulnerable.
“It was thanks to good proactive work not just from SOCU, but in coordination with local policing teams and our Operational Support Group, we were able to carry out enforcement against this group and prevent them from causing further harm.”

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