Harlow: Series of drug warrants sees two men jailed

Two drug dealers arrested during a wave of warrants aimed at stamping out organised crime in Harlow have been jailed for a combined eight years.

Seven warrants were executed at locations in and around The Stow, Harlow, on Tuesday 30 July this year as part of the Clear, Hold, Build initiative.

Two further warrants were executed at addresses in Chelmsford on the same morning.

This work looked to target prolific offenders linked to drug dealing and known criminal groups operating in Harlow.

Op Raptor, our dedicated team targeting county lines drug gangs, worked together with community and local policing teams on this operation.

This work singled out Alfie Speed, 20, Armandas Alsali, 22, and a 17-year-old boy, who can’t be named because of his age, as supplying cocaine, ketamine and cannabis in the area.

The investigation into this drug line stemmed from a single marketing message found on a Class A drug user’s phone.

The message clearly advertised the sale of cannabis and ketamine.

Speed was identified as the line holder following further enquiries.

He was previously jailed in 2023 for similar drug supply offences, brazenly continuing his criminal activity upon his release.

One of the warrants in question was executed at his home address, in Rookes Crescent, Chelmsford, with two phones and a quantity of cannabis seized.

Speed was arrested at the address and later admitted being concerned in the supply of cocaine, ketamine and cannabis.

Further warrants executed in Harlow resulted in the arrests of the 17-year-old and Alsali, alongside the seizure of £600 in cash and 15g of suspected cocaine.

A stolen motorcycle was also recovered by officers.

The 17-year-old boy, from Harlow, and Alsali, of no fixed address, later admitted being concerned in the supply of cocaine, ketamine and cannabis.

Speed and the 17-year-old boy were sentenced at Chelmsford Crown Court on 30 September this year.

Speed was jailed for five years and seven months, while the 17-year-old was handed a Youth Referral Order.

This will comprise 18 months of supervision, a three-month electronically monitored curfew and an exclusion from the county of Essex for three months.

He must also complete a 30-day rehabilitation activity requirement.

Alsali appeared for sentence at the same court on Friday 18 October.

He was sentenced to three years and four months’ imprisonment.

More than £1,000 in cash was seized and confiscated.

'This should serve as an example'

Officer in the case Constable James Shram, of Op Raptor, said:

“This outcome was the work of months of intelligence gathering and teamwork across of a number of teams.
“We identified Speed as a prolific offender, who wasted little time upon his release from prison to resume his criminal activities.
“He’s now back where he belongs.“Our team worked to establish the network behind this drug dealing operation, starting with little more than a text message and a single phone number.
“This should serve as an example to other offenders thinking of dealing harmful substances in Harlow and wider Essex.
“We have teams dedicated to tracking down those selling drugs on our streets. This work is ceaseless and continues 24/7.
“I would encourage the community in Harlow and across wider Essex to feel confident in reporting issues like drug dealing to us.
“Even if you don’t see enforcement action taking place immediately, cases like this prove we are often building cases against the criminal groups facilitating this awful trade.”

This work, conducted by Op Raptor with the support of local and community policing teams, is part of Clear, Hold, Build – a Home Office-backed scheme that brings together public services to tackle offending and address underlying issues affecting the local community.

The aim is to produce sustained, long-term change in places that have been blighted by serious and organised crime by pursuing offenders, breaking up and dispersing gangs, and creating strong, resilient neighbourhoods.

The Stow, in Harlow, was earmarked as the first location in Essex to fall under this initiative.

'We're delivering for people in Harlow'

Chief Inspector Paul Austin, Harlow district commander, said:

“We want the Stow to be a place people are proud of and feel safe in.
“We are all too aware from the good links we have with the community in Harlow that this isn’t always the case for residents.
“I promised that people could expect to see a visible police presence and sustained work in driving down anti-social behaviour, arresting those responsible for violence and drug offences, and making sure they don’t come back.
“These warrants and now, this court outcome, should provide that reassurance that this action is having a positive and clear impact.”

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