Benfleet: Proactive work by officers puts two drug dealers behind bars
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Proactive work by officers in Benfleet has ensured two men involved in dealing Class A drugs in the county are now serving time behind bars.
Officers stopped and searched a man on Thursday 10 October last year as part of proactive patrolling in the area of Parkfields and Queensmere.
They found a number of small bags believed to contain Class A drugs and Mirgen Morina from West London was arrested on suspicion of possession with intent to supply a Class A drug.
Officers also searched an address connected to the 21-year-old and found £4,500 in cash and suspected Class A drugs.
intelligence-led stop
Morina, of Mayfield Gardens, W7, was charged with being concerned in the supply of Class A drugs, possession with intent to supply Class A drugs and possessing criminal property.
Following Morina’s stop by officers, intelligence led to a second car being stopped in Parkfields on the same day and the driver, a suspected drugs runner, was arrested on suspicion of being concerned in the supply of a Class A drug.
His phone, which was unlocked in the cradle of his car, identified a stream of messages with details of locations to meet customers and specifying the deals to be provided.
Alex-Vasilica Rarinca, 29, of no fixed abode in the Castle Point area, was charged with and pleaded guilty to being concerned in the supply of cocaine.
Morina also pleaded guilty when the pair appeared at Basildon Crown Court on 18 November 2024.
At the same court on Monday 3 February both men were sentenced.
Morina was jailed for a total of three years and two months. Rarinca was jailed for two years.
Forfeiture of cash, drugs, drugs paraphernalia and money was ordered by the court.
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Sergeant Adam Jarvis said:
"Dealing drugs is a dangerous and risky business, with a lengthy prison sentence attached when you are caught in Essex.
We take a really firm stance against drug-related offending as we know it feeds into and fuels violent crime in the county.
"It’s an issue we are aware of, and we are tackling it head-on.
"Anyone who comes to Essex to deal drugs should think again.
"We have teams of dedicated officers working across all districts to dismantle and disrupt your plans."
In 2024 we cracked 150 county lines and secured more than 1,000 years in prison sentences for offenders.
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