Braintree: Detectives dismantle drugs gang after abuse of vulnerable victims

Five members of a county lines drugs gang have been sentenced after a number of them filmed their abuse of two vulnerable men before sharing footage of the humiliation on social media.

The offenders ran a crack cocaine and heroin supply network in Braintree, branded the ‘Diamond’ line.

Samet Eskisan and Oliver Alves led the operation, with Billy Rowley, Finley Postill and Liam Biggs working as runners with varying degrees of responsibility.

Each has been charged, convicted and now sentenced for their roles, thanks to a years-long investigation led by our dedicated drug enforcement team, Operation Raptor.

The gang was defined by its use of ‘cuckooing’ – a tactic used in the cruel county lines business model.

This involved targeting two vulnerable, isolated men, both battling Class A drug addictions and living alone in one-bedroom flats.

The dealers invaded and took over their homes, using them as bases for their drug supply.

Our investigation arose out of the support we offered one of these men.

Officers were first called to his flat in late 2022.

None of the dealers were at his property at the time, and officers were able to take an account detailing what had happened.

Officers also found a bag of drugs which had been stashed behind a sink by the dealers.

This was found to be more than 50g of crack cocaine, potentially worth as much as £5,000 when sold in individual deals.

This victim, who suffered from significant mental health issues, told officers how his drug use had been reignited and fuelled by the invading dealers.

He described how, that summer, he had let Rowley stay at his flat for two nights.

Very quickly, the exploitation began.

The wider group descended on his flat and would not leave.

The man was given heroin – a drug he had previously been clean from for more than a decade.

On most days, the dealers were preparing crack and heroin in his kitchen.

Biggs would travel to and from the flat, selling drugs on the street.

Several members of the gang abused his flat, and they abused him.

They flicked cigarettes on his floor, burning his carpet. They spat on his walls and threw food at his windows.

On one occasion, they brought escorts to the flat and used his bed. The man was made to sleep on the floor. When he went into his bedroom the next day, there were burn holes in the mattress.

They threw firecrackers at him while he slept.

On one occasion, he was stripped naked and accused of stealing drugs.

After restarting and feeding his heroin addiction, they plied him with drugs and recorded cruel videos in which they humiliated him.

The man’s keys and phone were taken.

The call to police and the arrival of our officers brought this takeover of the flat to an end.

A forensic examination of the victim’s property recovered Eskisan’s and Postill’s fingerprints, as well as a library card belonging to Rowley.

While our investigation continued, we put safeguarding measures in place to protect the man and his flat.

In November 2022, Eskisan and Alves showed up at the flat – doubtless because of the drugs that had been found and seized by our officers.

We’d given the man a panic alarm, which was activated and triggered a police response.

Our officers arrived and found Eskisan and Alves in a car nearby.

Both were arrested, and the victim’s stolen phone was recovered, alongside deal bags of cannabis.

During the course of our investigation, we discovered a second man had been exploited in a similar way in 2022, with his flat in Braintree taken over and occupied by the gang.

When officers visited his flat to safeguard him, they found Biggs sitting on the sofa.

He was carrying £800 in cash.

When Biggs was told he would be searched for drugs at the police station, he started to cry, explaining to officers that he had concealed wraps of drugs.

These were recovered and found to be 18 wraps of heroin.

This second victim – the tenant of the flat – had a black eye and had suffered bruising.

He sadly felt unable to provide an account to us and did not support the ongoing investigation.

However, we found evidence showing the scale of the abuse he had suffered.

Messages exchanged between members of the group detailed one of them assaulting him and “breaking his rib”.

Footage uploaded to social media by the gang, for their own amusement, showed abusive behaviour, including mockery directed at the man and physical assaults.

During the ordeals they suffered, the dealers told both victims: “This is our flat, not yours.”

Both men have been safeguarded.

Our investigation found the ‘Diamond’ drug line operated between August and October 2022 in the Braintree area, ending with the initial arrest of Alves and Eskisan in November 2022.

A snapshot of the scale of the operation showed more than 3,700 advertising messages had been sent to dozens of potential drug users, dealing approximately 1kg of crack cocaine and heroin.

Each of the five offenders was arrested at various stages throughout our investigation in 2022 and 2023, either during planned warrants or visits to addresses.

They were charged in late 2024 and eventually pleaded guilty as follows:

Eskisan, Alves, Postill, Biggs and Rowley all admitted being concerned in the supply of heroin and crack cocaine.

Eskisan, Alves, Postill and Biggs further admitted putting a person in fear of violence by harassment in relation to the treatment of both victims.

They all appeared at Chelmsford Crown Court for sentence on Wednesday 6 May.

During the hearing, Judge Mary Loram said:

“The conduct is persistent; it’s over a prolonged period of time and it is degrading.
“It’s gratuitous; they didn’t need to do this. They didn’t need to humiliate, degrade, film, post or terrify those two men.
“These are two men with learning difficulties, obviously so. Each one of those men in that dock knew that; they could have walked into those flats and taken them over without doing this.”

Moving on to sentencing, the judge said each of the group had “revelled in the power” they had over the two men.

“You enjoyed your cruelty,” she added.

Samet Eskisan, now aged 25, of Churchfields, Great Yeldham, was sentenced to four years and 11 months’ imprisonment.

Finley Postill, now aged 22, of Coldnailhurst Avenue, Braintree, was sentenced to three years and four months’ imprisonment.

Oliver Alves, now aged 20, of Mountbatten Road, Braintree, was sentenced to three years’ imprisonment.

Billy Rowley, now aged 21, of The Chase, Boreham, was sentenced to 18 months’ imprisonment, suspended for two years, with a 30-day rehabilitation activity requirement.

Liam Biggs, now aged 20, of Vallance Road, London, was sentenced to two years’ imprisonment, suspended for two years, with 120 hours’ unpaid work and a 30-day rehabilitation activity requirement.

Each of the five offenders must abide by a 10-year restraining order prohibiting contact of any kind with either victim.

Officer in the case, Detective Constable Louise Townsend, said:

“We’re committed to tackling the supply of Class A drugs that fuels violence and exploitation in Essex and across the country.
“The abuse these offenders inflicted on these vulnerable men was of a particularly unpleasant nature – even for the type of cuckooing cases we deal with.
“There was only one motive behind their horrific behaviour. They did it simply for their own amusement, because they thought it was funny.
“The videos we’ve found of these boys and young men flashing cash and bragging about their lives paint an inaccurate picture of what it’s like to be involved in county lines.
“I hope this case shows the reality.
“That fake bravado quickly vanishes when the real world comes knocking.
“Invading the lives of vulnerable people, squatting in their homes, and inevitably facing the day when we will come calling to arrest them – this is the reality of county lines drug dealing.
“The day of their arrest will often prove to be traumatic for these dealers and those closest to them. Getting involved in the illegal drugs trade will ruin their life.
“No-one should ever set out to deal heroin or crack cocaine with any illusion that it will be an easy, clean or stylish life choice.
“I hope this case demonstrates that you can talk to us if you’ve been exploited. We will safeguard you and we will relentlessly pursue the perpetrators using all the tactics, skills and experience that Operation Raptor are known for.
“The work that went into this case shows the reality of modern policing when it comes to county lines gangs.
“In Essex, we are well practised at putting a stop to the despicable drug dealers who offend in this way.
“If you’re abused, coerced or forced into working for these gangs, there is a way out. We can help you, we can put measures in place to safeguard you and we will treat you as a victim.
“You will not be treated as an offender. The first step is making a call to us.”

Detective Superintendent Dan Mitchell, Head of the National County Lines Coordination Centre (NCLCC), said:

“Exploitation, coercion, intimidation and violence remain intrinsic factors of County Lines, and vulnerable people are seen as easy targets by ruthless gangs.
“Spotting cuckooing is difficult; the offending takes place behind closed doors and those within the local community can often mistakenly view those being targeted as part of the criminal enterprise.
“But as this case demonstrates, those being cuckooed are far from willing participants. The significant harm they experience, such as degradation or gratuitous violence, is abhorrent, and may be for no other purpose than for the perpetrators' own entertainment.
“Under the Crime and Policing Bill, which received Royal Assent at the end of April, cuckooing will now be recognised as a standalone offence, giving policing additional powers with which they can bring more offenders to justice and safeguard more vulnerable people.”

Are you worried that a friend or someone you know may be being exploited through County Lines or organised criminal activity?

Maybe they are returning home late, staying out all night or even going missing for days or weeks at a time.

Are they suddenly being secretive about who they are talking to or where they are going?

Or perhaps you’ve noticed they have large amounts of money on them, or new clothing, jewellery or phones they wouldn’t be able to afford.

Through Fearless, young people can pass on information 100% anonymously to get help.

If you need help from police, call 101 or, if it's an emergency, always call 999.