DRUG dealers who took over an addict’s house and made up to £3,000 per day selling Class A heroin and crack cocaine have been jailed for a combined 40 years. 

The Jay Boys set up a base in Steven Root’s house in Hadleigh Road, Clacton, and used it to bag up and move on hard drugs in a vile process known as 'cuckooing'.

At a sentencing hearing at Chelmsford Crown Court today, judge Emma Peters handed ringleader Courtney Kirby 11 years in jail.

Kirby – who is also known as Courtney Kirby-Diamond – also admitted a robbery in Loughton where he stole a scooter along with a co-defendant.

Vulnerable Class A addict Root allowed his home to be used as base and became a runner for the gang.

He was handed two and a half years in jail for his part in the operation. 

In total, seven men were found guilty of two counts of a conspiracy to supply Class A drugs following an eight week trial.

• Courtney Kirby-Diamond, 26, of Queensbridge Road, Hackney, was given 11 years in prison 

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• Tunji Owati, 27, of Park View Road, North London, was handed seven years in jail

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• Troy Henderson-Ryan, 20, of Holland Road, Clacton, was handed three years and three months in a young offenders institute 

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• Alfie Lawrence-Summers, 19, of Chatsworth Road, East London, was handed three years in a young offenders institute 

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• Baran Or, 27 Broad Lane, North London, was sentenced to five years in jail

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• Steven Root, 45, of Hadleigh Road, Clacton, will serve two and a half years in jail 

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• Tommy Burnett, 20, of Trinity Close, East London, will serve three and a half years in prison 

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An eighth man Shaheur Rahman, 25, of Ada Place, London, admitted being involved in the conspiracy of heroin and cocaine part way through the trial on the basis he worked as a driver for roughly five weeks despite being filmed bragging about being in a gang.

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Judge Emma Peters held a Newton hearing to decide whether the basis would not be accepted.

Rahman said: “I was gassing it up to make myself look big.

“There is nothing to suggest I had any control over anybody else.

“I was out in the field running around like a dog doing dog work.”

Judge Emma Peters held a Newton hearing to decide whether the basis would not be accepted but decided his evidence was not credible.

He was handed five years and ten months in jail. 

Following the sentencing, investigating officer PcC James Pamment, of the North Operation Raptor team, said: “The severity of the sentences handed down to the Jay Boys gang reflect the seriousness with which both we and the courts treat those involved in drug and gang-related crime. 

“This gang, and those like them, prey on our communities, exploiting the vulnerable and using violence to sell drugs on our streets. 

“As long as criminals like the Jay Boys continue to attempt to sell drugs in Essex, we will continue to hunt them down.

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"And, whether it takes three weeks or three years, we will leave no stone unturned to bring them to justice.” 

Chief Superintendent Paul Wells, Essex Police’s lead for Operation Raptor, added: “Today’s sentencings show the reality of the gang lifestyle. 

“You will be exploited. You will be the victim or perpetrator of violence. You will live life on the edge wondering whether a rival dealer or police officer will come for you first. 

“Any money you make, or glamour that you think your lifestyle might have, will be short-lived and it’s only a matter of time before you end up behind bars just like the Jay Boys. 

“If you are intent on coming to Essex to deal drugs, make no mistake, you can expect to meet Operation Raptor. 

“If you are aware of drug dealing or gang-related crime in your community, please tell us. Your help is vital in helping us put these criminals behind bars where they belong.”