A COLCHESTER man who was part of a drugs gang which supplied cocaine in “wholesale quantities” has been put behind bars.

Five people have been jailed after running the drug line for more than a year, following an investigation by Essex Police’s Serious Organised Crime Unit (SOCU),.

Officers found Henry Davis, 27, of Cromwell Road, Colchester, was a customer of Vlad Filin’s illicit business.

Police say Filin, 27, of The Bringey, Great Baddow, was responsible for operating the group’s drug line phone, sourcing cocaine in bulk and liaising with customers.

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

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 Michael’s Walk, Chelmsford, was responsible for the delivery of cocaine across north Essex to both wholesale and personal customers.

Enquiries also established Damon Wager and Davis, who were also cocaine suppliers, operated from their home addresses in Witham and Colchester respectively.

Gazette: Gang - The jailed Essex drug dealers Gang - The jailed Essex drug dealers (Image: Essex Police)
Officers 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. Essex Police then carried out coordinated strikes at addresses linked to Filin, Connor, Fieldson and Wager in Chelmsford and Witham.

Arrests were made, as well as cocaine, cannabis and large sums of cash being seized.

All four admitted conspiracy to supply cocaine. Davis was jailed for three years and four months at Chelmsford Crown Court on February 15.

At the same court last Thursday, Filin was jailed for seven years and six months. Connor, Fieldson and Wager were each jailed for six years

The actions brought 'significant issues' to communities

Following the sentencing, Detective Inspector Frazer Low, of the 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 the force’s 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.”