TWO men will be sentenced for drug dealing and a third for a modern slavery offence after they changed their pleas during a six-week trial.
Scott Daly, 22, Corbin Brown, 22 and Hassan Ira, 24, were accused of forcing people to perform compulsory labour as part of their running of the CJ drugs line in Colchester.
Claudio Fonseca, 22, was also accused of being involved in violence and drug dealing.
A jury in their trial at Chelmsford Crown Court was discharged earlier this month after three of the four defendants changed their pleas mid trial.
Daly, of HMP Highpoint, was standing trial charged with two counts of being concerned in the supply of a Class A drug, two counts of possessing a bladed article, and one count each of wounding with intent, theft, and requiring a person to perform forced or compulsory labour.
It was alleged he slashed a man with a machete in George Williams Way, Colchester, when he refused to deal drugs for the defendant.
However, a judge directed not guilty verdicts for the wounding with intent charge, as well as the counts of requiring a person to perform forced or compulsory labour and possessing a knife in a public place.
Daly admitted one charge each of being concerned in the supply of crack cocaine, being concerned in the supply of heroin, possessing a knife in a public place, and theft.
Fonseca, of Hornsey Park Road, Hackney, was on trial after he denied one count each of being involved in the supply of crack cocaine and being concerned in the supply of heroin, but changed both of his pleas to guilty.
Ira, of HMP Chelmsford, denied two counts of requiring a person to perform compulsory labour, and one count each of actual bodily harm, assault by beating, and controlling and coercive behaviour.
He was found not guilty on judge’s directions for actual bodily harm and one of the charges relating to requiring someone to perform compulsory labour.
He admitted the second requiring someone to perform compulsory labour charge, assault by beating, and engaging in controlling or coercive behaviour.
Brown, also of HMP Chelmsford, denied one count each of requiring a person to perform compulsory labour, actual bodily harm, and possessing a bladed article in a public place.
He was cleared of all three charges on judge’s directions and faces no further prosecution.
Daly was due to be sentenced at Chelmsford Crown Court on Friday, but the case was adjourned because he was unwell.
Fonseca and Ira will also be sentenced later this year.
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