VIDEO: Police operation targets London drug gangs trying to 'conquer' north Essex

Essex Police launched the three-day Operation Compressor in a bid to target gangs coming out of the capital to sell drugs in the north of the county.

The gangs are targetting people in Colchester, Clacton, Braintree and Chelmsford in a bid to expand their empire out of a saturated and violently competitive market in north and east London.

Drug detectives have seen members of the Custom House Gang, London Fields, HQ - Hainault and Mainly Orn Doe travelling to north Essex to create "county lines".

But now the force is fighting back.

Teams from Operation Raptor, a drug gang-focussed project, have been in place in each Essex policing authority for two years and since then, 115 raids have been carried out in Colchester, Clacton, Braintree and Chelmsford.

Some 279 people have been arrested and up to £300,000 worth of drugs seized.

A total of £39,682 has also been confiscated by detectives.

Det Insp Jim White, who runs the north Operation Raptor team said: "We are seeing a cancerous infestation of violent criminals coming down here.

"There are probably up to 40 gangs in each borough of London and most use extreme violence.

"Therefore the market is very crowded and clearly they want to branch out to find another market to conquer."

Det Insp White added gangs initially used the train to get from London to Essex because of how direct it is.

But they have since changed their tactics.

He said: "We used to pick them off the trains but they have developed a bit and they are now coming in very flash hire cars.

"They want to show they are in charge. They want to protect their interests."

Gang members' tactics are to befriend locals who they know to be drug users and to "cuckoo" them - which means to take over their homes, which are usually rented, and use it as a base to sell drugs.

Det Insp White added: "We find this is much more prevalent in Clacton, perhaps because there is a ready made market of people who use drugs."

He also said children as young as eleven are being used by the gangs to befriend and cuckoo users and pave the way for more senior gang members to take over a premises.

"It is not unknown for children to have between £2,000 and £3,000 in their bedrooms.

"But these children are assets as far as [more senior gang members] are concerned.

"It is really concerning and worrying.

"When they see the cash and the flash cars, they think it is attractive - they think it is easy money."

As well as the London gangs, Det Insp White also said dealers are targeting the area from as far away as Liverpool.

He added: "Our aim is to 'target harden' - to make it as difficult as possible for them.

"If we can do that, they will move on. It will happen but we just don't want it to happen in Essex."

During an raid on Tuesday, four people were arrested on suspicion of possession with intent to supply class A drugs after a raid at Empire Court, in Clacton on Tuesday.

They were two men, aged 19 and 20 from Croydon, and two girls, aged 14 from Croydon and 15 from Walton on Thames.

They have all been released on bail until October 24.

Another man, Simon Hutchinson, was arrested in Groom Park, in Clacton as part of the operation.

No drugs were found on the premises but 31-year-old Hutchinson has been charged with one count of theft from a shop.

He will appear at Colchester Magistrates’ Court on of July 5.

'I was 'cuckooed' - don't let it happen to you

POLICE smashed through the door of a flat and found two alleged London gang members had taken it over and were using it as a drug base.

A team of about half a dozen specially trained drugs officers rammed the front door of the ground floor flat, in Empire Court, Clacton, screaming: “Police with a warrant, show your hands.”

Inside, officers said they found hundreds of pounds in cash, several wraps of what was believed to be Class A drugs and mobile phones, believed to be linked to drug dealing.

They spent more than an hour searching the four-room bedsit.

Six people were initially found inside the property.

Of that six, four were arrested on suspicion of possession with intent to supply class A drugs.

Two other men, who were the official tenants of the flat, were originally de- tained but were not arrested.

Although the pair admitted being drug users police decided they had been ‘cuckooed’ and were not a threat to the public.

One of the men, dad-of-seven Paul Vickers said the alleged gang members had been staying with him since the weekend.

Mr Vickers, who uses crack cocaine, added: “I just let them in. I don’t know why really.

“I give in very easy to people.

“My message to people like me is don’t do this, don’t do drugs - stay away from them.

“Nothing good comes from it."

'There is more to do'

Supt Paul Wells, who is leading on Operation Raptor, said: "Drug dealing and violence between rival gangs understandably causes high levels of harm and unrest in our communities. 

"I hope this week’s activity and the results achieved by the Operation Raptor teams so far help to reassure concerned residents that we are not ignoring the issue and are working to bring to justice gang members who think they can travel to Essex to commit their crimes.

"Drugs and weapons wreck and ruin lives and we will use a variety of tactics to bring to justice those who carry them.

"So far, the work of the north LPA team alone has resulted in gang nominals receiving prison sentences totalling 111 years.

"As well as this enforcement activity, Operation Raptor is about working with our partner agencies whether that be colleagues from Operation Trident, a command set up by the Metropolitan Police to tackle gang violence, or agencies that can offer support for those affected by gang criminality.

"Many people don’t realise that drug dealing gangs exploit and prey on the vulnerable in our communities – persuading them to carry drugs on their behalf and taking over their homes as a base from which to deal.

"We recognise that young people are among the most vulnerable in our communities and are working with Junior Smart from the St Giles Trust to educate them about the harsh realities of gang life.

"Junior, an ex-offender who now runs an intervention project to help young people break free from gang crime, has taken part in a short film with us in which he speaks openly about the lengthy prison sentence he served for drugs offences and the consequences of making the wrong choices in life.

"My teams are striving to keep the communities of Essex safe but much of our work is intelligence led so we need your help.

"If you have information about gang activity where you live, tell us by calling 101.

"Anyone who would rather not talk to police can call the independent crime-fighting charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

"You won’t have to give your name or go to court to give evidence.

"Anyone with concerns about vulnerable people being exploited should report it to Essex Police on 101, Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111, Essex County Council Social Care on 0345 606 1212 or via school if the victim is a child."

He added: "There is more work to be done but my officers and I are determined to make gangs think twice about committing crime in Essex. We will work tirelessly to keep the streets of Essex safe.”

Roger Hirst, Police and Crime Commissioner for Essex, added: "It is clear that gang activity is having an increasing impact on parts of Essex, with often horrific assaults and even murders occurring as rival groups compete to sell drugs, leaving local residents feeling unsafe as they go about their daily lives. 

"I strongly support police disruption of gang activity and welcome these Days of Action across the county.

"It is an essential part of our strategy to show the gangs that they will be brought to justice if they seek to operate in Essex. 

"We must also prevent gang exploitation of vulnerable members of our communities.

"This may include individuals whose homes are used for ‘cuckooing’ and young people caught up or intimidated into criminal activity on behalf of gangs.

"We must intervene to show young people that there are other ways of life which are far more rewarding emotionally and which carry much less risk of harm both to themselves and others."

As well as the five arrests in north Essex, 31 vehicles were stopped and checked during a road policing operation across Colchester.

Sean Poulton, 28, of Dover Close, Braintree, was arrested after officers discovered he was wanted for failing to attend Colchester Magistrates’ Court in February 2016 on suspicion of theft and assault offences.

He has been charged.

A 31-year-old woman from Braintree was arrested on suspicion of being concerned in the supply of class A drugs after officers stopped the vehicle she was driving in Railway Street, Braintree just after 12.30pm.

Cash and suspected class A drugs were seized.

She has been released on bail pending further enquiries until October 10, 2016.

A 42-year-old man from Dunmow who was wanted for failing to answer bail was arrested in Railway Street, Braintree.

Dean O’Neill, of Wainsfield Villas, has been charged with being concerned in the supply of class A drug, possession of heroin, possession of cocaine and two counts of cannabis possession.

He was remanded in custody to appear at Colchester Magistrates’ Court tomorrow morning.