TWO dealers who beat up a customer and forced him to work for them had been cuckooing another vulnerable person’s home to use as their headquarters.

Ahmad, 22 of London Road, Morden, and Elorby, 22, of no fixed abode, were jailed after pleading guilty to two counts of being concerned in the supply of Class A drugs and assault at at Basildon Crown Court on November 23.

Police who investigated the case have now revealed the pair had taken over a vulnerable man’s home to run their county lines drug operation from.

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Detective sergeant Rob Maile, of Essex Police’s Operation Raptor South team, led the investigation.

He said: “Ahmad and Elorby exploited a vulnerable man in Southend and used his home as their based from which to operate in Southend.

“They believed they were getting away with their poisonous actions, but they were unaware of the sophisticated investigation being carried out into them which meant when they were arrested in Southend in August 2021 the weight of evidence against them left them very few options but to admit their roles.”

DS Maile added: “While our focus can often be on enforcement, this runs hand-in-hand with the work we do to help and safeguard others whose home are being used by these gangs under threat of violence. This is not acceptable, and it truly shows how those gangs exploit vulnerable people.”

The man whose home had been taken over has been safeguarded.

An investigation was launched into the pair in April 2021 after police became aware of the ‘Trouble’ line which was advertising to drug users in the city.

On August 31, 2021, officers executed a warrant in Chestnut Grove, Southend.

During that operation Ahmad was arrested and a search of the home led to the drug line being located alongside Ahmad’s personal phone and more than £1,100 in cash.

During sentencing, Basildon Crown Court was told the dealers had assaulted and threatened a customer and forced him to work for them to “pay off a debt” after they falsely accused him of stealing drugs.

Ahmad was sentenced to a total of 60 months in prison while Elorby was handed 53 months in jail.