Former Deloitte intern jailed over south Essex drugs line

Emmanuel Nafrah, 31, was was recruited by his older brother to help run a crack and heroin dealing business.

Raymond Nafrah, 34, also roped in friend Jake Sultana and others to work for him as runners for his illegal scheme, known as the N line, which operated out of Brentwood.

But highly-educated Emmanuel - the youngest of the three players sentenced at Basildon Crown Court this week, who played the most limited role - is set to serve the longest prison sentence, as the other two spent years on electronic tags while they awaited trial.

Ruth Jones, defending Emmanuel Nafrah, said her client was effectively being punished for having done the right thing.

Her client was taken off his electronic tag after finding a job in financial services, relocating to Sheffield, becoming a carer and staying out of trouble.

The other two, meanwhile, were caught continuing to deal cannabis together even after police had busted the crack and heroin operation.

But as the duo had each spent more than 1,000 days on electronic tags, more than 500 days will be subtracted from the custodial portions of their sentences.

So while Emmanuel Nafrah received the shortest prison term, he will spend the longest behind bars.

Emmanuel Nafrah - the least involved of the three dealers, who had since become a carer and got a job in financial services - will serve the longest in prison, despite getting the shortest sentence (Image: Essex Police)

Raymond Nafrah, 34, formerly of Rollason Way, Brentwood, ran the drugs line over ten months across three different numbers.

Emmanuel Nafrah and Jake Sultana each assumed responsibility for running the line for short periods when Raymond was enjoying trips abroad, to destinations including Morocco, funded by his criminal enterprise.

Sultana, 32, of Kelvedon Close, Brentwood, was involved in Raymond Nafrah’s enterprise from the beginning and linked to all three numbers.

He was found to have sent “dark” voice notes during his stint in charge, “putting pressure on purchasers or runners”.

“It really was a rather dark aspect of the evidence that he was prepared to engage in such behaviour,” said Judge Shane Collery KC, sentencing the trio at Basildon Crown Court on Monday (April 13).

In one, he had warned runners that they would face violence if they did not do as they were told.

Defence barrister Tim Hunter described the messages as “cosplay”, saying they gave the impression of “someone that’s trying to sound like he’s a little bit more aggressive, in inverted commas, than he actually is.”

“I don’t think there’s anything to support that at all,” Judge Collery responded.

Jake Sultana sent 'dark' voice notes during his stint minding Raymond Nafrah's drugs business, exerting pressure on runners and making violent threats (Image: Essex Police)

By comparison, Emmanuel Nafrah was linked to only one of his brother’s three drug-dealing lines for a total of two days, when he looked after the business while Raymond was on a trip.

But when Essex Police raided the Rollason Way home shared by the brothers in March 2023, they found Emmanuel was running his own, fourth drugs line number, which had been active “sporadically”, for around two-and-a-half months in total.

Mrs Jones urged Judge Collery to impose a non-custodial sentence, saying her client’s involvement had been “limited” and he had played “a lesser role”.

But Judge Collery found all three had assumed “significant roles” in the running of the operation.

“This is not the way to go about life,” he said, sentencing each of them to years in prison.

“Two of you in particular are bright, articulate men. You had alternatives.”

Emmanuel Nafrah had achieved a degree in banking and finance, interned at Deloitte and completed a master’s degree in economics, the court heard.

Since the drug-dealing, said Mrs Jones, he had relocated to Sheffield, become a carer to a disabled family member and been employed for two years in financial services.

Sending him to prison three years later, she argued, would cost him his job and then, “having served a custodial sentence would in itself make it not quite impossible, but near enough, for him to get that kind of employment again.”

Raymond Nafrah ran a heroin and crack cocaine line across three different numbers, using his ill-gotten gains to fund trips abroad while he left his little brother or friend in charge of the criminal enterprise (Image: Essex Police)

Judge Collery reflected Emmanuel Nafrah’s more limited involvement and substantial mitigation by giving him a significantly lower sentence than his co-defendants.

He sentenced him to 36 months in prison, of which he must serve 40% - minus 118 days for time spent on tag – before being released on licence

Sultana was sentenced to 53 months, of which 40% will be custodial – but minus one month already spent on remand, plus 523 days for the time spent on tag.

Raymond Nafrah was sentenced to 61 months, of which he must serve 40% minus 568 days.