Four men have been jailed for a total of 47 years, after police seized the largest amount of cocaine ever found in Essex. Toby Jones, 29, of Brook Road in Epping, was arrested in September last year, after armed police recovered £180,000 from a van stopped in Honey Lane, Waltham Abbey. Officers found another £250,000 at his home and linked him with a gang being investigated by the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate (SCD). Within a month, police had discovered 25kg of cocaine, valued at £2 million, set for distribution across Kent, Essex and Merseyside hidden in commercial vehicles, alongside more than £375,000 in cash. Police arrested Michael Enever, 44, of Brook Parade, Chigwell, Luke Shubert, 31, of Glenwood in Bowers Gifford, and Richard Gamon, 30, of Link Road, Canvey, charging them with conspiracy to supply a class A controlled drug. The four admitted the charges and were sentenced yesterday at Chelmsford Crown Court. The senior investigating officer, Detective Chief Inspector Stuart Smith, said: “A six-month long investigation led to the arrests, and overwhelming evidence meant their only choice was to plead guilty in court. "This was an operation whereby every strand of the SCD was used, from forensic experts to analysts. Everyone involved showed a huge commitment to bringing these men to justice.” Shubert was jailed for 15 years, Jones for 11 years, Gamon for 11 years and Enever 10 years. Assistant Chief Constable Gary Beautridge, head of the SCD, said: "This investigation represents the biggest cocaine seizure by officers in Essex to date. "The significant sentences handed down, even on guilty pleas, are welcomed by law enforcement and the public alike. “My message to anyone considering such criminal activity is that we are watching you and will leave no stone unturned in arresting you and bringing you to justice.”
Toby Jones, 29, of Brook Road in Epping, and Michael Enever, 44, of Brook Parade, Chigwell, among those sentenced
Four jailed after Essex's largest ever cocaine seizure
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