Outrage as crack gang walk free

THREE drug dealers involved in a county lines network walked free from court last week.

They pleaded guilty to the supply of class A drugs, but were not jailed in a sentencing branded “beyond belief” by a former detective.

Chelmsford Crown Court was told the trio were part of a gang making £3,000 a day from selling cocaine across Loughton, Buckhurst Hill and Chigwell, made famous by reality TV show The Only Way Is Essex.

The Home Office blames the county lines drug dealing epidemic for spiralling violent crime blighting the UK and has called for a crackdown on the menace.

It sees urban gangs introduce an untraceable phone number in a different area to sell drugs directly at

‘A green light to sell class A drugs’

street level. Local runners – often teenagers – then supply the drugs in these suburban areas.

Essex Police spent six months investigating five gangs in the area, including one known as Omar to which Glen O’Brien, 48, from Epping, Barry Gilbody, 48, from Loughton and Robert White, 32, from Ilford, east London, belonged.

Sentencing guidelines say those playing a significant role in a gang and dealing directly to drug users should get between three-and-a-half years and seven years in prison, with those in a lesser role getting from two to four and a half years in custody.

Last week Judge Patricia Lynch QC gave the trio two-year prison terms suspended for two years.

A former Met Police DCI, who was involved in drug busts over an eight-year period, said: “These are hardened criminal gangs involved in serious crime.

“They are selling crack cocaine to vulnerable people and children. Much of the acquisitive crime and violent crime in the area is a result of drug use and these activities. This sentence is beyond belief and effectively gives a green light to anyone who wants to sell class A drugs.”

A spokesman for the judiciary said: “All judges sentence according to the relevant sentencing guidelines plus the facts of each individual case.”