Braintree drug dealers threw firecrackers at sleeping man

A man with learning difficulties was forced to strip naked by a gang of drug dealers who invaded his home and threw firecrackers at him as he slept. The offenders ran a crack cocaine and heroin supply network in Braintree, Essex, called the "Diamond" line. Essex Police said they took over the man's home, spat on his walls, brought prostitutes to the property and made him sleep on the floor. Samet Eskisan, Finley Postill, Oliver Alves, Billy Rowley and Liam Biggs were handed a range of sentences at Chelmsford Crown Court, having admitted drug offences. Police said the gang used a method of "cuckooing", which involved targeting two vulnerable men, both living alone in one-bedroom flats, and using their homes as a drugs base. One of the victims was given heroin, a drug he had been clean from for more than a decade. Essex Police said the gang boasted about assaulting the other victim and breaking his rib. Officers were made aware of the abuse in late 2022 and arrested the offenders after forensic examinations of the properties. They said Biggs began to cry when he was informed of the police investigation, which uncovered deals for about 1kg of crack cocaine and heroin. Det Con Louise T

May 12, 2026 → May 16, 2026