THE leaders of a six-person drugs line in Southend have been jailed for a combine total of 11 years.

Leon Frroku, 20, of Colne Road, Shoebury, and Nathan Muskitta, 23, of Sutton Road, Southend, were charged with the supply of class A drugs, namely crack cocaine and heroin, between May 2021 and June 2022.

The pair, along with four co-defendants, appeared in Basildon Crown Court on Friday, July 7, for a hearing overseen by Judge Samantha Cohen.

Judge Cohen said: “You six involved yourself in different ways in the running, organisation and carrying out of a criminal enterprise which supplied Class A drugs primarily to the Southend and Leigh areas.

“People who are addicted to Class A drugs can be extremely vulnerable and it is an activity which devastates the lives of those who take the drugs and their families who watch the destruction it reaps.

“It also devastates communities because drugs are a valuable commodity, meaning people resort to crime to support their habits.”

Frroku and Muskitta were joined by co-defendants Jessica Osman, 20, McKinnon Chaviri, 21, Sheraldine Gallagher, 55, and a 17 year-old boy from Shoebury.

The group formed the ‘Pablo’ drugs line in which Frroku and Muskitta had primary phones with information on deals.

This information was diverted to ten different phones where runners Osman, McKinnon and the Shoebury youth were directed to complete deals.

READ MORE:

> Southend drug dealers who ran Purepoint line jailed

> Southend and Basildon drug dealers flooded city with cocaine

The group operated out of Gallagher’s home which was used as a safe house.

In total more than 10,000 bulk messages were sent between the phones to users in the Southend community.

Frroku was initially arrested in May 2021 for his involvement with another line and was given a suspended sentence of 21 months.

He started the Pablo line on the same day and proceeded to sell cocaine and heroin for the next year.

A police raid of his address found cling film rolls, cash, scales and knives with white residue and a sports bag with more than £20,000 worth of drugs.

Frroku was sentenced to eight years in prison, whilst Muskitta was jailed for three years.

The Shoebury youth was handed a two-year youth rehabilitation order with Osman, Chivari and Gallagher were handed suspended sentences of two years, two years and one year respectively.