Two drug dealers who ‘cuckooed’ the home of a vulnerable woman in Basildon to sell Class A drugs have been jailed for two and a half years.

Basildon Crown Court heard how the woman, aged in her 40s who has a young child, called 999 in December last year to tell officers, dealers had taken over her home.

She told police the two men repeatedly turned up at her home to deal the Class A drugs heroin and crack cocaine despite her asking them to leave several times. The court heard the woman told officers the men routinely dealt drugs in front of her young child.

Acting on the information supplied by the victim, officers from the South Operation Raptor team executed a warrant at a property in Austen Road, Basildon.

Inside they found the two dealers, 30-year-old Leban Abdi and 23-year-old Mohammed Hassan.

Hassan was searched and found to have three wraps of the Class A drug heroin and £930 in cash.

A search of the house also found three mobile phones which were found to contain evidence linking the pair to the supply of Class A drugs, including photographs of crack cocaine lined up on a table with scales and photographs of heroin wrapped in cling film.

Officers also found a further two wraps of heroin on a sofa at the home.

Abdi of Saxon Road, Bow, East London and Mohammed Hassan of Peckham High Street, Peckham were both charged with two counts of being concerned in the supply of Class A drugs.

Abdi also admitted a further charge of breaching a Criminal Behaviour

Order preventing him from having more than one mobile phone or an un-registered sim card.

The pair admitted the charges at Basildon Crown Court and were both jailed for 30-months.

Following the sentencing, investigating officer PC Dan Onley of the South Op Raptor team said: “Abdi and Hassan are ruthless drug dealers who stopped at nothing to ply their illegal trade.

“They exploited a vulnerable woman, taking over her home to use it as a base for their drug dealing. They refused to leave the property despite being asked several times.

“Their victim was so frightened of them she was initially too afraid to tell us where she lived for fear of reprisals.

“Thankfully, with the assistance of our partners at Swan Housing, we were able to safeguard the victim and her child and they are living a new life elsewhere free from the threat posed by Abdi and Hassan.

“If people think drug-dealing is a glamorous lifestyle they are wrong.

"Dealers will exploit the young and vulnerable, they will use violence and the threat of it to get what they want but ultimately they will end up behind bars because we will hunt them down.”

Essex Police set up Operation Raptor teams in the North, South and West of the county to target those involved in drug and gang-related crime.

If you have information about drug and gang-related crime in your community contact Essex Police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.