Three drug dealers jailed after cocaine operation in Redbridge

The trio were arrested on October 6 last year, during the course of a drug operation.

Lazarus John Loizdes, 27, from Chelmsford, was seen parking a white van outside Fieldhouse Close, Redbridge, where Joe Sawyer lived.

The two entered Sawyer’s vehicle with a blue holdall and drove off, later at 3.10pm Sawyer returned and left the holdall bag that contained 5kgs of cocaine in the white van and left.

Another man, Robert Beckley from Kent, arrived in a black van at the Redbridge house and received the bag before he headed onto the M25.

Officers pursued Beckley and found the bag, meanwhile officers at Fieldhouse Close spotted Loizdes carrying two large and heavy Sports Direct bags before driving off in another van.

Police followed Loizdes and arrested him at Cloudesley Street, Islington, as they found cash over £55,000, 3kg of cocaine, a burner phone and various expensive watches and receipts for high value purchases at Harrods.

Sawyer was arrested near to 8pm that day, as officers found keys to enter Loizdes’ other van and found two Sports Direct bags – one of which empty, the other containing 24 x 1kg bricks of cocaine – and under the floor was a further 17 x 1kg bricks of cocaine.

In total in the whole operation, 49kg of cocaine was seized with an estimated street value of almost £6million.

All three men were charged on 6 October with conspiracy to supply Class A drugs (cocaine). Loizides was further charged with possession of criminal property in relation to the cash seized.

All three pleaded guilty at Snaresbrook Crown Court on 25 November, and they were sentenced on Thursday (February 4) this year at the same court.

• Lazarus John Loizides, 27, of St. Anthony’s Drive, Chelmsford, Essex, was sentenced to 11 years’ imprisonment.
• Joe Sawyer, 26, of Fieldhouse Close, Redbridge, was sentenced to eight years’ imprisonment.
• Robert Beckley, 31, of Church Road, West Malling, Kent, was sentenced to four years and four months’ imprisonment.