Three drug dealers operating a county line operation have been jailed for a total of 17 years.

Jonid Cufaj, Julian Cufaj and Urim Peraj, operated the “Tony” mobile phone line supplying cocaine from Essex to Eastbourne.

Jonid, 25, a labourer of London Road, Romford, was the leader of the group while his younger brother Julian, 22, unemployed of Southend Arterial Road, Havering, was also linked to the drug supply line in Essex.

They worked with Peraj, 25, unemployed of Cavendish Avenue, Eastbourne, who acted as the drug dealer in the town.

A drug user was stopped in Eastbourne in February 2023. It led to police uncovering the “Tony” line.

Police carried out searches at four addresses, seizing drugs and mobile phones as part of the investigation.

All three were sentenced at Lewes Crown Court.

Jonid  Cufaj was found guilty of being concerned in the supply of a class A drug between January 1, 2022, to February 7, 2023. He was jailed for six-and-a-half years.

Julian Cufaj was found guilty of the same offence, as well as being concerned in the supply of cocaine from November 25, 2022, to February 8, 2022, and being concerned in the supply of cannabis in the same period. He was jailed for five-and-a-half-years in total.

Urim Peraj was found guilty of being concerned in the supply of cocaine during the same period. He was jailed for five years.

A fourth man, Arben Vukaj, 39, of Mallards Road, Barking, was found not guilty of being concerned in the supply of cocaine. He was found guilty of possession of cannabis and possessing a weapon for the discharge of a noxious liquid, namely pepper spray.

Eastbourne district commander, Chief Inspector Di Lewis, said: “This was a significant investigation that revealed how the group supplied class A drugs into Eastbourne for more than a year.

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“Officers are determined to disrupt the supply of drugs which cause so much harm in our community, and to tackle offences and activity associated with County Lines drug supply.

“Officers from partner forces and our teams here in Sussex showed great professionalism and teamwork to dismantle this drugs line.

“We will continue to target individuals involved in distribution and the supply of illegal drugs in Sussex, and we are pleased that this has led to significant sentences in court.”