A GRAYS man whose lock-up premises in South Ockendon was used to manufacture ecstasy has been jailed for more than seven years as punishment for his role in a drugs operation worth millions.

Sean Lawrence, 35, of Hollis Place, Grays, was one of three men involved in the production and supply of vast quantities of MDMA (Ecstasy), cocaine and ketamine.

A years-long investigation by Essex Police's Serious and Organised Crime Unit culminated in the dismantling of an ecstasy pill manufacturing lab inside Lawrence's lock-up.

Lawrence, Raymond Cooper, 63, and Kenneth Stone, 34, were arrested in 2021 part of an investigation which police developed as a result of its 'Operation Venetic' project.

Op Venetic was a major operation involving the cracking of a bespoke encrypted global communication service, exclusively used by criminals.

EncroChat offered a secure mobile phone instant messaging service with 60,000 users worldwide and around 10,000 in the UK.

The primary use was for co-ordinating and planning criminal activities including the distribution of illicit commodities and money laundering.

Since 2016, international law enforcement agencies worked together to target EncroChat, and other encrypted criminal communications platforms, and, in 2021, agencies in France and the Netherlands infiltrated the platform.

The intelligence gleaned through this was then shared via Europol to national law enforcement agencies.

Chats on a seized Encrochat device, between March and June 2020, showed discussions around the manufacturing and selling of MDMA pills.

The conversations discussed crafting ecstasy pills from powdered MDMA and cutting agents.

The chats discussed ecstasy pills worth between £400,000 and £1.4 million being available and ready to sell.

Through the information gathered from the chat, officers were able to identify one of those involved as Lawrence.

Officers were then able to track the movements of Lawrence's car to the site of the lock-up in South Ockendon.

Further messages on the chat referred to a 'Ray'. This was later established to be Raymond Cooper, of North Dene, Chigwell, whose vehicle was also identified in the area of the lock-up.

Lawrence was arrested when a search warrant was carried out at his home address in February 2021.

Following the arrest, his deposit box at a location in Ilford was opened and £30,000 was seized.

In the days following Lawrence's arrest, officers were able to identify that he was in contact with Cooper on multiple occasions.

He sought to have his storage unit lock-up cleared of incriminating evidence and officers struck in February 2021, attending the South Ockendon location and gaining entry.

Kenneth Stone.

Kenneth Stone, of Adamson Road, London, was present at the storage unit and arrested.

Encrochat messages attributed to Stone detailed his own separate operation to supply cocaine.

He was also found to have been planning to clear the unit of drugs and other evidence following Lawrence's arrest.

At the storage unit, containers were searched and found to contain more than 170kg of ketamine.

One container was set up as a working office or production factory, containing a worktop, a vacuum pack machine, precision scales and a large bag of white powder found to be a cutting agent.

A van at the lock up, attributed to Stone, was also searched.

Vast quantities of MDMA powder and ecstasy pills were found inside.

Raymond Cooper.

Cooper was arrested in June 2021 and found with high-value items, including a £9,000 Rolex watch.

Lawrence was later charged with and later admitted production of ketamine, production of MDMA, and acquiring, using, or possessing criminal property.

Cooper was charged with and later admitted being concerned in the supply of cocaine, ketamine and MDMA, being concerned in the production of Ketamine and being concerned in the production of MDMA.

Stone was charged with and later admitted being concerned in the supply of cocaine and perverting the course of justice.

The police investigation showed Lawrence had been organising the production and onward supply of MDMA tablets and the adulteration of ketamine.

His cracked encrypted messages included a request from another individual for 100,000 pills, which would be valued in the region of £600,000.

The messages revealed he utilised his engineering knowledge to produce ecstasy on a commercial scale.

Cooper was involved in the onward supply of cocaine, ketamine and MDMA. He was responsible for the movement and transportation of the drugs.

Stone was a middle man or fixer, who obtained cocaine in bulk for supply in his own drug dealing operation.

All three appeared for sentence at Southend Crown Court.

Cooper was jailed for 10 years and four months, Lawrence for seven years and four months and Stone for eight years and four months.

Detective Inspector Yoni Adler, of SOCU, said: "This was a highly sophisticated and organised operation leading in the bulk manufacture and supply of MDMA in Essex.

"The production of these harmful substances involved cutting drugs like MDMA and ketamine with other substances.

Ketamine found at the lock-up.

"The nature of illegal drug supply and manufacturing means the user can never really know what they're taking.

"Pills may be much stronger or more deadly than advertised, or otherwise contain other damaging substances to dilute or adulterate them.

"Drugs like MDMA, ketamine and cocaine are illegal for a very real reason.

"They ruin lives. The trade and use of these substances brings with it wider offending, including violence, disorder and theft.

"We will pursue those at the top of these illicit operations relentlessly, ensuring they face justice even if it takes months or years to see an outcome."