An intercepted prison phone call captured members of a county lines drug gang reacting in disbelief as a police unit dismantled their network, with one member sobbing that the team "probably has links to the King". The call was made from prison by Kibssa Kafando and his cellmate Kai Pointing to Kibssa's brother, Samba Kafando, who was still at large.
The call came as officers from Essex Police's Operation Raptor drug enforcement team carried out dawn raids targeting members of the 'Mali' drug line. The gang ran crack cocaine and heroin from Luton into Southend, using addresses in the city to store, prepare and distribute drugs.
Prison Call Captures Gang's Fear
During the prison phone call, the offenders discussed Raptor officers travelling to Luton, raiding the homes of fellow gang members and recovering a firearm. Comments captured during the call included: "Bro, the Raptor squad… Essex fed – beamed his yard…", "Essex Feds as well you know… They're sweeping up…" and "This Raptor bro, they probably have links to the Queen… or King."
Samba Kafando was subsequently arrested, convicted and sentenced alongside his fellow conspirators. The investigation ultimately dismantled the Mali line from the top down.
Sentences Handed Down
Ten offenders received immediate custodial sentences totalling 60 years and nine months, while another received a suspended sentence and a 17-year-old boy was handed a youth referral order. Behind the gang's drug dealing lay violence and exploitation. One man suffered life-changing injuries in an attack linked to the drug supply, while officers recovered weapons and significant amounts of cash during the investigation.
Raptor officers investigated the supply of more than 1kg of drugs facilitated by the Mali line between December 2024 and September 2025. Working in partnership with Bedfordshire Police, officers identified those controlling the line, the key gang members working beneath them and the addresses being used to facilitate drug dealing in Southend.
Violence and Weapons Recovered
At the head of the operation were brothers Kaesim and Ehsan Saghir, based in Luton, who oversaw the network. The investigation exposed the violence underpinning the operation. After £1,000-worth of crack cocaine went missing from the Mali line in March 2025, Kibssa Kafando attacked a man at one of the Southend addresses being used by the group. The victim suffered life-changing injuries and permanently lost some function in his left arm.
On 27 February 2025, officers entered an address at Christchurch Court in Southend after concerns were raised about the welfare of its occupant. Inside, officers recovered weapons, including an axe, machetes and knives, around £500 in cash and a phone being used to operate the Mali drug line. Johnpaul Anomneze and Zkaree Wilson were arrested. Anomneze resisted arrest, grappling with an officer for almost ten minutes and causing him a rib injury.
A second number used by the Mali line was activated on 5 March. Essex officers' investigation into the number led them to another address being used by the group, at Barringtons in Southend. On 27 March, Operation Raptor officers executed a warrant at the Barringtons address and spotted Class A drugs visible on a coffee table. Searches recovered dozens of wraps of crack cocaine and heroin, cannabis, and £1,715 in cash. Officers also recovered three mobile phones, including the second Mali line handset, and three bladed weapons including swords and machetes. Kai Pointing, Kibssa Kafando and Richard Forward were among those arrested.
Dawn Raids in Luton
On 1 May, Raptor worked alongside Bedfordshire Police to strike at the heart of the operation in Luton, executing dawn raids at a number of addresses. Officers searched the home of Kaesim and Ehsan Saghir and discovered £24,800 hidden beneath a bed. Both brothers were arrested. Jeremiah Muya was also arrested at his home, where officers recovered a 9mm pistol and six rounds of ammunition. An iPad recovered from the address was connected to Muya's Snapchat account and contained a conversation between Muya and Anomneze referencing the gun.
Mario Vinteanu, Kerim Coskun and a 17-year-old boy, who cannot be named due to his age, were also arrested at their Luton homes. Later that day, the prison call involving Kibssa Kafando, Kai Pointing and Samba Kafando took place. During the conversation, the men discussed Muya's arrest by Raptor officers and the discovery of the firearm. Samba Kafando was arrested on 25 September after handing himself in at Luton Police Station.
The 12 members of the network were convicted, with sentences handed down at Luton Crown Court on Friday 16 October. Kaesim Saghir, 22, of Beechwood Road, Luton, was sentenced to eight years and three months' imprisonment. Ehsan Saghir, 27, of Beechwood Road, Luton, was sentenced to 10 years' imprisonment. Kibssa Kafando, 20, of Pennine Avenue, Luton, was sentenced to 10 years and six months in a young offender institution. Samba Kafando, 20, of Pennine Avenue, Luton, was sentenced to seven years in a young offender institution. Kai Pointing, 20, of Leafield, Luton, was sentenced to five years and seven months in a young offender institution. Jeremiah Muya, 19, of Brussels Way, Luton, was sentenced to five years in a young offender institution. Mario Vinteanu, 19, of Marlin Road, Luton, was sentenced to four years and six months in a young offender institution. Kerim Coskun, 46, of Telscombe Way, Luton, was sentenced to three years' imprisonment. Johnpaul Anomneze, 18, of Petersfield Gardens, Luton, was sentenced to four years and six months in a young offender institution. Zkaree Wilson, 19, of Cambridge Street, Luton, was sentenced to two years and three months' imprisonment, suspended for three years. Richard Forward, 60, of Sutton Road, Southend, was sentenced to two years and five months' imprisonment. A 17-year-old boy, from Luton, was sentenced to a three-year youth referral order.
Detective Chief Inspector Kelly Thurston, who heads up the Raptor teams, said: "This was an organised county line drug network which believed it could operate safely from Luton and use addresses in Southend as bases from which to deal drugs. Our investigation systematically identified the people involved, the addresses they were using and those controlling the line. The conversations we recovered during the investigation speak for themselves. Those involved knew about Raptor and knew what it meant when our officers started closing in. But behind that bravado and criminality was very real harm. Drugs were being supplied on our streets, weapons and significant amounts of cash were recovered and one man was left with life-changing injuries after an attack linked to this supply. These sentences are the culmination of a lengthy investigation, but our work targeting those who bring drugs into Southend continues. We will continue tackling the Class A drug trade which fuels violence, exploitation and wider criminality in our communities. Enforcement is only one part of our work. We also work with partners to identify and safeguard people being exploited by county lines gangs, helping them access support and find a route away from that exploitation."
