FOUR men have been charged after a series of dawn police drug raids.

Specialist officers made the arrests on Wednesday after searching properties in Colchester, Braintree and Halstead between 4.25am and 5.30am on Wednesday.

Jack Holliday, 24, of Devon Road, Colchester, Jake Gregory, 27, of no fixed address, William Locke, 22, of Connaught Close, Colchester, and James Martin, 42, of Trinity Street, Halstead, have been charged conspiracy to supply cocaine.

They have been remanded to appear at Chelmsford Magistrates’ Court on Friday January 10.

We arrested four men on Wednesday 11 December after executing warrants at addresses in Braintree, Colchester and Halstead between 4.25am and 5.30am.

Essex Police have previously charged Kian Rulten, 24, of Morant Road, Colchester, with possession of a firearm when prohibited for five years and selling a prohibited weapon and ammunition in connection with the same investigation.

Rulten is due to stand trial at Chelmsford Crown Court on April 6 next year..

Jake Mitchell, 26, of Egret Crescent, Colchester, admitted to two counts of a possession of firearm and Billy Parsley, 23, of no fixed address, admitted transferring a firearm at Chelmsford Crown Court on Monday 18 November.

Sentencing will take place at the conclusion of Rulten’s trial.