Undercover officers break drug ring

The drug dealers were secretly taped

Seven heroin suppliers have been jailed after their drugs ring was discovered by undercover police.

The ring was found early this year after police launched Operation York to tackle the rising drug problem in the village of New Mills, Derbyshire.

Two specially trained officers posing as addicts were deployed in the area to trap Charlton Hicks, Lee Wood, Robert Dickenson and Gareth Neff.

Laura Tester, Paul Blackburn and Leigh Jones were also caught in the act of supplying drugs, the court heard.

Dealers 'suspicious'

Prosecutor Andrew Peet said the officers managed to buy hundreds of pounds worth of heroin from the group in February and March.

Various deals were done between the officers and the gang, with arrests made in March after some suppliers began to get suspicious.

Mr Peet said some of the defendants at first denied involvement, but later confessed when they were shown video footage filmed by the officers.

The court heard Jones was later linked to the ring after his fingerprints were found on some of the heroin wraps purchased by the police.

Charges admitted

Dickenson, 31, admitted three drugs offences and an unrelated public order offence.

Hicks, 24, admitted seven counts of supplying and one of possession.

Wood, 27, admitted five counts of supplying and Neff, 24, two of supplying.

Tester, 19, admitted one of supplying and one of offering to supply, Blackburn, 21, admitted two of supplying, and Jones, 31, admitted one of supplying.

'Serious' involvement

Judge Andrew Hamilton told Hicks that he was the most "seriously involved" and sentenced him to six years in prison.

Wood was jailed for five years and Dickenson to three years and three months.

Jones was jailed for two-and-a-half years, while Tester and Blackburn received 18 months each.

Neff was given three years and told to serve 408 days from a previous conviction.

An eighth man will be sentenced at a later date.