How the net closed in on Wolverhampton drug dealing gang

But this week they are preparing for life behind bars after becoming the latest round of drug dealers snared in Operation No deal to be sentenced.

Dwayne Jackson, 29, of Aston Court, Claverley, led the gang as their sophisticated and organised operation shifted kilos of the drugs across Wolverhampton.

He was sentenced to eight years and eight months in prison.

Seven others involved in the conspiracy were jailed at Birmingham Crown Court for their involvement, which ranged from renting out cars to drive to meets, to handling the drugs and cash from sales.

Undercover police officers contacted the dealers on a mobile phone number obtained from an addict, which became known as the "D-line."

Jackson had already got two previous convictions for supplying drugs, as had Shaun Davidson-King, 29, of Valley Road, Park Village, who was sentenced to five years and eight months for both offences to run concurrently,

Miss Jennifer Josephs, prosecuting, talked the court through the 23 meetings the officers had with the dealers.

Nine of the defendants admitted two counts of conspiracy to supply class A drugs, namely heroin and crack cocaine, while Michael O'Keefe, 29, of Priory Road, Dudley, was found guilty by a trial. He was sentenced to four-and-a-half years in prison for both sentences to run concurrently

Lee Dwight, 33, of Ellerton Walk, Park Village, was sentenced to three years and four months, and also pleaded guilty to production of cannabis, for which he was given a two month sentence to run concurrently.

Adam Walker, 27, of Hampton View, Heath Town, was also sentenced to three years and four months, and also admitted to conspiracy to supply cannabis, and was given a two year sentence to run concurrently.

Alan Bough, 30, of no fixed address, was given a 12 month sentence to run consecutively with a five-year sentence he is currently serving for another matter.

Shane Dhanda, 23, of Aston Road, Willenhall, was sentenced to three years and four months for both matters concurrently, while Antonio Gambone, 29, of Myrtle Street, Parkfields, was given two years and eight months to run concurrently on both counts.

Scott Reed, 26, of Stowheath Lane, East Park, and Adam Spencer, 29, of Long Knowle Lane, Wednesfield, were said to have played a minor role in the conspiracy and were given 18 month community orders including 150 hours unpaid work.

Police had raided the home of a former partner of Jackson and found the kitchen worktop set up for bagging up drugs.

Miss Josephs added: "Police found large numbers of wraps, and each was put into a collection of wraps ready for them to be taken out to supply."

She said there was 184 wraps of heroin, 167 wraps of crack cocaine, four bags of cannabis weighing roughly an ounce, and £4,000 of cash found in the house.

Between October 29, 2012 and March 20, 2013, almost 11,000 calls or texts were received by the D-line from 519 different numbers.

Judge Farrar said: "That is many calls and it is impossible to quantify how many of these were about drugs other than saying that."

Mr Anthony Bell, for Jackson, said of the head of the group: "He has not got a good record by any means. There is no evidence of him cutting the drugs to provide larger quantities which indicates a lack of sophistication and that this operation was at the lower end of the scale and indicates some distance from the source.

"He has a broad extended family which he feels like he has let down."

Mr Bell said Jackson's father was involved in a charity called Guns and Gangs, which spends time working against organised crime.

Jon Roe, for Dwight, said his client was technically a driver and not a dealer, but accepted that he played a substantial role in the operation.

Mr Roe said: "He was involved in driving on two occasions. After his arrest on December 18 his involvement ceased, he was scared off by his arrest. He was effectively a chauffeur. He was saved in one of the other defendants' phones as Lee Driver."

Mr Arvind Sharma, for Davidson-King, said: "He was paid by virtue of drugs for himself and that was the extent of it.

"In February 2013, he went to Telford to take himself away from this, and later found out the police were looking for him. He voluntarily handed himself in and has been in custody ever since.

"He has two young children and still hopes to be a role model to them in the future."