Crime gang dismantled after £3m in drugs seized

(Clockwise from top left) Janey Chard, Mark Glover, Mark Bourne, Leah Murphy, Joshua Batt and Justin Pearce were all jailed

Six people who ran a drug dealing ring have been jailed after £3m of heroin, cocaine and amphetamine was taken off the streets.

Justin Pearce, Joshua Batt, Leah Murphy, Mark Bourne, Mark Glover and Janet Chard were caught last year in a series of police raids to crack down on drug dealing in Bristol.

Officers also uncovered the organised crime group they led, transporting drugs across the country. The group were sentenced at Bristol Crown Court on Friday.

Det Insp Nic Lawson, of Avon and Somerset Police, said: "The actions of our officers has brought down a significant drug dealing ring operating out of Bristol and has seen millions of pounds worth of drugs never make it to the streets."

The judge passed the following sentences:

• Justin Pearce, 45, of no fixed address, was jailed for 15 years

• Joshua Batt, 28, from Whitchurch, was jailed for 12 years

• Leah Murphy, 44, of no fixed address, was jailed for nine years and seven months after being sentenced on 8 September.

• Mark Bourne, 49, from Horfield, was jailed for eight years and eight months

• Mark Glover, 48, from Henbury, was jailed for eight years and eight months

• Janet Chard, 68, from Knowle West, was given a 20-month jail term suspended for two years.

Drug paraphernalia

The court was told how police carried out a number of warrants and searches which led to arrests on 18 November last year.

At one location, a business park off Staunton Lane in Whitchurch, officers found two boxes of more than 10kg of heroin, with an estimated street value of £1m.

At a garage in Down Lane, Bristol, drug paraphernalia with a combined street value of £1.8m was discovered.

Following the arrests Pearce, Batt and Murphy pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply heroin, cocaine and amphetamine.

Bourne and Glover both pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply heroin.

Chard, meanwhile, pleaded guilty to participating in the activities of an Organised Crime Group.

Speaking after the sentencing, Det Lawson added: "This is a brilliant step in the war against drug crime in Avon and Somerset.

"By stopping almost £3m worth of drugs from entering our communities, we have hopefully prevented a number of drug-associated crimes from taking place."