Brothers jailed after 'flooding' Blackpool with drugs

Anthony Gill (L), Bradley Gill (R) were both jailed for 14 years for conspiracy to supply cocaine

Two drug-dealing brothers who "flooded" Blackpool with drugs worth millions of pounds have been jailed.

Anthony Gill, 33, from Manchester and Bradley Gill, 28, from Blackpool both admitted conspiracy to supply cocaine and were sentenced to 14 years.

Class A drugs worth £700,000 that were seized were a "snapshot" of the true scale of their dealing, said police.

Thirteen other gang members were also sentenced at Preston Crown Court including their sister Jessica Lang.

According to Lancashire Constabulary, the Gill brothers were responsible for supplying the resort with "huge amounts" of cocaine, amphetamines and cannabis.

Anthony Gill operated as the head of the organised crime gang and was involved in sourcing drugs, predominantly cocaine, from his criminal contacts.

His brother Bradley's role was to control cash and drug couriers in Blackpool and liaise with dealers, said police.

'Violence'

During an operation by the force's Serious Crime Team, six kilos of cocaine, a quarter of a kilo of amphetamines and £122,000 in cash were seized between May 2016 and July 2017.

Det Ch Insp Stuart Dixon said: "Organised crime, including the production and supply of drugs, the violence which controls this market, and how it impacts on vulnerable people, blights our communities and puts ordinary law-abiding people at risk.

"We will relentlessly pursue these offenders and put them before the courts to make our streets safer."

Lang, 21, was jailed for five years for conspiracy to supply cocaine and cannabis while her boyfriend Scott Ledrew was jailed for 11 years and four months for conspiracy to supply class A and class B drugs and possession of a prohibited weapon.

Other gang members were jailed for drug and money laundering offences for between 12 months suspended for a year and 11 years, four months.