A DRUG dealer has been jailed for eight years after he conspired to supply half a million pounds worth of heroin.

Jayesh Patel, aged 32, of Park Street, Bolton, was sentenced along with two other men after they were found in possession of nearly 10 kilograms of the class A drug.

Police also found the men with nearly £1,000 of cocaine.

Patel’s co-conspirators, Ismail Ahmed, aged 28, from Burnley and Yamin Patel, aged 26, from Blackburn, were jailed for 64 months and 58 months respectively.

The three pleaded guilty to conspiring to supply heroin in East Lancashire between October, 2012 and March, 2013 at Preston Crown Court yesterday.

Ahmed and Yamin Patel were both also convicted of possession with intent to supply heroin on March 7.

A police investigation saw the recovery of just under 10 kilos of heroin, with a street value of about half a million pounds, and a quantity of cocaine with a street value of just under £1,000.

Det Insp Mark Winstanley, who led the investigation, said that organised criminal groups such as these “unscrupulously exploit vulnerable individuals to fund lavish lifestyles if left unchecked and these three individuals have sought to gain financially at the expense of the most vulnerable people in our society”.

He added: “I am glad to see that this trio are now behind bars for their part in the supply of drugs.

“I am satisfied that we have disrupted this criminal group and taken a large amount of drugs off the streets.

“We are determined to stamp out large scale drug trafficking and I hope that these convictions send a strong message to the criminal fraternity.”