SIX members of a Bolton drugs gang have been jailed for supplying class A and class B narcotics all over the country.

The criminals, imprisoned for a total of 68 years, dealt in large quantities of cocaine, heroin, cannabis and amphetamine.

They sent their wares to street dealers in Preston, Blackburn and Rochdale and as far as Bradford, Birmingham and Cornwall between September 2014 and August 2015.

The network was dismantled by an investigation by Lancashire Constabulary that culminated in a series of co-ordinated raids and arrests carried out in September 2015 by the force's Serious and Organised Crime Unit under Operation Nexus. 

This led to the prosecution at Preston Crown Court where the six were sentenced today.

Ben Southam, deputy head of the CPS North West Complex Casework Unit, said: "This was an extremely complex case because of the sort of evidence that we were looking at.  

"We were involved from an early stage, advising police on an ongoing basis during the operation.

"There was a huge amount of material to consider, including the analysis of hundreds of calls and texts between the members of the gang as they carried out drugs operations.

"Together with police and prosecuting counsel we built a strong and compelling case that each of these defendants had played a part in the plans to supply drugs in towns and cities in the North West and elsewhere in the country.

"The weight and detail of the evidence against them persuaded most of them to plead guilty. 

"Through this prosecution and the sentences today we have removed a substantial source of heroin, cocaine, cannabis and amphetamines that were being supplied in local communities."

Kingpins Dhiren Lad and Mohammed Taymure Khan lead the drugs operation. 

Two others, Naheem Aslam and Ricky Parmar, had leading roles in setting up the drug deals. 

Co-defendant Waqar Ahmed was a courier for many of the exchanges and used his legitimate occupation as a taxi driver as a cover to deliver drugs all over the country.  

Mark Samuels was involved in the storing, adulterating and transporting of the drugs. 

Lad, aged 34, of Stanley Road, Radcliffe, admitted conspiracy to supply class A drugs and conspiracy to supply class B drugs and was jailed for 12 years.

Khan, aged 33, of Hilden Street, The Haulgh, and Aslam, aged 34, of Crescent Road, Great Lever, both admitted two counts of conspiracy to supply class A drugs and one of conspiracy to supply class B drugs while Parmar, aged 34, of Rowton Street, Hall I' Th' Wood,  admitted two counts of conspiracy to supply class A drugs and two of conspiracy to supply class B drugs.

Khan, Aslam and Parmar were all sent to custody for 13 years and eight months.

Ahmed, aged 34, of HMP Altcourse in Liverpool, was found guilty of two counts of conspiracy to supply class A drugs and two counts of conspiracy to supply class B drugs and was jailed for nine years.

The judge imprisoned Samuels, aged 42, of HMP Doncaster, for six years after he admitted conspiracy to supply class A drugs and conspiracy to supply class B drugs.