DRUG pushers who touted for business by giving out leaflets with their gang's name and phone number have been jailed for a total of more than 15 years.

Undercover police had carried out an anti-drugs operation in Bolton last year and were handed a note bearing the name "Choppa" and a mobile phone number.

They made contact with the Choppa gang and were sold heroin and crack cocaine on at least 19 occasions, paying up to £80 each time for the drugs.

The operation led to the arrest of gang members, including its leaders, brothers Sarfraz and Saqib Hussain, aged 28 and 26, of Gilnow Road, Deane.

The pair had used Yasir Mehmood, aged 21, of Andrew Street, Bury, and Asif Abbas, aged 22, of Parkhills Close, Bury, as their drivers, Bolton Crown Court heard.

All four pleaded guilty to being concerned in the supply of Class A drugs.

Sentencing them, Judge Stephen Everett said: "An ever increasing circle of evil follows the use and supply of heroin and crack cocaine. All it does is cause misery and degradation."

And today, Supt Andy Durkin, of Bolton police, said: "It is a relentless quest, ridding the streets of Bolton of the scurge of drugs. The judge has sent a strong message that it will not be tolerated."

Adrian Dugdale, prosecuting, told the court how police carried out the anti-drugs operation between July and November last year.

They made contact with the Choppa gang between September and November.

The initial deals were carried out by Saqib Hussain behind an old church in High Street, Great Lever. He used Mehmood as his driver on three occasions.

Then, on November 2, Sarfraz Hussain carried out the deal.

"The officers asked why it was not Saqib. Sarfraz replied that they would be dealing with the original Choppa from now on'," said Mr Dugdale.

The following day, other officers saw Sarfraz in a car with Abbas in Central Street, Bolton. Both were arrested and searched for drugs.

Sarfraz was hiding seven wraps of heroin in his socks. Further wraps were found by a sniffer dog, hidden in a cigarette packet in the car.

The homes of the four men were raided on December 13 as part of the Operation Hercules and a machete, a samurai sword, three balaclavas, digital weighing scales and £1,400 was seized at the home of the Husain brothers.

Saqib Hussain was caught dealing on 16 separate occasions and was sentenced to five years for the drug-dealing offences.

He was also given an extra 12 months for driving while disqualified and perverting the course of justice for giving false details to police, resulting in a total of six years in jail.

Sarfraz Hussain was also sentenced to six years in jail for three drug deals carried out while on bail for a separate drug-dealing offence.

Mehmood was sentenced to two years for being involved in drug dealing on three separate occasions, while Abbas was sentenced to 18 months - 15 months for the drug offences and three months for driving while disqualified.