NINE people have been jailed for a total of 67 years after a major operation brought down a crime group flooding the streets of Lancashire with drugs.

Operation Florence was launched last year after concerns were raised by residents in Darwen about drug use by children and that youngsters were being exploited to supply illegal substances after getting into debt.

The gang’s head Usman Akhter controlled a sophisticated network bringing hundreds of kilos of cocaine and cannabis into the region.

The gang’s tactics to try to avoid detection included using the façade of car sales business – Burnley-based Elite and Prestige run by Akhter’s girlfriend Jessica Humphreys – to provide vehicles for criminal activity, including moving drugs around, and to explain large deposits of cash.

Trusted and high-level members of the gang also used encrypted mobile phones known as EncroChat phones which they wrongly believed would mask their conversations from the police.

With the phones, which cost around £1500 for six months service, the user has a unique “handle” which can only communicate with other handles by mutual consent. In addition to encrypted communications, the handsets are programmed with a host of functions designed to minimise the risk of the devices ever being accessed or downloaded, if seized. Text messages are automatically deleted from the handsets, and devices can be remotely wiped.

As part of the investigation warrants were executed at 25 addresses – including properties in Darwen, Blackburn and Northwich in Cheshire – in May and June and a large quantity of cocaine and cannabis was recovered. Officers also seized a number of vehicles and weapons.

While many of the properties used by the gang in the UK were modest, a villa in Marbella, where Akhter based himself, showed the more lavish trappings of the conspiracy.

Besides Akhter other main players included Shaheed Virmani from Manchester who supplied to and received from Akhter large amounts of cannabis and cocaine and Marbella-based Liam Martyn who was involved in the supply of drugs from Spain to the UK. Martyn was shot in Marbella in May 2020 and arrested in Plymouth while on the run.

Inspector Martin Melvin, from the East Exploitation Team, said: “We are committed to tackling and disrupting drug-dealing activity and protecting vulnerable members of society.

"This operation was launched directly on the back of concerns raised by members of the public and I would encourage anyone concerned about criminal activity in their area to contact the police, knowing that we will act on that information and take the appropriate action.”

Anyone with concerns about drug-dealing or any other criminal activity in their area can call police on 101 or 999 in an emergency. Alternatively, Crimestoppers can be contacted, in confidence, on 0800 555111.

Sentenced at Preston Crown Court were: Usman Akhter, 37, Sarah Street, Darwen - conspiracy to supply cocaine and cannabis - 13 years.

* Shaheed Virmani, 28, Warren Drive, Swinton - conspiracy to supply cocaine and cannabis - 11 years.

* Liam Martyn, 28, Barnes Avenue, Dronfield, Derbyshire- conspiracy to supply cocaine and cannabis - seven years.

* Tariq Ajaib, 50, Sarah Street, Darwen - conspiracy to supply cannabis - four years six months.

* Ardit Rrahmani, 22, Astbury Chase, Darwen - conspiracy to supply cocaine and cannabis - six years nine months n Rory Compton, 30, Ash Grove, Darwen - conspiracy to supply cocaine and cannabis - six years n Joseph Ginley, 36, Milking Lane, Darwen - conspiracy to supply cocaine - six years and four months.

* James Burrows, 23, Plantation Road, Blackburn - conspiracy to supply Cannabis and being concerned in the supply of cocaine -12 months suspended for two years.

* Kieran McKenna, 37, Griffin Close, Burnley - conspiracy to supply cocaine, two years suspended for two years.

* Ellis Gorman, 28, Cross Barn Walk, Darwen - possession with intent to supply cocaine - four years.

* Jessica Humphreys, 22, Domenica Avenue, Darwen. Being concerned in the supply of cannabis - community order n Liam Parker, 28, Atlas Street, Darwen - possession with intent to supply cocaine and cannabis - three years and ten months.

A further eight people will be sentenced in October.