THE detective who masterminded Operation Avon, the investigation which led to the arrest and conviction of 19 drug dealers in Burnley, says the sentences they received should serve as a strong deterrent to others. A judge at Preston Crown Court jailed 18 of the defendants for a total of 68 years. Four were jailed for six years, one for five years and nine for four years. Detective Sergeant Tony Hilton welcomed the judgement, saying: "I am satisfied that after a protracted investigation we were able to secure these convictions. Many of the sentences are for substantial terms of imprisonment.

"If any other people involved in the same level of criminality do not take notice, then they can be assured that we will do the same again."

Operation Avon reached its climax during two days at the end of last May, when police raids netted heroin and crack cocaine with a street value of £20,000.

The investigation, the biggest of its kind in Lancashire, had begun five months earlier.

At the beginning of 1996 police received intelligence about drug dealing at addresses in Duke Bar and Daneshouse.

Undercover drug-squad officers infiltrated the supply network and, posing as drug users, bought heroin and crack from the dealers. To gain the necessary watertight evidence, drug deals were secretly filmed and incriminating conversations were taped.

Once there was enough information for a prosecution, 100 uniformed, CID and drug-squad officers launched the dawn raid on 20 houses which led to the arrests.

Superintendent Mike Griffin said: "Operations like this are very complex and can take a long time, because we need overwhelming evidence before we actually strike. When we do strike, we want to know that we are going to have a positive result.

"But two clear messages arise from this case. The victims of drug-related crime can rest assured that we will take out the dealers, and anybody who is drug dealing can be sure we will put whatever resources are necessary into catching them.

"The problem of class-A drugs is growing, and certainly we have to concentrate on that area."

He concluded that people should always tell the police of their suspicions because information gained in this way often led to important operations.

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