Brothers who controlled 'army' of drug dealers and runners jailed over £3m cocaine and heroin ring

Three brothers who police said controlled an 'army' of drug dealers and runners have been jailed.

Detectives who smashed the ring estimate the gang was responsible for peddling crack cocaine and heroin worth as much as £3m onto the streets over a period of just 12 months.

Prison sentences totalling 132 years have now been handed down by judges to 30 people - from 17 year-olds to a man aged 50. They include Jack Johnson, 25, of Croxton Avenue, Rochdale, who was jailed for three years and eight months.

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Police said the brothers - Haq Nawaz, Dil Nawaz and Asim Nawaz - exploited juveniles into the racket, which saw drugs sold on the streets of Chorley and Preston.

Lancashire Police said in a statement: "It is believed that between £2.15m and £3.1m worth of crack cocaine and heroin was distributed over a 12-month period by the gang which was headed by three brothers. They controlled an ‘army’ of drug dealers and runners, some of who were exploited juveniles, who operated at street level."

Mobile telephone numbers were used as 'drug lines' to advertise sales and take orders for Class A drugs, police said. Gang leaders had several drug lines which operated in Chorley and Preston - in the Ribbleton, Moor Nook and New Hall Lane areas.

Block text messages would be sent out to multiple recipients to indicate the gang were ready to supply drugs.

"These blocks of texts were sent out several times within a 24-hour period, pointing to a round-the-clock distribution network," added the force.

"It was the network of dealers and runners who operated the lines. Seized mobile phones and call data were analysed to determine the roles played by