Three men are starting jail sentences totalling 18 years after police smashed a drugs organisation.

The village of Boxted was the base for the trade but a court heard how police broke the gang through a sophisticated undercover operation.

Officers were "wired up" and the taped conversations they had with the gang provided vital evidence in the case.

At Chelmsford Crown Court Judge Gareth Hawkesworth praised the undercover team led by Det Insp Godfrey O'Toole.

He was speaking after he jailed Kevin Dalton, Darren Morris and Norman Shields for a series of drugs offences involving ecstasy, amphetamines, cannabis, cocaine and crack cocaine worth £150,000.

"It is clear you were part of an organisation which was ready and willing - if not eager - to provide drugs in large quantities and of all kinds," Judge Hawkesworth said.

Dalton and Morris changed their pleas half way through their trial earlier this month and Shields was convicted after a trial which ended on Friday.

The court heard how police launched Operation Langley last summer and the Asda supermarket and Colchester North Station were the venues where the deals took place but the biggest deal of all was at the Dog and Pheasant pub.

Before Dalton and Morris changed their pleas, the police officers gave their evidence in court from behind a screen to protect their identity.

In court, Dalton, 48, of Horkesley Road, Boxted, admitted a total of seven charges of supplying and posessing ecstasy and amphetamines with intent to supply.

Shields, 47, also of Horkesley Road, Boxted, denied but was convicted of supplying 50 ecstasy tablets to police and Morris, 34, of Wroxham Road, Ipswich, admitted four charges of supplying ecstasy and two of supplying amphetamines. Dalton and Morris were cleared on a charge of cultivating cannabis.

Dalton was jailed for eight years, Morris got six years and Shields received four years.

Judge Hawkesworth described Dalton as the "boss", Morris was the "foreman" and Shields was the "odd-job man."

Shields claimed during his trial that he was asked by someone he did not know to deliver a package. He said he knew nothing about drugs and thought he was delivering car parts.

Patrick Mullen, mitigating for Dalton, said he had financial problems at the time following his divorce.

Hugh Vass, mitigating for Morris, said he was not a professional dealer but had been helping his friend Dalton.

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