THREE men involved in a criminal "county lines" enterprise to supply class A drugs in South Cumbria have been locked up for almost 13 years.

Carlisle Crown Court heard how a central "dealer phone" was used to co-ordinate dealing and send out group texts to addicts in the town between November 29 and December 22 last year.

Anthony Joseph Collins, 39, and 24-year-old Robert Gerard Skillen made regular - sometimes twice-daily - hire car trips from their native Merseyside to transport heroin and crack cocaine into Kendal, where the drugs would be peddled. Darren John Morgan, a 48-year-old Kendal long-standing addict, was also recruited. Under direction he performed a limited role on two separate dates, dealing on the street and topping up the hub phone.

But police brought the three men to book, and during an investigation amassed a wealth of damning phone cell site and automatic vehicle recognition evidence. 

It led to Skillen, of Baker Street, Huyton, and Collins, of Scott Close, Kirkdale, both Liverpool, admitting they conspired to supply heroin and crack cocaine. Morgan, of Stricklandgate, admitted being concerned in the supply of the two illegal substances.

They were sentenced this afternoon (FRI). Skillen and Collins were each jailed for four years, nine months, and 48-year-old Morgan for three years and two months.

Passing sentence, Judge Barbara Forrester said: "It was an organised, relatively sophisticated conspiracy to move a large amount of drugs into Cumbria, and you distributed them with what was thought to be the least risk to the people involved in that."