TWO drug dealers have been jailed for a total of seven years and four months.

Baber Hussain and Zubair Patel were arrested when police officers carried out a series of raids in Blackburn this January.

Detectives said the sentences handed out showed that they would always bring people involved in drug dealing to justice.

Hussain, 22, of Cedar Court, Blackburn, was sentenced to four years and four months after pleading guilty to conspiracy to supply Class A drugs Patel, 22, of Whalley New Road, Blackburn, was jailed for three years after admitting the same charge.

Both men were ordered to pay £1389.31 which will be put back into fighting drug-related crime in Blackburn.

Their arrest in January when heroin and cocaine were recovered, was part of a major police operation called Nimrod.

It was connected to a series of raids last October when 70 officers searched five homes across Blackburn.

Detective Constable Nathan Fish said: “This demonstrates our long term commitment to cracking down on drug dealing and should send a message to those people who persist in dealing drugs in our towns that we know who you are, we will target you and bring you to justice.

“We have acted on information provided from members of the community and I urge anyone of the public to continue to provide this information to us by calling Crimestoppers.”

Kabir Sharif, 21, of Pringle Street, Blackburn was also arrested in the January raids and has admitted conspiracy to supply Class A drugs.

He is due to be sentenced at Preston Crown Court on September 1 The Crimestoppers number is 0800 555 111.