TWO Jamaicans who were recruited to a "retail shop" distributing crack cocaine in Burnley have been jailed for a total of more than seven years.

A judge handing down the terms on Godffrey Shaw and Brian Harris also recommended Harris should be deported from the country after serving his sentence.

The two men were arrested after police reportedly saw more than 600 people go to a house in Barden Lane to buy drugs over a several-week period. Both were given sentences of three years and nine months at Preston Crown Court today.

Shaw, aged 29, and Harris, 26, both of London, both pleaded guilty to five offences of supplying a Class A drug.

The court heard both defendants were originally from Jamaica, Harris coming to his country in 1996. It was not known when Shaw came to the UK, but he relocated in Burnley.

Nick Kennedy, prosecuting, told how police set up an operation, earlier in the year, targeting the supply of Class A drugs in Burnley. Part of that investigation focussed on an address on Barden Lane and also a second one in Angle Street.

"In many ways the house on Barden Lane was a retail outlet for crack cocaine, being sold at £20 a wrap," said Mr Kennedy.

There were more than two people engaged in running the 'shop'. A system operated where a potential buyer would knock on a rear gate and, once their identity had been established, the buyer would be let into the house to buy drugs.

In April this year an undercover officer called Johnny made a number of drug purchases there. Video and audio recordings were made of transactions. Shaw was there on eight occasions and Harris on five occasions.

When a search warrant was executed at the house in May, all those involved had gone. The two defendants were arrested the following month.

Over a period police had noticed there were 835 calls to the house's gate. Some were unsuccessful visits, but it seemed 627 were successful.

Counsel for the defendants said they had not been big players in what took place and had shown genuine remorse.

George Shaw, for Harris, said he had not been a sophisticated drug dealer and had received no financial reward.

He said: "He wasn't living there, he was a visitor. When he saw people coming in and out of the address he should have done something to extracate himself. He only handed over drugs on one occasion and got involved by chance."

Amy Nicholson, for Shaw, told the court: "People he is not prepared to name through fear had instructed him to go to the address in Burnley and deal in drugs. Through poverty he made a stupid decision."