A JUDGE has praised the bravery of four undercover police officers who pretended to be addicts in a successful bid to rid a town of drug dealers.

Four officers, known as Julia, Jane, Tom and Rob, posed as heroin and crack cocaine users and managed to infiltrate the world of Class A drug dealing in Bury.

In an eight-month operation the four officers managed to gather enough covert video and audio tape evidence to make 29 arrests.

Already 14 dealers from the Bury area have appeared in court and been jailed after they admitted supplying Class A drugs to the officers.

Yesterday 12 more people were jailed for selling heroin, cocaine, crack cocaine and cannabis to the police as part of undercover Operation Venice.

So far 26 people have been jailed for a total of 84 years nine months with one case adjourned and two trials due to be heard involving alleged dealing.

Yesterday at Bolton Crown Court 12 people --11 men and one woman -- appeared for sentence for a variety of drug dealing charges, including selling and possessing heroin, cocaine, crack cocaine, amphetamines and cannabis.

The longest sentence was given to Oliver Browne who was jailed for a total of six and-a-half years for selling crack cocaine and possessing with intent to supply 16 kilos of amphetamine worth £300,000

on the streets.

The drug was found stashed in the loft at Browne's Manchester gym but he claimed he had agreed to mind the drug for £1,000 for someone else.

Many of the dealers were unwittingly introduced to the police by Mary Gildea who acted as a go-between until the officers made their own contacts.

Gildea, of Walnut Drive, Bury, was jailed for four-and-a-half years for selling cocaine, heroin and cannabis to the police officers. Her parents will look after her two children.

Gulfraz Khan, formerly of Bellevue Terrace in Bury, became involved in drugs because of his debts. He became a courier for others. He admitted selling heroin and cocaine to the undercover officers and was jailed for four years.

Wayne Whitworth, of Broadoak Lane in Bury was an addict who sold heroin on three occasions to feed his own habit. He was jailed for four years.

Judge Bruce Macmillan praised the bravery of the four undercover officers who, he said, had risked their lives to help rid society of the pernicious trade in hard drugs.