THE son of blue comedian Roy “Chubby” Brown was among four men jailed yesterday for a total of 22 years for a huge drugs conspiracy.

Martin Reilly, the son of the North-East comic, said he sold cocaine for mastermind Brian Stirling because he owed him thousands of pounds and feared for his safety.

The pair were arrested, along with Mark Salmon and Steven Harrison, after a police blitz on drugs in the Stockton and Billingham areas.

Raids were carried out across Teesside in November last year after police spent 18 months gathering intelligence on former bouncer Stirling.

Secret video and audio recordings were made at Stirling’s farm, on the outskirts of Stockton, which he used as a distribution point.

It was discovered that the smallholding, where the father- of-four also kept and trained greyhounds, was used to process amphetamines.

Harrison, 43, who ran a sunbed shop in Billingham, was recorded getting instructions on how to dilute the drugs with other substances.

Police surveillance also showed Stirling, 46, going into the Max Tan salon, in Station Road, with what they believed to be drugs.

Salmon, 29, had been out of prison only a short while for drug dealing before his arrest after a visit to Coppice Farm, in Blakeston Lane.

Reilly, 39, was first arrested in February last year, when police raided his rented flat above Stillington Workingmen’s Club. They found up to £10,000 worth of cocaine.

Jolyon Perks, prosecuting, told Teesside Crown Court that Reilly also had small amounts of cannabis and heroin, which were for his own use.

When he was arrested again in November, he had more heroin and cannabis.

Peter Wishlade, in mitigation, said Reilly became hooked on heroin in 2001 when serving a ten-year sentence for shooting a man he said was trying to blackmail him.

The court heard that Reilly described Stirling as “heavyduty” and “a dangerous man”, and said he was working hard to clear his £10,000 debt.

Jailing him for four years, Judge Peter Fox said: “You were playing an integral and vital part in Brian Stirling’s operation, whether under pressure of debt or not.”

Stirling, of Station Road, Billingham, was jailed for ten years after he admitted conspiracy to supply cocaine and possessing amphetamines with intent to supply.

Salmon, of Moray Road, Norton, who admitted conspiracy to supply cocaine, was jailed for five years. Harrison, of Swaledale Crescent, Billingham, received three years after he pleaded guilty to possession of amphetamines with intent to supply.

Reilly admitted conspiracy to supply cocaine as well as possessing small amounts of cannabis and heroin on two occasions. The court heard that amphetamines worth up to £450,000 were found at the farm.

Helen Hendry, for Stirling, said he was highly respected in his senior roles in the construction industry, and among those in the greyhound racing fraternity.

Peter Makepeace, for Harrison, said he played a much lesser part in the conspiracy, and urged Judge Fox to impose a suspended sentence because he had never before been in trouble.

Stephen Constantine said scaffolder Salmon had committed “a gross act of stupidity” by agreeing to go to the farm after spending all day drinking at a barbecue.