THE final member of a multi-million pound drugs gang has been sentenced.

Twelve other men arrested during Operation Skyhawk were dealt with last week at Teesside Crown Court.

Philip Bell admitted having a "very limited" role in the cross-Pennines cocaine and cannabis plot.

The 33-year-old was said to have been "a buffer" between one Mr Big and another Timothy Lister.

He passed on information to a courier stopped on a trip to the North-East with cocaine.

Bell, of Sultan Park, Hull, admitted conspiracy to supply Class A drugs in March 2012.

He was given a two-year prison sentence, suspended for two years, with probation service supervision.

Judge Howard Crowson also ordered him to carry out 180 hours of unpaid work for the community.

The court heard that after his arrest by Skyhawk detectives, Bell was found with high-purity amphetamine.

A search of his home at The Willows unearthed a nylon bag containing white paste in a freezer.

Deborah Smithies, prosecuting, said the drugs could have made as much as £15,000 on the streets.

Kenneth Green, mitigating, told the court that Bell had made "a big mistake" storing them for another.

Bell also pleaded guilty to possessing Class B drugs with intent to supply in November 2012.

Last week, "conspiracy director" Lister, 40, from Consett, County Durham, was jailed for 16 years.

The court heard the gang plotted to traffick cocaine and cannabis in and out of the region.

Other members were from elsewhere in County Durham, Tyneside, Leeds, Manchester, Liverpool.