A DRUG dealer who was a 'significant' customer of a multi-million pound cross-country supply network has been jailed for more than ten years.

Daniel Perry bought 'commercial amounts' of cocaine and amphetamine from the gang to sell on the streets of Teesside.

The 34-year-old was the latest member of the nationwide drug conspiracy to face justice.

Last week other members were jailed for a total of 41 years for their role in the highly sophisticated network spanning Teesside across to the North West, which was eventually brought down when two couriers were caught in the region.

Stephen McNally, prosecuting, said Perry was convicted of the drug charges in December last year following a lengthy trial.

He said: "He received commercial quantities of Class A drugs and was a significant dealer in his own right. He was playing a leading role within his own operation – his operation was a substantial customer of the leading group."

Mr McNally said the defendant was clearly trusted by by higher up the chain of command in the supply chain and had been in regular contact with the leading member of the Teesside operation.

He added: "He was aware of the scale of the operation."

At the trial, the court heard how at the height of the conspiracy detectives discovered a consignment of 60kg heroin and 43kg cocaine was delivered to the south of England via helicopter from Belgium, before being dispersed across the country.

Jurors heard how Perry, of Stockdale Avenue, Redcar, and the other members on Teesside were not directly connected to the importation of the drugs but they played a key role in getting the cocaine onto the streets.

Operation Spoonbill, which has been running for several years, made the breakthrough in October 2015 when 2kg of cocaine was seized but the gang continued to bring the Class A drug from Liverpool and Manchester.

In mitigation, Ian West, said his client admitted getting 'underlings' to collect the drugs but that didn't make him a 'leading' player in the conspiracy.

Sentencing Perry to ten and a half years, Judge Howard Crowson said it was almost impossible to quantify the exact value of the cocaine and amphetamine that the defendant sold on the streets of Redcar.

"I'm prepared to accept that you are a local dealer," he said. "In the Redcar area you had a leading role there, you clearly had people under you and you clearly directed others."

Last week, Judge Crowson passed the same sentence for Emma Newton, 36, of Derby Avenue, Middlesbrough, after she was found guilty after a trial.

Stephen Harland, 30, Redbrook Avenue, Stockton, as a ‘trusted’ member of the gang who played a ‘significant’ role in the supply chain. He was jailed for eight years.

Daryl Small, 33, of Lauder Close, Stockton, was sentenced to six years for his ‘significant’ role in the distribution network.

Jailing Louis Lyons, 29, of Waterford Road, Norton, Stockton, for eight years, the judge said: “You were regarded as a man of great influence within the organisation.”

John Eddy, 30, of Waterford Road, Norton, Stockton, was sentenced to eight years in custody. Judge Crowson said: “Your evidence during the trial was almost catastrophic; it almost proved your guilt – what you said was unbelievable.”