THREE men arrested as part of a police investigation into illegal arms dealing have been jailed for a combined total of 17 years.

The trio, among six men initially arrested in Operation Opinjay, by the Northumbria force, were sentenced in separate hearings at Durham Crown Court within the last fortnight.

It follows the discovery of a large haul of ammunition in a police search of an address in Shotley Bridge, near Consett, County Durham, in the summer of 2007.

A pump action rifle and a handgun, both fitted with silencers, were also subsequently recovered by police.

Keith Edwin Suddick, 46, and 44-year-old Michael Angelo Parsons were arrested on suspicion of conspiring to supply firearms and ammunition, in Shotley Bridge, in July, 2007.

Suddick, of Shotley Lodge, Shotley Bridge, was jailed for a total of eight years and Parsons, of North Lodge, Winlaton, Gateshead, was given a six-year prison sentence by Judge Richard Lowden, at Durham Crown Court, on January 9.

Martin Jones, 57, of East View, Meadowfield, near Durham, who was arrested on August 17, 2007, over his alleged involvement in the conspiracy, was jailed for three years by Judge Lowden at the court yesterday.

All three defendants pleaded guilty to offences of conspiracy to possess, and possession of prohibited firearms and ammunition prior to the sentencing hearings this month.