A drugs baron used members of his family to run a heroin empire from his prison cell, it was revealed yesterday.

John McPartland, 50, was serving 12 years for drugs racketeering.

He handed out orders to his wife, Maureen, 43, and son John junior, 21, on visiting days at Holme House Prison in Stockton.

But police bugged the visits and secretly taped 120 hours of their conversations about the running of his racket in Middlesbrough.

They were arrested in a swoop by Cleveland Police detectives.

McPartland, who had been in jail since March 1998, was transferred to top-security Frankland Prison in Durham. He died there of a heart attack in January.

Mrs McPartland and her son, and a family friend, Stephen Relph, 38, all of Weatherhead Avenue, Whinney Banks, Middlesbrough, pleaded guilty to a conspiracy between January 1, 1999, and August 8 last year together with her late husband to supply heroin to others.

She also admitted possession of cannabis with intent to supply it on August 27 last year.

Mrs McPartland pleaded not guilty to a conspiracy with her husband to supply cannabis resin during the same period, and denied three charges of possession of heroin with intent to supply.

She was jailed for ten years, plus another two years if she fails to pay a £179,870 confiscation order.

Teesside Crown Court heard how she lived on state benefits but still managed to pay £37,000 cash for two cars - an S-type Jaguar and a Toyota off-roader.

She also owned £40,000-worth of jewellery and in her house, police found £11,000 cash and £100,000 of cannabis. Police believe she may have made as much as £500,000.

Her son was jailed for seven years. Relph was jailed for four years.

Judge John Walford said: "These are serious offences for not only the scale of this sort of offending, but the breathtaking arrogance of being involved in this sort of offending whilst the principal conspirator was serving a long prison sentence."

The McPartlands' daughter, Debbie, 21, and Mrs McPartland's sister, Pamela Wilson, 47, walked free after their not guilty pleas to the drugs conspiracy were accepted. Debbie also pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to supply cannabis resin.

A reporting ban on the case heard last June was lifted only yesterday.