A THREE-YEAR prison sentence handed down to a 22-year-old Bishop Auckland man this week rounds off one of the biggest police drugs crackdowns ever mounted in the town.

Trainee scaffolder Andrew Dono-hue was the last of a network of dealers arrested at the end of 1999 to appear in court.

Already nine other men and one woman picked at the same time have been jailed for between 15 months and four years.

As Donohue started his sentence the Home Office was announcing a £7.5m cash boost for partnerships working around the North-East to smash supply chains to drug dealers. Initiatives in Wear Valley will get £68,000 next year and in Sedgefield £79,900 - with more funding promised over the following two years.

Donohue, of Linburn Drive, pleaded guilty on Monday to supplying heroin and to possessing heroin with intent to supply.

Durham Crown Court heard that Donohue had been trapped when he sold a £10 wrap of heroin to an undercover police officer who approached him on a Shildon street in October 1999. When his home was searched a month later he had six grams of the drug in his pocket, which was enough to make up to 60 similar wraps.

Donohue, who had previous convictions, spent the money he made from dealing to feed his own habit.

The case rounded off a long-running operation for Bishop Auckland detectives which began back in 1998.

A team spend 18 months painstakingly gathering evidence against two groups of dealers feeding the habits of the town's heroin addicts.

Probably getting their own supplies from Teesside, the pushers operated from addresses in St Cuthbert's Walk, South Church, and on the Woodhouse Close Estate. Each team had its own 'middle man' who would set up a meeting for a buyer with whichever group had the best supply.

Eventually, at the beginning of December 1999, police had their evidence to act. At 7pm on that winter night a squad of 54 officers swooped on a dozen council houses and the network was smashed.

Det Insp Ted Edgar said: "We don't claim that the problem ever totally went away but for a good period afterwards the supply of heroin in the area was reduced. We are never complacent. We receive information on a daily basis that there are those who are using all manner of controlled drugs and we continue to carry out our investigations to gather evidence to address this."

If you have information on drug misuse contact Bishop Auckland CID on (01388) 603566 or telephone Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.