A GANG of drug dealers who "set up shop" to supply crack cocaine and heroin in a Gwent town were jailed for a total of 24 years yesterday.

Six people - one a young woman - took part in a conspiracy to supply Class A drugs to people in North Gwent.

There were gasps of surprise from the public gallery at Cardiff crown court as Judge Rodrick Denyer passed the sentences and warned them that anyone involved in distributing heroin or cocaine would be put behind bars.

He said: "This conspiracy lasted for a relatively short period of time and it was due to good police work but it was halted."

Peter Walker, 32, of Selly Oak, Birmingham, 34-year-old Leigh Edmunds and 23-year-old Rebecca Powles, of Alexandra Street, Ebbw Vale, and Mark Jenkins, 27, of Marine Street, Cwm, Ebbw Vale, had been found guilty last month of charges of conspiring to supply heroin and cocaine.

Dwayne Stirrell, 21, of Bristol, and 41-year-old William Davies, of Armoury Terrace, Ebbw Vale, had admitted the charges.

Walker and Stirrell, described by the judge as "the main dealers" received nine and six years respectively.

Davies was jailed for three years and Edmunds, Powles and Jenkins were each sentenced to two years.

Edmunds received a further year to run consecutively for the breach of a Community Punishment Order imposed for allowing premises to be used to supply drugs.

The judge said that Stirrell and Walker and a man called "Reds" travelled from Bristol with consignments of drugs to sell in Valleys towns in and around Ebbw Vale and "set up shop there".

He said that degradation had been brought by heroin on well brought up people. "It wreaks havoc on the community," the judge said.

Prosecutor Roger Griffiths said the drugs were brought from Bristol to Ebbw Vale, to sell to local residents.

The men would go mainly to the home of Davies where they set up shop. Police kept watch.

On May 3, he said the police pounced and when they arrested Stirrell he spat out two packages of heroin. After a struggle Walker was arrested and in his mouth were 22 packages of crack cocaine of 93 per cent purity.

Mary Parry Evans, for Walker, who was described as an illegal immigrant from Jamaica, said the offence was completely out of character. Richard Twomlow, for Stirrell, said his involvement lasted only days.

Bernard Powell, for Davies, said he wanted his association with drugs put behind him after being so addicted he had to use heroin three times a day.

Laurence Jones, for Edmunds, said he had been addicted for ten years and never received assistance.

Leighton Hughes, for Powles, described her as a vulnerable person, absolutely terrified of prison. Peter Heywood, for Jenkins, said he was a "gopher" who played a minor role.