A GANG who trafficked heroin worth more than £1.7 million into South Wales were locked up yesterday for almost 70 years.

The 17.6kg of seized heroin is the biggest in Welsh police history.

Two Newport men, Daniel Bowyer, 22, of Bishpool View, and Stuart James, 25, from Somerton were locked up for three-and-a-half years and eight-and-a-half years respectively as the gang of ten was jailed for a total of 68 years 10 months.

Jailing the men at Cardiff Crown Court, Judge Rhys Rowlands described the heroin trade as "evil."

The court heard heroin processed in Lancashire would be bought and shipped down to Wales using couriers.

At a warehouse in Stockport, police uncovered a hydraulic press, £150,000 cash and around 300kg of substances used as cutting agents.

If cut, this could have produced half a ton of heroin with an approximate street value of £50 million.

The court heard James took delivery of heroin in South Wales and would supply it to lower level street dealers in 0.5kg packages. Six months of his sentence was consecutive for a breach of a previous community order.

Bowyer acted as a courier on 12 occasions for payment of £100 a time.

Police swooped and made the arrests a year ago on Friday following Operation Texas, run jointly by Gwent Police and their counterparts in South Wales, Nottinghamshire and Greater Manchester, as well as the Serious Organised Crime Agency.

Judge Rowlands said: "Each of you were making money out of the poor unfortunates addicted to heroin whose lives are ruined by heroin. The wider community is badly affected by those forced to steal to fund their addiction while those of you at the top are making thousands of pounds in a truly evil trade."

Nine of the men pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply Class A drugs. Paul Morten, 44, of The Ridgeway, Stockport, was found guilty after trial, with an additional conviction for possession of amphetamines with intent to supply, and was jailed for ten years and two years concurrently.

The sentences handed out to the other gang members were: Ritesh Patel, 28, of Brithdir Street, Cardiff, 11 years; John Almond, 36, of The Beeches, Manchester, 13 years; Mohammed Hussain, 28, of Redhouse Road, Cardiff, four years; Anthony Clarke, 50, of Glyn Collen, Caerphilly, five years four months, Daniel Carragher, 21, Heathwood Road, Manchester, three-and-a-half years, Terrence McMullen, 32, The Broadway, Chadderton, six years; Pinakin Patel, 22, Brithdir Street, Cardiff, four years.