MEMBERS of a drug gang responsible for bringing thousands of pounds worth of heroin and cocaine into Basingstoke has been jailed for a total of 13-and-a-half years.

On Friday last week, two of the key members of the Joe Dreads network, which operated between London and Basingstoke from December 1, 2016 and January 25, 2017, were jailed for their role in the conspiracy.

Jabril Mohamud, 24, of Prince of Wales Road, London, was found guilty of two counts of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs at Winchester Crown Court on Friday and sentenced to five years in prison.

Jordie Divungula, 23, of Maitland Park, London, had earlier pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs and was jailed for four years.

The court heard how officers became aware of the network in December 2016, and soon found that Mohamud and Divungula, two transient drug dealers based in London, had recruited David Holden and Dean Crome, who were two local drug addicts.

On December 15, 2016, Holden, 39, of St Michael’s Road, South Ham, and Divungula were arrested following a raid at Holden’s address, where a quantity of Class A drugs was also seized from the property.

The court was told that officers then arrested Divungula, again, and Mohamud in Cumbrian Way on January 22, 2017.

Three days later, Divungula and Mohamud were arrested once again, along with Crome, 45, of no fixed abode, following another raid carried out at Mary Rose Court, where more Class A drugs were seized by officers.

In total, the court was told that an estimated £4,000 worth of Class A drugs were seized as part of the investigation along more than £1,800 in cash.

The jail time given to Divungula and Mohaumud come following sentences handed down to Crome and Holden.

They had pleaded guilty to being concerned in the supply of Class A drugs earlier in 2017 ahead of the pair being sentenced in December 2017.

Crome was jailed for 28 months and Holden was given 26 months in prison.

The sentencing of Mohamud and Divungula on Friday mean that the gang has been jailed for a total of 13 years and six months.

Detective Constable Adam Merrick said: “We hope that residents within the Basingstoke community will be reassured to hear that this drugs gang is behind bars.

“It was clear that Holden and Crome were targeted by these two London drug dealers who effectively cuckooed them.

“They exploited their addiction to Class A drugs and used their addresses as a base for their drug dealing activity.”

If anyone has and concerns about drug-related activity in their neighbourhood, they should contact the police on 101 or 999 in an emergency.