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Five Hartlepool men who were part of a large scale drug dealing gang have been jailed for more than 20 years.

An organised crime group headed by Patrick Bradley, 31, trafficked large amounts of high purity cocaine from Liverpool and Scotland to Teesside.

Police seized 14 kilograms of the drug and around £200,000 in cash from the Hartlepool-based group.

But Teesside Crown Court heard that was likely to be just the tip of the iceberg.

Top row left to right: Patrick Bradley, Daniel Brown, Athony Gofton. Bottom left to right: Martin Oliver, Christopher Graham, and Thomas Brown. Pictures: Cleveland Police.

Roofer Bradley, formerly of Hartlepool, recruited a number of conspirators, couriers and money handlers including several from Hartlepool.

His trusted chief subordinate was Daniel Brown, 29, of Waverley Terrace, Hartlepool.

Prosecutor Paul Reid said the pair travelled large distances across the country with Bradley orchestrating deals in Merseyside and Scotland.

Mr Reid said: “Brown dealt with the collection of cash from customers, maintained a debt list, reported on stock levels of the drugs and on the quality of the drugs.

Drugs seized by Cleveland Police during Operation Melton into the activities of the Hartlepool-based drug trafficking group.

“The quantities of cash and drugs referred to in text messages demonstrate that Bradley and Daniel Brown conspired to supply wholesale quantities of cocaine from Merseyside and supply them locally to the Teesside area and to downstream distributors.”

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Others involved in the operation included Anthony Gofton, 29, of Sheridan Grove, Hartlepool.

The court heard he had a “management role”, directed couriers and was involved with 9.5kg of cocaine deals.

Police seized around £200,000 of drugs money from the group headed by Patrick Bradley.

He admitted conspiracy to supply class A drugs and was jailed for five years.

Thomas Brown, 25, of Wynyard Mews, Hartlepool, who was trusted with large quantities of drugs and met a Scottish supplier, admitted the same charge. He got three years and eight months.

Martin Oliver, 34, of Dryden Road, Hartlepool, who was trusted to handle large sums of money was sentenced to two years and eight months.

He admitted conspiracy to supply cocaine and money laundering.

Courier Christopher Graham, 28, of Everett Street, Hartlepool, was found guilty of possession of four kilos of cocaine he collected at Wetherby motorway services in November 2019. He received six and a half years.

Bradley, of Lunebeck Road, Thornaby, and Daniel Brown both admitted money laundering and conspiracy to supply cocaine between December 2018 and January 2020.

Bradley, already serving a 12-year sentence for similar offences, was jailed for eight years and two months and Brown for six years and eight months.

Members of Hartlepool-based cocaine trafficking group receive lengthy jail sentences at Teesside Crown Court