SEVEN drug dealers have been locked up for a total of nearly 22 years as part of an undercover police operation.

The seven were the latest to appear in court as part of Operation Errantdance which targeted “ring and bring” drug dealers in Bradford East.

The men, who worked for the Bobby, Alli and Sully lines, were sentenced at Bradford Crown Court yesterday.

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They all admitted supplying class A drugs to undercover police officers in Spring 2019 in what the Recorder of Bradford Judge Jonathan Durham Hall QC described as “an evil trade blighting lives”.

He said: “In all these cases there will be salt of the Earth mums and dads at home disbelieving at what has happened to their pride and joy.”

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Prosecutor Alisha Kaye told the court that Operation Errantdance ran from January to July 2019 in the Bradford area and so far 63 defendants had been charged with more to be arrested and charged.

Miss Kaye told the court that in the cases they were dealing with, two undercover officers wearing concealed cameras - named as Libby and Emily - posed as drug users who wanted to buy wraps of heroin and crack cocaine.

They got in contact on a daily basis with other users or dealers on the street who called the drug lines and placed orders for them.

The court heard that these were then delivered by men in cars - including an Nissan Xtrail, Audis, Volkswagen Golfs and Volvos - or, on one occasion, a bicycle to different locations around Bradford including Leeds Road, Midland Road, Bradbeck Road and Bradford City’s stadium.

Money was exchanged for drugs, typically £7 for a wrap of crack cocaine or heroin, and then the men were identified from camera footage captured by the officers and arrested later.

Many of the men were described as street level dealers acting as conduits for the drugs.

Miss Kaye said a community impact statement from Inspector John Toothill, of West Yorkshire Police, detailed the effect drugs were having on the city.

The report said drugs were one of the biggest issues for the community and police with dealers enlisting young people.

The cleaning up of needles, particularly in BD3, was also raised as a concern with dealing often happening in areas near schools.

Judge Durham Hall told one of the defendants: “You are part of the problem, you are encouraging a trade costing death, misery and serious and organised crime to cynically enrich others.

“Demands and outrage of the public led to the deployment of trained officers to track down dealers of class A drugs and those in leading roles.”

He told another: “Operation Errantdance was forced because of the scale of lines being used and the recruitment of relatively young people.

“You and your friends must engage with the consequences of listening to those people.”

And he told a third: “You and I are committed to Bradford, it’s our town and I cannot understand that someone like you can lend yourself to wicked, evil and cowardly men who fuel terrorism and organised crime.”

The men sentenced yesterday were:

Colin Beetham, 54, of Queens Road, Crossflatts, Bingley, admitted one count of supplying a class A drug on February 13, 2019. He was jailed for two years.

Imran Shah, 19, of Iqbal Court, Bradford Moor, admitted two counts of supply class A drugs on April 23 and 24, 2019. He was sentenced to 40 months in a Young Offenders Institution.

Mujtabaa Khan, 20, of Roydstone Terrace, Bradford Moor, admitted two counts of possession with intent to supply a class A drug and six counts of supplying a class A drug. He was sentenced to 42 months in a Young Offenders Institution.

Adrian Michalowski, 18, of HMP Swinfen Hall, admitted eight counts of supplying a class A drug. He was jailed for 42 months.

Shazad Hussain, 37, of Florence Street, Bradford Moor, admitted nine counts of supplying a class A drug. He was jailed for 36 months.

Murad Khan, 23, of Pearson Street, Laisterdyke, admitted four counts of supplying a class A controlled drug. He was jailed for three years.

Faisal Shah, 21, of Iqbal Court, Bradford Moor, admitted ten counts of supplying a class A drug. He was jailed for 42 months.

An eighth man, Mohammed Fellows, 18, of Little Horton Lane, Bradford, admitted two counts of supplying a class A drug. He was given a community order for 12 months with 150 hours of unpaid work.