Four men, who were part of a conspiracy to supply £1.4m of cocaine, have been jailed for a total of 35 years.

Convicted drug dealers Mark Appleyard, Damien Smith, Paul McKone and Dean Butters were told by a judge that Drugs were forbidden by Parliament to protect the public.

Judge James Barry said: "Some self-centred people choose, for the sake of money and power, to operate a vile industry distributing these vile goods to the public with no concern for the enormous amount of harm they do."

The judge added that those who dealt in cocaine dealt in "the degradation of addiction in which people become guilty of crimes who are totally selfish, often violent and who can make substantial profits."

Leeds Crown Court heard that Appleyard, 37, of Windsor Court, Little Horton, Bradford, rented a lock-up garage under a railway viaduct at Slaithwaite, near Huddersfield, where the drugs haul was stashed.

The court heard that Damien Smith, 31, of Harthill Avenue, Gildersome, was seen by police officers loading cocaine into his van before driving off for a rendezvous in a country lane with Paul McKone and Dean Butters to hand over the drugs for delivery.

Prosecutor Andrew Haslam said the Renault Clio, driven by Butters, was stopped by police at Bradford and the vehicle searched.

More than a kilo of cocaine was found in the car. Further searches at the garage revealed drugs, including 24 kilos of cocaine, two kilos of cannabis resin, ecstasy powder and amphetamines. Smith's home was also searched and £14,000 in cash recovered.

Both Appleyard and Smith were jailed for a total of 12 years. McKone, 21, of Dawnay Road, Canterbury, Bradford, and 22 year-old Butters, of Sage Street, Little Horton, were each sentenced to five and a half years imprisonment.

The arrests followed a major operation, called Polar, in September last year by West Yorkshire Police's Drugs and Organised Crime Unit. Detective Constable Stuart Moore, who led the operation, said after the case he was delighted with the sentences. He said: "These people were intent on making huge profits from drugs trafficking at the expense of local people.

"Drug dealers inflict misery and fear on law abiding members of the public and should be held accountable for their actions."

Smith pleaded guilty to supplying McKone and Butters with cocaine and possessing cocaine, ecstasy, amphetamines and cannabis with intent to supply.

McKone and Butters pleaded guilty to possessing cocaine with intent.

Appleyard denied four charges of conspiracy to supply drugs but was found guilty by a jury at his trial in July.

The judge said Smith was an important member of the management team in the drugs organisation, while Appleyard was next in line in gravity.

He told Butters and McKone they were not serious criminals and had no previous involvement in drug crime, but a stage came when they realised what they were doing and did not stop.

The judge agreed to the forfeiture and destruction of drugs and paraphernalia and the two cars which had been seized by police.

Anyone who has information about the supply of drugs can contact Crimestoppers anonymously and Dob in a Dealer by calling 0800 555 111.