`Evil drugs gang' jailed for 90 years.

Byline: Lynda Roughley

A JUDGE yesterday branded lethal drugs ``the greatest social evil of our times'' as he jailed ten members of a nationwide heroin network for a total of more than 90 years.

Their organisation, which spanned Merseyside, the North East, Scotland, Dublin and Sheffield, was smashed following a ten-month investigation by the National Crime Squad, code-named Operation Ruin.

The four Liverpool men who were jailed received a total of 50 years.

Judge Brian Lewis told them: ``Heroin and other Class A drugs like it are the greatest social evil of our times.

``Addiction to heroin lies at the root of a substantial majority of the crime which this court and others courts like it have to deal with.

``Crime committed by desperate people, desperate to get money to buy this highly addictive damaging drug. To the addict, heroin brings a hopeless, pointless life in pursuit of chemically induced oblivion.'' He said it damaged family and working life, health and sometimes led to premature death.

``The social cost in terms of medical and rehabilitation facilities, accommodation and crime is incalculable.''

Judge Lewis said that 16 kilos of heroin had been intercepted with a street value of pounds 1.8m and there had been evidence from which could be inferred there had been at least four other occasions on which heroin was delivered.

``The sophisticated operation based in Liverpool with links in the four other locations had been choreographed by a battery of anonymous pay-as-you-go mobile phones,'' he said.

The 41-year-old Liverpool man, described by the judge as at the centre of the operation, was jailed for 17 years and another man from the city, who co-ordinated visits of the couriers from the other cities, was jailed for 13 years.

Neither man, who were both convicted after a trial, can be identified for legal reasons.

During the seven and a half week trial at Liverpool Crown Court, the jury heard the police investigations, which involved a number of forces as well as the NSC, had revealed a lucrative and highly organised supply and distribution chain dealing in large quantities of heroin. Some of them knew each other and others did not but their contact with some of the main players revealed their involvement in the conspiracy.

In order to maintain a safe distance from ``hands on'' drugs dealing, some of the North East and Scottish dealers would bring couriers to Liverpool in their cars to meet other dealers.

Eight of the gang, four from Merseyside, two men and a woman from Scotland and a man from Newcastle, were convicted of conspiracy to supply heroin and the other four pleaded guilty.

Paul Cooper, aged 39, of Scorton Street, Tuebrook, Liverpool, was jailed for 12 years; Samuel Smith, 42, of Pear Grove, Tuebrook, received eight years.

Two other Merseyside men, Gary Spargo, 41, of Forthlin Road, Allerton and 19-year-old Lee Spargo, of Burns Close, Childwall, who pleaded guilty were due for sentence yesterday but this was adjourned.