TWO men who had 'significant' roles in running a drug operation in Chard have been jailed.

John Edwards, 34, and Adem Salih, 21, both from London, appeared at Taunton Crown Court on May 16 for sentencing after they were charged with conspiracy to supply a quantity of crack cocaine.

Edwards was also alleged between July 22, 2015 and May 30, 2016 to have conspired with others to supply a quantity of heroin.

Prosecuting, Don Tait, said Edwards was the head of a gang which had been supplying drugs in the Chard area and his arrest had come about following a long and extensive investigation.

Mr Tait said Edwards used a 'dirty' phone to set up drug deals in between February and April 2016 and used a number of 'runners' to deliver drugs to vulnerable users in Chard.

He added that other people further down the chain of the gang had been convicted of drugs offences following trials at Bristol Crown Court.

The prosecution said Salih was Edwards 'number 2' and was in charge of managing drug deals carried out by Alan Eggington from Eggington's home on East Street in Chard.

Undercover officers from Avon and Somerset Police were given the 'Junior 574' number that Edwards was using and set up a number of drug deals at Jocelyn Park in Chard over the course of a few weeks in April 2016.

The court heard Edwards DNA was found on a wrap containing crack cocaine which was supplied to undercover officers by Claudia Henriques and that Edwards and Salih set up deals on the ground using text messages.

Defending Edwards, Brian Fitzherbert, said Edwards was addicted to crack cocaine at the time of the offences and did not gain anything financially by selling the drugs.

He said the defendant was not the only person who operated the drugs operation and described him as a 'sensible defendant' who put in his guilty plea at the earliest opportunity.

Mr Fitzherbert, said: "Mr Edwards was a man who was beginning to sort his life out.

"He was taking steps to get skills through an apprenticeship."

Defending Salih, Patrick Mason, said Salih was addicted to crack cocaine and left Chard and went back to London just two months after the drug operation started.

He said Salih was on bail at the time of the offences for another drug related offence and has already served six months of a three year sentence.

"Since he has been in custody, Salih has been engaging in drug rehabilitation and wants to live his life off drugs.

"He is looking to find accommodation away from where he lived before and wants to start a new life."

When sentencing the pair, Judge David Ticehurst, said: " Undoubtedly your activities were to enrich yourselves at the expense of others.

"The damage and harm drugs cause to society as you well know is awful.

"Selling drugs leads to other problems and in my judgement you have both played a significant role in a drug dealing operation in Chard.

"I do hope you turn your lives round or you will die or end up in prison.

"It is not a good life is it really?".

Judge Ticehurst sentenced Edwards to four years in prison and sentenced Salih to two years in prison which will run consecutive to the three year sentence he is already serving.