A GANG of heroin and crack cocaine dealers – including nine from Leigh and one from Tyldesley – have been jailed for a total of more than 68 years.

Ten men and two women were sentenced for class A drug offences at Preston Crown Court.

Detective Sergeant Simon Monks, from Greater Manchester Police’s Wigan borough division, said: “The men and women involved went to extreme lengths, such as hiding items on their person, giving themselves alias names and jumping out of first floor windows, to avoid being caught by the police.

“The fact they took such serious measures to evade us shows they understood that what they were doing was not only breaking the law but putting people’s lives at risk.

“Taking a supplier of drugs off the street is great, but to have 12 people who have actively supplied class A drugs behind bars is a huge achievement.”

Between January and March a number of vehicles connected to the group were stopped by police.

Officers found hundreds of pounds inside them as well as 70 wraps of heroin and crack cocaine.

They then searched Robyn Anderton and Darren Charnock’s home on Palace Grove, Leigh, and discovered class A drugs littered throughout the property.

On March 13 a 17-year-old boy and Hayden Ashcroft, of Coronation Drive, Leigh, came out of a house on Richmond Drive in the town.

As officers went to arrest them fellow Leigh residents Luke Briggs, of Hendon Street, and Kieron Siddeley, of Warrington Road, jumped out of a window on the first floor.

They were arrested that day and following an extensive search of the property more drugs were discovered as well as mixing agents and several mobile phones.

Further enquiries and intelligence led police to the remainder of the group of 14 people.

Anderton, 23, Charnock, 28, were today, Thursday, sentenced to five years and seven months and seven years and two months in prison respectively for conspiracy to supply crack cocaine, heroin and cannabis.

Callum Riley, 18, of Kensington Drive, Leigh, was handed a seven-year prison sentence for the same offence.

Lisa Rigby, of Cunliffe Street, Leigh, and Alex Hall, 29, of Carswell Close, Tyldesley, were jailed for five years and four years respectively for conspiracy to supply crack cocaine and heroin.

Briggs, 18, Siddeley, 19, and Ashcroft, 21, were imprisoned for three years, five years and four months and four years respectively for the same offence.

Aaron MacFadden, 24, of Chatham Street, Leigh, was caged for five years and eight months for the offence.

Charlie Boyle, 19, of Carisbrook Road, Leigh, was given a prison sentence of five years and seven months for conspiracy to supply crack cocaine and heroin, as well as separate offences of criminal damage, arson and assault.

Jonathan Wood, 31, of Richmond Drive, was handed an eight-month prison sentence suspended for 18 months and ordered to carry out 100 hours of unpaid work for allowing a property to be used to produce class A drugs.

Jamie Crompton, 31, from Bolton, was sentenced to seven years in prison for conspiracy to supply heroin and crack cocaine, as well as robbery and handling a stolen vehicle, which were separate matters.

Michael Siddeley Jnr, 24, from Warrington, was jailed for nine years and four months for conspiracy to supply crack cocaine and heroin.

The 17-year-old boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was given a 12-month rehabilitation order for supplying cannabis.

DS Monks added: “The sentences are not only a richly deserved outcome for the specialist officers from GMP and Lancashire who have been involved in uncovering these key players in the supply of drugs across the borough, but also the communities which are often blighted by these drugs and the pain and misery they cause.”