´óÏó´«Ã½

Three people who dealt heroin and cocaine in Wrexham have been jailed as part of a crackdown on a "county lines" drug ring.

Marvin Frantzen, Shaun Coleman, and Sandra Mathias admitted two counts of conspiring to supply Class A drugs.

They were caught after police closed in on the network which supplied the drugs from Liverpool.

A fourth defendant, Lee Jones, was also sentenced at Mold Crown Court for his involvement.

Police seized drugs and £40,000 cash during the operation.

Judge Timothy Petts was told how mobile phones were used to alert a list of drug users to the fact that supplies were available to buy.

When arrested, a pistol and a round of ammunition was found at the home of 26-year-old Coleman, who was jailed for 11 years.

He admitted possession of a firearm and a dangerous driving charge after driving at speeds in excess of 100mph (160km/h) in Cheshire, which saw him crash his Land Rover.

The 31-year-old father of two was jailed for 14 years and 10 months. Mathias, 40, acted as a driver for the drug dealers and was jailed for four and a half years.

Jones, 39, was sentenced separately because of threats he faced from his co-defendants, the court heard.

He was given a two year-sentence, suspended for 18 months, after pleading guilty to one count of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs.

After the hearing, Det Insp Mark Hughes of North Wales Police, said: "The gang was prepared to use violence and intimidation, but the operation shows that north Wales is not a soft target for criminals like this who do so much damage to our communities."