Three men have been sentenced to a total of more than 25 years in prison after being found guilty of supplying class A drugs in and around Royston.

Ricky Crotty, of Cambridge Road in Wimpole, has been sentenced to a total of 11 years behind bars, and has been issued a driving ban.

The 27-year-old has also been given a Serious Crime Prevention Order for five years.

Stephen Girling, 34, of Shakespeare in Royston, has been sentenced to six years in prison.

And Shaun Mansiri, 31, of Merlin Gardens in Romford has been sentenced to 8½ years behind bars - and received a year-long a Serious Crime Prevention Order.

During the investigation, Crotty was identified as having a leading role in the crime group and was acquiring drugs for onward supply from Mansiri. Girling was identified as being a runner for Crotty.

The trio were setenced yesterday by Judge Jonathan Cooper at Cambridge Crown Court, after an investigation by Hertfordshire Constabulary’s Serious and Organised Crime Group – dating back to November 2015 – and a subsequent trial.

Officers found that Mansiri used special phone software to try and evade police detection.

Crotty was arrested on January 16 last year, and the following day was charged with conspiring to supply class A drugs between January and August 2016 in Royston and surrounding villages.

He was also charged with dangerous driving in relation to a police pursuit on August 16, 2016, in which he failed to stop and drove across arable fields near Fowlmere. The vehicle was later found abandoned in woodland to the north east of Foxton.

Girling was arrested on February 7 last year, and was subsequently also charged with conspiring to supply class A drugs between January and August 2016.

Mansiri was arrested on August 3 last year, and the following day was charged with conspiracy to supply class A drugs, possessing a bladed article and possessing a false identity document in the form of a driving licence.

A fourth man – Danny Stimpson, 37, of Sheringham Avenue in Romford – was arrested on January 12 last year and charged with conspiracy to supply class A drugs, as well as possessing 2.3 grams of cocaine. He pleaded guilty to the possession charge, and was acquitted by a jury of the conspiracy offence.

Det Insp James Luxon said: “Hertfordshire Constabulary is committed to keeping all our communities safe from organised crime, drug dealing and linked offending and this operation has prevented class A drugs making their way onto the streets of our county.

“This crime group has had a massive impact on the local community and this is an excellent result which I hope sends out a clear message to those involved in dealing drugs.

“We are always working proactively to gain intelligence on drugs offences and I would urge any members of the public who suspect there is drugs activity in their local area to please report it to us.

“Any information you provide could be the missing jigsaw piece which will lead us to catching an offender.”

Anyone who has any information should contact Herts police on the non-emergency number 101 or report information online at www.herts.police.uk/report. If there is a crime in progress always call 999.

Alternatively, you can contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or through their anonymous online form at www.crimestoppers-uk.org. No personal details are taken, information cannot be traced or recorded and you will never need to go to court.