TWO drug dealers who hired a hitman to kill their underworld bosses, to avoid paying them back £1.4 million seized by police, have been jailed for life.

The dealers were under pressure to pay back money police seized in cash and class A drugs to their crime bosses.

When the pressure increased, the gang decided to eliminate their debts by murdering their bosses.

Leo Ellis leader of Hastings-based drugs gang and his associate Jason Caswell, who led up the London operation, were sentenced to life imprisonment at a sentencing hearing at Hove Crown Court.

The court heard police made three major seizures of heroin, cocaine and cash in October 2015 and 2016 at addresses in Sussex and London, before the gang discussed a plan to eliminate their debts by killing Kevin Wise and another man known only as M in February 2016.

Because of police seizures by February 2016, Ellis and Caswell owed their dealers in excess of £850,000. Their inability to repay the debts was then worsened by further seizures of of £92,475 cash and two kilos of cocaine we made within three days that month.

In total £1.4million in Class A drugs and £100,000 cash were seized by officers.

Under increasing pressure to compensate their suppliers Ellis and Caswell used mobile phones to send emails to discuss killing them.

In police recordings of conversations from the address Ellis boasts of having acquired guns and ammunition from Eastern Europe. In the other one he discusses with Caswell plans to recruit someone to carry out the kills.

The pair also received an automatic sub-machine gun pistol with a silencer and ammunition dropped off by Jamie Winchester in Hastings.

However officers were able to track their movements and the gun and ammunition were seized before any murders could take place.

Ellis and Caswell pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to murder and drugs supply offences, Caswell also pleaded not guilty to money laundering, and conspiracy to supply cocaine.

Winchester pleaded not guilty to supplying the gun and ammunition.

Sentencing judge Christine Laing sentenced Ellis of Mountbatten Close, Hastings, who found guilty to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 14 years for conspiracy to murder two people.

He was also sentenced to given 10 years supplying a firearm; 14 years for each of the three counts of conspiracy to supply heroin; eight years for one count of conspiracy to supply cocaine and another two years for a second of the same offence and a further 16 years for another offence of conspiracy to supply cocaine; two years for money laundering.

Jason Caswell, 41, a road worker, of Credon Walk, London, SE16, was found guilty and was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 14 years for conspiracy to murder two men.

He was also sentenced to 14 years and 16 years for two counts of conspiracy to supply cocaine, and three years for money laundering.

Jamie Peter Winchester, 25, unemployed, of Sandy Close, St Leonards, was found guilty and was sentenced to seven years for supplying the TEC-9 style 9mm automatic sub-machine gun pistol with a silencer, and three years for possessing ammunition.

Twelve other associates were sentenced in relation drug to offences uncovered in the police operation.