Three men have been jailed for a total of 30 years for running a drugs factory which supplied amphetamines and cocaine.

Frank Jansen, John Morgan and Sven de Cauter were given ten years each for conspiracy to supply drugs.

Jansen, 40, of Fort Road, Newhaven, was jailed for an extra 12 months for dangerous driving during the high-speed police chase which resulted in his arrest in May.

Jansen admitted being the mastermind behind the drugs factory discovered in a warehouse at Stone Cross Farm industrial estate at Laughton, near Lewes, last year.

Morgan, 41, of Central Avenue, Peacehaven, and de Cauter, 29, of West Quay, Newhaven, were described as his trusted lieutenants.

They had denied conspiracy to supply Class A and Class B drugs during a trial at Hove Crown Court.

Morgan was unanimously found guilty by the jury yesterday and de Cauter was convicted of both counts by a majority of 11 to one.

Dean Cumberpatch, 34, a former soldier from Nottinghamshire, was found not guilty of conspiracy to supply drugs.

Hove Crown Court heard that Jansen, whose real first name is James, had a love for fast cars, boats and motorbikes.

He ran a boat buying agency and made regular trips to Spain where he met de Cauter, who was working in a bar in Malaga.

The court heard that he bought a six-wheel drive Land Rover from Virgin Airlines boss Richard Branson and asked Morgan, a mechanic, to modify it for him.

Jansen also owned a giant caterpillar-tracked snowmobile, known as Frank's Tank.

Morgan, a former Brighton College student, helped him take boats down to Spain and was a guest in his flat there.

Jansen paid for de Cauter, a Belgian waiter, to set up home in England and gave him a job as a translator for his trips to Europe because he speaks five languages.

Forged documents made by Jansen, who is known as Bull because he turns red when he is angry, were found at de Cauter's home.

Jansen rented a lock-up close to the workshop on the Quarry industrial estate, Newhaven, where Morgan restored high-performance sports cars.

When the lease expired Jansen moved everything out to a warehouse at the Stone Cross Farm industrial estate.

Owner David Allen told police Jansen had immediately put a large silver padlock on the door and a heavy carpet over the window so nobody could see inside.

Jansen was using the unit to make and pack amphetamines and cocaine which he supplied to dealers.

Mr Allen forced his way into the warehouse in January after Jansen fell behind with the rent. He alerted police after finding bags of white powder made up into blocks marked with a crucifix.

Officers discovered amphetamines and cocaine worth £200,000 along with equipment to make and pack the drugs.

They included a drum of caffeine used to cut the drugs, a press and vacuum-packing equipment. Blocks of amphetamines had been recently packed and were still damp when police found them.

Fingerprints and DNA matching that of Morgan and de Cauter were found on items inside the factory.

Mr Cumberpatch's DNA was found on a rubber swimming cap, which it was alleged those involved in mixing the drugs wore to protect their heads.

He told the jury he had never been to the unit but had been asked to deliver a package to a man he did not know in Brighton.

The court was told that it was possible his DNA had been transferred to the cap after coming into contact with another person or object he had touched.

Lyall Thompson, prosecuting, said Jansen had previously been jailed for attempted robbery and fraud. Morgan and de Cauter had no previous convictions.

Jeremy Wainwright, defending Jansen, said he had not been in trouble for ten years.

He said Jansen set up the drugs factory after people he owed money to suggested it as a way to pay off his debts.

Judge Anthony Scott-Gall told him: "I am not going to lecture you on the evils of drug trafficking.

"It is manifestly obvious that you turned to this as an easy way to make very great profits."

A hearing will take place under the Proceeds of Crime Act on February 3, next year, to determine how much each man made from the operation.

Detective Sergeant Tony Pike, who led the investigation, said: "I am very pleased with the verdicts and the sentences.

"It gives a clear message that members of the public such as Mr Allen, who reported what he had found to the police, are not prepared to put up with drugs suppliers."