DRUGS gang members were caught out… because of a parked taxi.

A group of six men were supplying the class A drugs in Crawley, and were spotted returning to and fro from the vehicle in Horsham Road.

Police on patrol asked two of the group what was going on, and were suspicious about the reasons they were given, so arrested the pair.

The taxi was then linked to drugs, and an investigation revealed four other men involved in the supply chain.

At Lewes Crown Court, the group were sentenced to a combined total of nearly 30 years in prison.

Syed Hussein and Sarder Bashir were spotted by police in November 2016, and it led to the identification of Francis Gomez, Laeek Ahmed, Jamal Sultan, and Robert Smith.

Detective Inspector Alan Pack said the investigation and trial process can take a long time, as some of the men had denied their role.

He said: “These sentences reflect the hard work my team undertook to secure sustained disruption to the illegal supply of drugs and only now, following the trial and sentencing, can we publicise this.

“These investigations are largely unseen until we reach these successful conclusions and I hope our communities take reassurance from this example of our continued work.”

Four men were sentenced following a six week trial at Lewes Crown Court on Friday.

Francis Gomez, 41, of Yeats Close, London, was charged with two counts of conspiracy to supply class A drugs including cocaine and crack cocaine, and supplying class A and B drugs between September 2016 and January 2017. He was jailed for 15 years.

Laeek Ahmed, 27, of Denchers Plat, Crawley, was convicted of four counts of conspiracy to supply crack cocaine, heroin, and cocaine and one count of possessing heroin with intent to supply. He was jailed for six years.

Meanwhile Jamal Sultan, 33, of Redditch Close, Crawley, was convicted of possessing cocaine with intent to supply. He was jailed for four-and-half years.

Finally Sarder Bashir, 37, of Martyrs Avenue, Crawley, was convicted of one count of perverting the course of justice from November 22 to November 25 in 2016. He was given a four-month suspended prison sentence and ordered to complete 150 hours of unpaid work.

Two men had entered guilty pleas at an earlier hearing.

Robert Smith, 35, of Burwash Road, Crawley, was charged with permitting his premises to be used in the supply of class A drugs, possessing cocaine, and possessing criminal property.

He was given a 20-month suspended prison sentence and must complete 200 hours of unpaid work.

Finally Syed Hussain, 40, of Heron Close, Crawley, was charged with two counts of conspiracy to supply crack cocaine and heroin, and one count of money laundering. He was jailed for 32 months.