Two dealers behind a sophisticated drugs racket have been jailed for a total of almost 20 years following a major police operation.

Alan Christopher Taylor and Timothy Paul Terry were arrested as part of a regional investigation codenamed Operation Newburgh.

After a four-week trial at Hove Crown Court, they were jailed on firearms charges and intent to supply heroin.

Taylor, 35, of Garlands Road, Redhill, Surrey, and Terry, 21, of Victory Mews, Brighton Marina, pleaded not guilty to all the charges.

Paul Rogers, prosecuting, told the court Taylor was arrested in June as part of the operation mounted by the Sussex Police Crime and Drug Unit.

He said following searches at a number of premises in Brighton and Surrey, police found one-and-a-quarter kilograms of heroin with a street value of around £70,000.

He said it quickly became clear Taylor was part of a sophisticated drug-dealing racket. A further search also revealed a self-loading pistol and 42 rounds of live ammunition. Terry was arrested later the same day.

Philip Wakeham, defending Taylor, said he had been employed by Terry and had no idea he was moving drugs.

Chris van Hagen, for Terry, argued his client was an unwitting drugs courier.

Taylor was convicted of three counts of possessing heroin with intent to supply, assault on a police officer and possessing a firearm and ammunition.

He was sentenced to ten years on each count of possession to run concurrently, nine months for the assault to run consecutively, four years for possessing a firearm to run consecutively and two years for possessing ammunition, to run concurrently, making a total of 14 years and nine months.

Terry was convicted of two counts of possessing heroin with intent to supply and sentenced to five years on each to run concurrently.

Detective Constable Neil Cuttriss, the officer in charge of the operation, said: "This was a major heroin organisation. They had enough stock to do more than 1,000 deals.

"These drugs would undoubtedly have found their way on to the streets of Brighton and Hove. Taking these men out had a considerable impact on the availability of heroin in and around the city."