A mum who successfully fought for tougher sentences for Fentanyl dealers in memory of her son has welcomed the first convictions.

Michelle Parry, whose teenage son Robert was killed by the synthetic opioid in 2016, says it's "amazing" that a West Yorkshire gang caught selling the drug have been dealt jail terms totalling 43 years.

It follows her campaign for Robert's Law, backed by Deal and Dover MP Charlie Elphicke, which prompted the Sentencing Council to publish new guidance for the drug - which is 50 times stronger than heroin.

The change made last year means even small quantities of the drug are now considered in the top sentencing category.

Ms Parry, from Deal, told KentOnline it was too important to stay silent, and despite feeling judged for losing a child to drugs, she is humbled that her efforts have been taken seriously.

She said: "It’s amazing news, seeing that Robert's Law was taken seriously and that it came into force so quickly.

"I would like to thank Charlie and his team for all their support and help in achieving Robert's Law.

"To be taken so seriously is truly humbling and it means my Robert was important.

"I know he wouldn’t have wanted me to sit back and do nothing. It was too important to stay silent.

"When you lose a child to drugs you honestly feel like you're constantly being judged but being taken seriously means the judgment is positive not negative."

The West Yorkshire gang jailed on Friday at Leeds Crown Court represents the first major conviction since Robert’s Law was introduced.

Jake Levene, 22, was given 16 years and six months in jail, Lee Childs, 45, was sentenced to 10 years and six months, and Mandy Christopher Lowther, 21, was handed 16 years and six months.

It is thought the previous longest jail term handed out for Fentanyl supply was Ross Brennan, who got 13 years.

Six people identified from the latest gang's UK customer lists are known to have died from Fentanyl-related deaths.

Mr Elphicke said: “We have seen Robert’s Law in action for the first time.

“Fentanyl is not a conventional drug – it is a poison. People often don’t know they are taking it because it is added cheaply to increase profit.

“We needed our justice system to recognise this particularly evil type of drug dealing.

“Now, anyone foolish enough to consider doing it will think twice, knowing they face decades behind bars.”

The gang mixed the drugs with bulking agents and posted them to customers throughout the UK, as well as to the US, Canada, Australia, Argentina and Singapore.

Between December 2016 and April 2017 their business turned over £163,000 in cash.

The drug featured in the story line of last week's Silent Witness on BBC1, when it was mixed into a cigarette given to a woman. She collapsed almost immediately after taking a drag and later died.

Ms Parry said: "I thought they covered it really well and was reassuring to see Robert would of known nothing about it as it would have been instant."

She added: “Deaths are increasing rapidly in this country, just like they have been in America in recent years.

“We need to find ways to reverse that trend. Tougher punishments for Fentanyl dealers was an important step – not just for me, but for every parent.

“Already there seem to have been a drop in the number of deaths in the last few months. Robert’s Law is saving lives. That will be my boy’s legacy."

The NCA said the trio operated from an industrial unit in Peel Street, Morley, Leeds, which was raided in April 2017.

Inside investigators found Fentanyl, equipment for mixing and blending the drug, and 677g of pure Carfentanyl, an even more powerful variant.

Heavy duty gloves and two respirator masks, which the men wore to protect themselves while mixing and packaging the drugs, were also found.

Greg McKenna, regional head of investigations at the NCA, said the gang knew "exactly how lethal the drugs were but continued to sell them across the world."