A man from Gravesend is among a gang of 32 convicted of flooding a London borough with heroin and crack cocaine.

Eight men were jailed on Tuesday for a combined total of more than 24 years for numerous drug supply offences in Tower Hamlets following a four-month covert surveillance operation.

The men, who were sentenced at Snaresbrook Crown Court, were arrested during a series of raids in June and July in east London.

On Friday, 17 August, 16 men were sentenced to a combined total of more than 49 years in relation to the same investigation.

Eight men, including 22-year-old Salikul Islam, of Singlewell Road, who admitted supplying both drugs in June, are still awaiting sentence.

Islam is due to face a judge next Friday, while there will be a further sentencing hearing in September.

In total 50 individuals have been charged in connection with the Met investigation, dubbed Continuum and carried out in partnership with the council and housing associations, with 32 admitting 70 drug offences over the past two months.

The operation, known as ‘Continuum’ is a partnership operation between police, Tower Hamlets Council and local housing associations.

An additional 10 individuals arrested in connection with the investigation have been released on bail.

More than 300 officers were involved in the raids.During searches of more than 50 addresses, officers seized over £60,000 in cash, over half a kilo of Class A drugs and four stun-guns.

The Tower Hamlets crime, gangs and drugs lead Detective Chief Inspector Mike Hamer said: "This has been a significant operation for Tower Hamlets and removing these men from our streets is an incredible result for the local community and London as a whole. They were all linked to the supply of crack cocaine and heroin and putting them in jail will severely disrupt the supply of drugs in the area.

“Operation Continuum responds to significant community concerns by targeting drug dealers, as well as providing addiction support for drug users. By tackling drug dealing in the area we can continue to have a positive and long term impact on related crimes such as violent crime and anti-social behaviour.

"The continued support of our community is essential to achieve these results and I would like to thank those in our community for providing us with ongoing support. I hope these sentences demonstrate that our actions, in conjunction with Tower Hamlets Council, show we continuously act on their concerns. We will continue to dismantle crime, prosecute those people who defy the law and safeguard our community.”