Four members of a Thanet-based drug dealing gang have been jailed for supplying crack cocaine and heroin to addicts in the area.

Michael Danyo, 29, Curtis Cooper, 37, Leon Davis, 19 and Mohammed Gedi, 22, admitted conspiracy to supply class A drugs in September and November last year.

Judge Rupert Lowe told the four: “You are a group of men running a busy drug dealing operation in order to keep addicts of heroin and crack cocaine in the Margate area fully addicted to these disastrous drugs so you can make money.

“You all knew what you were doing and why you were doing it.

"The destruction crack cocaine and heroin cause in people’s lives is almost indescribable. You all know this first hand by using them yourselves and by living in that way and meeting so many people whose lives are destroyed.

“The way these addicts get their money to buy these destructive drugs is by robbing the rest of us because addicts are constantly burgling people and stealing from shops.

"We all pay for this. You think it is a nice way to make some money on the backs of this misery.”

Judge Lowe said he had seen photos of the four holding the money they had made and glorifying in the role of gangsters and drug dealers.

He said Danyo, of Ethelbert Terrace, Margate and Gedi, of Chingford, were the leaders in the operation.

Judge Lowe told Gedi: “This is your fifth drug supply conviction which is astonishing for someone of 22.”

He was given a three-and-a-half year jail term which will be on top of the 15-year prison sentence he is already serving for supplying drugs and wounding.

Danyo was jailed for nine years.

Davis, of Vale Road, Ramsgate, a heavy crack cocaine and heroin user, was jailed for three years and four months in total.

Drug addict Cooper, of Canterbury Road, Margate, was jailed for 40 months in total for the drugs offence, two offences of shoplifting and for breaching a suspended sentence which he had already breached once before.

Abigail White, prosecuting at Canterbury Crown Court, said in September last year police officers searched Cooper’s flat.

They found mobile phones with drug dealing messages and lots of messages between Cooper, Danyo and Davis.

Davis was at the flat and when searched by police they found 62 wraps of heroin and 45 wraps of cocaine on him. Gedi was also arrested there and he had £190 in cash on him, Miss White said.

Gedi had recruited Danyo in the operation and Danyo recruited Davis and Cooper.

Cooper allowed the gang to use his flat for wrapping the drugs.

After Gedi and Davis were arrested Danyo took over the operation.

In October police stopped Danyo’s BMW, which was being driven by Cooper, and found large amount of cash on them both, Miss White said.

Jon Harrison, defending Gedi, said there was no evidence he had recruited anyone and he was a young man involved in low-level drug dealing.

He was a product of the care system and had been targeted by experienced criminals.

Paul Hogben, defending Danyo, said he played a significant role rather than a leading role.

Emin Kandola, for Davis, said he was a runner in the operation and collected the money. He suffered from anxiety, insomnia and depression and was about to become a father.

Sean Smith, for Cooper, said he had abused class A drugs for 22 years but was determined to make this his first and last time in custody.