SIX members of a drugs racket were yesterday sentenced to a total of 32 years in prison for their roles in a conspiracy to supply �400,000 worth of cocaine in Suffolk.

Lizzie Parry

SIX members of a drugs racket were yesterday sentenced to a total of 32 years in prison for their roles in a conspiracy to supply �400,000 worth of cocaine in Suffolk.

In total the drugs ring were responsible for importing six kilos of cocaine into Suffolk and Cambridge between October 2007 and July 2008.

Ipswich Crown Court heard yesterday the estimated street value of the cocaine involved was �400,000 with an approximate total of three kilos of 100 per cent purity.

Prosecuting Christopher Morgan said the ringleaders of the operation were Matthew Dixon, 39, of Elmshurst Close, Haverhill, and his “junior partner” 22-year-old Ryan Eggo, of Whittlesford, Cambridgeshire, who received nine years and five years respectively for their roles.

The pair organised and arranged for the transfer and storage of the drugs and thousands of pounds of cash.

Sean Kimber, 32, of Little Wilbraham, Cambridgeshire, was involved in preparing the drugs, for onward distribution, and cutting them with other agents, to increase their value, and was imprisoned for four-and-a-half years.

While Paul French, 32, of Gannet Close, Haverhill, the store man who held about �20,000 of cash and some of drugs in a safe at his home address, received a four-and-a-half year sentence.

The oldest member of the group Paul Massie, 48, a taxi driver, of Haverhill Road, Haverhill, and Sam Gilmour, 34, of Muswell Hill, London, also received prison terms of five years and four years respectively for their part as couriers, transporting the drugs and money between London and Suffolk.

The seventh member of the racket Emma Limpus, 32, of Cleves Road, Haverhill, who worked for a pharmaceutical company, was also sentenced for her part in supplying amphetamines as a cutting agent. She was given a 12 month sentence suspended for two years and was ordered to carry out 150 hours of unpaid work to benefit the community.

Sentencing, Judge David Goodin said all the defendants were crucial links in the chain in this conspiracy.

He said the presence of class A drugs in the community are “a source of evil” that lead to degradation and are “directly causative” of other crimes, such as theft, burglary and robbery as well as violent and sexual crimes.

He said for those reasons when dealing with “those who push the stuff around the community” he had to deal with them severely.