FOUR Malvern men were among a gang of six jailed for a drugs plot which spread across the West Midlands and down to London and South Wales.

Ameeth Mudhar, Richard Lewis, Robert Cornes, and Martin Scully were among a gang headed up by James Impey.

Worcester Crown Court was told that Impey, from Hereford, began planning the conspiracy to supply cannabis and a new drug BZP, which is known as imitation ecstasy, when he was in jail for another offence.

Sentencing the gang Judge Robert Juckes QC said the effects of the new drug BZP were unknown.

In total nine men had pleaded guilty at an earlier court hearing.

Prosecutor Glyn Samuel said the conspiracy was started by Impey because of a massive drug debt and involved drugs worth thousands of pounds.

After the hearing West Mercia Police revealed its six-month investigation had pulled together work by other forces into incidents across the country. When they executed a warrant at Cornes’ home address in Belmont Road, Malvern, officers found a hydraulic press for making pills, 18 grams of cocaine, scales, bags and cash.

A further seizure of 425g of cocaine was made at Scully’s home in Cowleigh Road, Malvern, along with substances used for cutting into the cocaine.

Mudhar was convicted for his part in a cannabis cultivation operation that was raided by officers in August 2011 at a farm building in Hillside near Martley where they found 496 plants.

He was also convicted for offences after he and Lewis were involved in a pursuit with police officers in September 2011.

He was driving a Vauxhall Corsa along the A38 when they refused to stop for a police patrol vehicle in Severn Stoke.

As well as being sentenced for their parts in drug dealing conspiracies, both men were sentenced for money laundering.

The nine defendants were arrested at different stages in 2011 and were charged in September 2011 and February 2012.

They all pleaded guilty at hearings in 2012.