THREE men behind drugs gang 'Bugsy' have appeared in the dock after police found heroin and cocaine worth almost £60,000 – but just one was jailed.

The men – 31-year-old Sadiq Mohamed, 52-year-old Thomas Francis and 33-year-old Ismail Mouktar – sold the class As to addicts in Bournemouth and Poole.

Officers from Dorset Police’s Serious Organised Crime Investigation Team (SOCIT) began an in-depth investigation in May 2019 into the so-called ‘Bugsy’ line.

In June last year, the officers raided Mouktar's Poole home.

Mohamed was seen leaving the property. He tried to run off, but was quickly arrested.

Before he was detained, the officers spotted him throwing something over a wall. It was later found to be a number of wraps of class A drugs.

Francis was found in a car nearby. He had been waiting for Mohamed.

Officers seized the men's phones and carried out a thorough search of Mouktar's home.

They also combed through woods outside. There, more drugs were found.

Detectives said Mohamed's phone was the main number controlling the Bugsy network.

During the operation more than 250 wraps of heroin and cocaine were seized. The total value of the drugs is estimated at £57,800.

The three men have since appeared at Bournemouth Crown Court. Mohamed, of Hunt Road in Southall, Middlesex, was the only one to go to prison for his crime.

The defendant, who admitted two charges of conspiracy to supply class A drugs, was handed a six-year sentence.

Homeless Francis, who admitted two charges of conspiracy to supply class A drugs, was sentenced to 18 months in prison suspended for two years.

Mouktar, of North Road, Poole was sentenced to eight months in prison, suspended for 15 months, after admitting permitting a premises to be used for the supply of class A drugs.

Detective Constable Will Pearce, of the SOCIT, said: “With the assistance of Francis, Mohamed used Mouktar’s address in Poole to run a significant operation supplying class A drugs in Bournemouth and Poole using a dedicated phone number.

“Through our investigation we were able to identify that Mohamed was the man behind this number and disrupt the network’s operation as well as take a large quantity of class A drugs of the streets of the conurbation.

“We recognise the damaging impact these county lines drugs networks can have on local communities and are committed to ensuring those involved in these supply chains are identified and dealt with as well as protecting vulnerable people who can be exploited by these gangs.

“I would urge anyone with information about the supply of class A drugs to contact Dorset Police via dorset.police.uk or by calling 101. If a crime is in progress dial 999."