Police cracked three major heroin gangs after bugging a suspect's house and a hire car in a covert operation, a court has heard.

Derby Crown Court was told that officers from Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire joined forces to target dealers.

Prosecuting, Andrew Easteal said that one was heard on secret tape boasting that he was the biggest drug dealer in Nottingham and claimed to supply heroin to inmates at the city's prison.

The operation, which took place between April and October last year, saw officers seize �630,000 of heroin and cocaine and �7,000 worth of cannabis and amphetamines.

Griffin was a 'major dealer'

Daniel Walsh, 28, of James Close, Derby, admitted a charge of conspiracy to supply heroin and was today jailed for eight-and-a-half years.

The court heard that he had made an estimated �80,000 from his dealing between April and October last year.

Carl Rose, 30, of Allendale Road, Aspley, Nottingham, who was convicted of conspiracy to supply heroin, made an estimated �40,500 in the same period.

The court heard officers had not yet been able to calculate how much Dion Griffin, 28, of Camelot Street, Ruddington, Nottinghamshire, had gained from selling the drug.

Rose made huge amounts of money

Mr Easteal told the court that Griffin, who admitted conspiracy to supply heroin, Rose and Walsh were all major dealers.

Rose and Griffin will be sentenced at a later date.

David Murray, 36, of Latimer Close, Littleover, Derby, was jailed for five-and-a-half years after admitting conspiracy to supply heroin.

Taxi driver Asif Iqbal, 25, St James Road, Derby, and David Ion, 34, Blackmore Street, Sinfin, Derby, were handed four-year prison terms after both admitted the same offence.

Murray carried drugs from Derby to Liverpool

The court heard that Murray and Ion were both heroin addicts who ran errands for Walsh and that Iqbal had acted as his courier, on one occasion driving around 1.5kg of the drug to Derby from Liverpool.

Police had initially targeted Walsh in their operation and placed a listening device in his house on August 19, the court was told.

Mr Easteal said that in one conversation he was heard attempting to recruit another man into his enterprise, claiming he would pay him �200 a week.

Iqbal was an addict who ran errands

He said that when he experienced problems sourcing heroin, he had contacted Rose and Griffin in neighbouring Nottingham.

The court heard that police later bugged a hire car being used by Griffin.

"Griffin was a major dealer and was heard boasting that he was the biggest dealer in Nottingham at the time," said Mr Easteal.

"He claimed to supply heroin to inmates at Nottingham Prison."

The court was also told that Walsh's girlfriend had died from a heroin overdose whilst he has been in prison on remand.