THE head of a  'county lines' drug network, who controlled the supply of cocaine and heroin in Cheltenham from his home in London, was jailed for eleven years yesterday.

Stefan Miller, 29, of Larch Close, Wandsworth, London, admitted conspiracy to supply cocaine and heroin between April 1 and June 30 last year.

The London-based drugs baron used two youngsters aged just 14 and 16 to be drug runners in Cheltenham and Gloucester.

He would arrange taxis and hotel rooms for the two young boys which resulted in Miller also being charged with modern day slavery offences.

Miller's teenage 'drug-mules' were arrested in May last year, and a search of the home address of one of them led to the discovery of approximately £5,000 worth of crack cocaine and heroin.

Mobile phones were also seized and forensic evidence from the drugs linked to another drug runner Adina Shaw, 26 and of St James Road in Croydon, London.

Officers stopped Shaw's vehicle in June and seized mobile phones along with approximately £8,000 worth of crack cocaine and heroin. Her address was also searched and traces of drugs were found.

Shaw admitted conspiracy to supply crack cocaine and heroin and was jailed on Wednesday for four years.

The passenger in her car, Dahweth Mills, 21 and from Catford in London, also admitted being concerned in the supply of class A drugs. He is due to be sentenced later this month.

Forensic investigations linked Shaw to Miller and when an address in Croydon was searched, crack cocaine and heroin estimated to be worth more than £100,000 were found.

Multiple phones and sim cards along with thousands of pounds worth of cash were also seized from the address in London.

Miller pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply crack cocaine and heroin at the earliest opportunity which saw his sentence reduced from the maximum 13 years to 11 years at Gloucester Crown Court yesterday, Friday, March 9.

This is the biggest sentence awarded so far as part of Gloucestershire Constabulary's dangerous drug networks investigations.

Force Crime Operations Constable Damian Pearson, who was one of the officers praised by the judge for the attention to detail in the case, said: "This was an intricate investigation where Miller moved drugs in and out of the county and took advantage of young teenagers.

"Thankfully this investigation has resulted in thousands of pounds worth of class A drugs being seized and not distributed within the county.

"This case goes to show just how thorough our enquiries are and how determined we are in the fight against dangerous drug networks.

"The work we're doing to defeat them not only takes these drugs off the streets but also is likely to be preventing many from serious harm and violence."

The 14 and 16-year-old boys were both charged with possession with intent to supply class A drugs and were given referral orders.