Six members of a gang who received over 1,000 calls a day in a ‘drugs-to-order’ operation across east London have been jailed for a total of 33 years.

Snaresbrook Crown Court heard how the head of the gang, Sahil Patel, was in charge of a business selling Class A drugs through a phone number that received more than 66,000 calls and nearly 8,000 texts over a 92 day period.

Patel, 30, of Vernon Road, Seven Kings, had previously admitted possessing a self-loading pistol and ammunition.

He was found guilty of possessing a firearm and ammunition with intent to endanger life and of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs and on Friday he was jailed for 16 years.

His co-conspirators, who held the drugs until needed and then delivered them to the buyers, were also sentenced at the same court on Friday.

Hamza Patel, 26, of Abbey Road, Stratford, was sentenced to six years and six months in prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy to supply Class A drugs.

Aqub Mumtaz, 21, of Monega Road, Manor Park and Roqib Ali, 37, of Sherrard Road, Manor Park, also admitted the same offence and were jailed for two years and two years and six months respectively.

Imran Shahid, 35, of Boundary Road, East Ham, was jailed for three years after admitting conspiracy to supply Class A drugs and possessing criminal property.

Shenola Nightingale, 26, of Lyndhurst Court, Woodford, was imprisoned for three years and three months after pleading guilty to conspiracy to supply Class A drugs and dangerous driving.

A seventh member of the gang, Abdulkadir Mohamed, 43, of Goddards Way, Ilford, was found guilty of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs and will be sentenced on April 13 following a pre-sentence report.

Two other members of the group had previously admitted possession with intent to supply Class A drugs.

Tashin Ali, 23, of Wycombe Road, Gants Hill, was sentenced to four years two months and Adeyemi Adeniyi, 51, of Maxey Road, Dagenham, was sentenced to 30 months in March last yea

Det Insp Steve Meechan said: “The sentences handed out should serve as a significant deterrent to anyone involved in criminality of this kind.

“The harm caused across east London by these criminals cannot be underestimated and I’m pleased that they now face prison for a significant length of time.”

The gang were responsible for supplying crack cocaine and heroin across Newham, Barking and Dagenham and Redbridge.

Drugs with a street value of more than £60,000 were seized by police during the investigation, where it was also discovered that an estimated 750 people contacted the gang within the three months the phone number was used.