A strong warning was today sent out to inner-city drug dealers targeting Ipswich after two men were given a total of 12 years in jail.

IPSWICH: A strong warning was today sent out to inner-city drug dealers targeting Ipswich after two men were given a total of 12 years in jail.

Heroin dealers Ahmed Sabbagh-Parry and Daniel Evans travelled more than 240 miles from Liverpool to sell Class A drugs in Ipswich.

Now both are serving six-year prison terms after their sentencing at Ipswich Crown Court.

After they were jailed Detective Chief Inspector Dave Cutler, of Ipswich police, said: “Evans and Sabbagh-Parry believed that Ipswich was a place they could come to and profit from by dealing drugs.

“The sentences they received clearly show the police, Crown Prosecution Service, courts and local communities will not tolerate this criminal activity.

“The supply of Class A drugs is not a victimless crime and causes misery to both individuals and the wider community.

“The message from Suffolk Police and its partner agencies is simple - if you come to Suffolk to deal drugs you will be caught and put before court.”

Sabbagh-Parry, 23, and Evans, 29, had been found guilty after a retrial last month. They had denied conspiring to supply heroin between October 1 and October 22 last year.

During the trial, the court was told Sabbagh-Parry and Evans, along with two 17-year-old's, who were all from Liverpool, were in a car stopped by a police officer in October last year.

They were pulled over in Wherstead Road after it was incorrectly thought some of the passengers were not wearing seatbelts.

But, after smelling cannabis in the Vauxhall Astra the police constable ordered a drug search.

During questioning a package of heroin worth �2,600 was found on the pavement next to the car.

Sabbagh-Parry claimed he was a victim of coincidence and said the drugs did not belong to anyone in the Vauxhall Astra.

The court heard how the defendants' movements in the Astra had been tracked at various locations around the country by automatic number plate cameras in the days leading up to their arrest.

The prosecution said the pair picked up the drugs outside the Liverpool area and drove to Ipswich to sell them.

The two teenagers were acquitted of supplying heroin at the original trial in April this year.

Anyone with information about drug dealing should telephone Suffolk Police or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

The Suffolk Drug and Alcohol Action Team (DAAT) helpline is 01473 299640 and is open between 9am and 6pm.