THEY were blasted by police for flooding the streets of Barrow with class A drugs and bringing untold misery to the town.

But now after the conclusion of Operation Horizon police have brought 34 criminals to justice, seeing them jailed for a combined total of more than 100 years.

A line was drawn under the operation, one of Cumbria Police's biggest ever, on Tuesday when Pricewill Enaruba, 26, became the last to face justice.

The convictions were set in motion in 2019 when police raided around 20 homes in a bid to 'smash' a wide network of organised drug dealing that made use of 'county lines', a crime network trafficking drugs using dedicated mobile phone lines.

The covert operation dismantled a set-up that was trafficking drugs to the county and selling it to users in Barrow, which has been blighted by deaths linked to substance abuse.

Operation Horizon utilised undercover officers to gather intelligence on those supplying the class A drugs heroin and crack cocaine to the area.

Among those convicted was south Londoner Michael Emeofa, who headed a network that flooded Barrow with heroin and crack cocaine between March 2018 and January 2019.

Emeofa's involvement in Barrow came through his friendship with two students, Daniel Olaloko and Peter Adebayo, who ran their own county lines enterprise from a student halls of residence in 2017 and 2018.

Emeofa, nicknamed Sprayz, initially acted as a runner for the men, who studied at the University of Central Lancashire in Preston, but then set up his own mobile phone line to take drugs orders in direct opposition.

Police have vowed to continue cracking down on drug dealing and have urged the community to help.

Detective Inspector Patrick McDonnell, the senior investigating officer on Operation Horizon, said yesterday:“Drugs crime negatively affects entire communities; from feeding addiction to fuelling anti-social behaviour and petty crimes. It causes misery to friends, family and neighbours alike.

"We will continue to pursue those responsible and seek to hold them accountable for their actions.”

“The overall message is that Cumbria Police will relentlessly target and disrupt those involved in exploitative drug supply.

“We appeal to all of the community to help us in this aim.”