A GANG who used a Hereford council house as a base for pushing hard drugs face long prison sentences.

Roan Francis and David Scott were convicted by a jury at Worcester Crown Court of conspiracy to supply crack cocaine and heroin.

A third defendant, Dave Clarke, was cleared of both charges at the end of the 11-day trial.

Kelly Nugent, aged 22, and Carl Bennett, 33, pleaded guilty to the charges before the trial began.

Judge John Cavell remanded Francis and Scott in custody. Sentence has been fixed for June 12.

Meanwhile, Police will conduct an inquiry into drug profits made by the gang so that confiscation orders can be made against the defendants by the judge.

The ringleaders were 34-year-old Francis, of Coldmore Road, Walsall, and his girlfriend Nugent who obtained the drugs from a source, said prosecutor Pardeep Tiwana.

Scott, 28, of Kingfisher Road, Hereford, collected the money from drug customers, the jury heard.

Surveillance

The commercial supply was run from a flat in Kingfisher Road. It was heavily secured with bolts and closed circuit TV.

Police who put the premises under surveillance in October last year saw a stream of visitors. They had to call out their names before being let in.

On the day police raided the flat, PC Graham Wood saw Francis hurl a drug package from a window into a hedge. It contained 27 grammes of crack cocaine.

As the officer, who was guarding the rear of the premises, ran forward, he also saw Nugent drop a package which contained 40 heroin deals.

Police seized £880 from Francis's trousers. He and Nugent also had access to an address in The Mallards, Leominster, where £2,760 was found.

Nugent had withdrawn £7,200 from a bank account and had £600 cash in her handbag.

Francis claimed he earned up to £2,000 a week selling clothes on market stalls.

Clarke, 38, of Brampton Road, Hereford, arrived in England from Jamaica a month before his arrest. The judge ordered his passport to be returned to him.

Scott claimed any involvement with his co-accused was as a result of threats.

The jury took over six hours to reach their verdicts.