A gang of heroin dealers who "continued the flow of heroin into Pembrokeshire" after others had been caught are starting jail terms totalling 20 years.

Gareth Thomas, 32 of Lower Robert Street, Milford Haven, and Marc Richards, aged 30, of Back Lane, Haverfordwest, were described as "commercial dealers" at Swansea crown court.

They were helped by Neil Scawthorn, aged 30, of Freemans View, Haverfordwest, and Gareth Partington, 28, of Howarth Close, Milford Haven.

All four admitted conspiring to supply heroin between September 19 and November 19 last year.

Ian Wright, prosecuting, said police kept the team under surveillance and logged text messages sent. Scawthorn had moved from Gwent to Haverfordwest and had taken his contacts in the world of heroin with him.

Soon after meeting the other three a team had been formed and all four were logged making car journeys to Bristol, Newport and Swansea.

In September Thomas sent a text message saying he had arrived home to spot police oficers waiting nearby "and I had to run and stash the drugs before going back."

Thomas also sent the same message to 17 people saying he had "some lovely dark" available.

Thomas was also recorded telling Richards he could "get rid" of as many as a million individual heroin wraps if he could obtain the supply.

In all, said Mr Wright, police logged members of the group making 17 trips to Bristol. Scawthorn did the driving in the early days but after crashing his car Partington took over.

Scawthorn was arrested as early as September 18 but continued to run drugs into Pembrokeshire after being released on police bail.

After their arrests at 4.40am on November 19, Thomas and Partington made admissions while the other two either denied being involved or refused to say anything.

The court heard that all four were users of heroin. Thomas, Scawthorn and Richards had previous convictions for offences related to heroin.

Judge Keith Thomas said the four had played their roles in ensuring that supplies of heroin into Pembrokeshire were kept going.

Thomas, Scawthorn and Richards were each jailed for five years and four months. Partington, who had no record for being involved in drugs, was jailed for four years.

Police message to dealers: 'We are watching you, we will catch you'

Detective Sergeant Richard Lewis, said: “We’re satisfied with the court’s sentencing and pleased that four more individuals concerned in the supply of Class A drugs in our county have been taken off the streets.

“These sentences send out an important message to all drug dealers that Dyfed-Powys Police will not tolerate their activities. We’ve adopted a determined, proactive, multi-agency approach to tackling drugs supply and through Operation Poker, we’re continuing to target all those involved in such crimes throughout the county.

“So to anyone in our community who is supplying drugs, know this - we are watching you we will catch you and you will go to prison.”

Since Operation Poker was launched in 2009, 47 people have been arrested for a variety of Class A drug offences receiving a total of over 98 years in prison with drugs and other assets worth a total of thirty thousand pounds also being seized.