A Birmingham man who helped a 'Mr Big' in a major Midlands drug dealing operation has been jailed for four years and nine months.

Adrian Sergant organised the transportation of substantial loads of cannabis from Birmingham to Cannock and rented a 'safe house' where hundreds of thousands of pounds of drugs money was kept.

Sergant, 39, of Clifton Road, Sutton Coldfield had previously admitted conspiracy to supply cannabis, possessing a CS gas canister and money laundering.

Adrian Jones, 52, of Johnson Road, Telford, who had pleaded guilty to money laundering, was given a four-month prison sentence suspended for 18 months and ordered to do 120 hours unpaid work.

Andrew Ruck, 30, of Kingsbury Road, Erdington, who had also admitted money laundering was sentenced to nine months imprisonment suspended for two years.

In November last year nine men received sentences totalling 51 years for their part in the ring which monopolised the supply of cocaine and cannabis to Staffordshire.

The ring was led by John Appleton from Cannock, who was jailed for 10 years and, in passing sentence, Judge John Maxwell said that Sergant had a direct link to Appleton, acting as his lieutenant''.

He said Sergant had arranged for cannabis to be supplied to Appleton who had sent his driver to Birmingham to pick it up.

Sergant had an industrial premises he used as a base and was involved in three deliveries which were observed by the police.

He said two of those were intercepted by officers who recovered cannabis with a street value of 257,000.

The judge said that there was evidence that Sergeant had also been involved in the packaging of the drug.

He said despite the fact that the police had intercepted two deliveries Sergant had continued with his criminal activity, renting the property in Clifton Road to store money.

When it was later raided police found nearly £100,000 in cash, a cash counting machine and a pepper spray, while a search of his industrial premises revealed cardboard boxes similar to those used in the transportation of the cannabis.

The court heard that Ruck and Jones had been involved in moving the drug money from the safe house and when they were stopped in a car were found in possession of £110,000.