Two men have been locked up after a sawn-off shotgun and more than £20,000 of drugs were discovered inside a cocaine factory.

The property - a two-bed flat - in Surrey Road, Cliftonville, was stormed by police last year amid concerns of possible dealing from the ground-floor site.

Officers found heroin, cocaine and cannabis, along with £22,000 in cash and copious amounts of cutting agents - which are mixed with the illicit substances prior to being sold - scattered around the home.

A handgun, later found to be an air pistol, was seized from one of the rooms and a sawn-off shotgun was discovered with 11 cartridges inside a bag that had been chucked over a garden wall.

Ashley Cairns and Jordan Bourton, both of Surrey Road, were jailed last week for their involvement in the illicit operation.

Speaking after they were sentenced on Friday, DS Jason Booth said: "The evidence gathered shows this property was clearly being used for the preparation and sale of illegal drugs at street level, as well as the laundering of the proceeds from these crimes.

"Perhaps most worryingly, the sawn-off shotgun recovered shows the dangerous lengths drug dealers will go to protect themselves, their commodities and profits.

"I am pleased this weapon has been removed from circulation and it cannot be used to threaten or harm others. I am also pleased that these men have been taken off the streets and can no longer prey on the vulnerable for criminal gain."

Following the raid last spring, experts estimated the street value of the Class A drugs to be about £20,000, in addition to £1,000-worth of cannabis.

A hydraulic press and a mould found in the property are believed to have been used to press cocaine into blocks.

Twelve mobile phones, thought to have been used to sell the drugs, were also seized.

The two men were arrested at the scene, before being charged with possession of a firearm, being concerned in the supply of heroin, cocaine and cannabis and possession of criminal property.

Both criminals pleaded guilty to the charges, with Cairns, 34, receiving an eight-year, 10-month sentence and 21-year-old Bourton jailed for six years.

Another man was ordered to serve time in prison in August after being arrested in connection with the raid.

He was found guilty of possession of criminal property and possession of cannabis.

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