THREE Taunton men who played major roles in the supply of cocaine and cannabis in the town have been jailed.

Clayton Budge, 26, Kai Darby, 25, and Finley Ford, 23 were jailed after officers recovered more than 6.5kg of cannabis, cash and other drug paraphernalia after executing a warrant at a property in Malvern Terrace, Taunton in July.

Both Darby and Budge were arrested at the property, while Ford was later arrested after he was seen driving away from the address.

Upon catching up with Ford, officers seized 1.2kg of cannabis from his car before a further search found more than £1,700 in cash and 1kg of cocaine.

All three men were subsequently charged and pleaded guilty to multiple offences.

Budge was convicted of possession with intent to supply a class B drug (cannabis) and being concerned in the supply of cannabis; Darby was convicted of being concerned in the supply of cannabis and Ford was convicted of being concerned in the supply of cocaine and cannabis.

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All three were sentenced at Taunton Crown Court on November 12.

The trio were handed the following sentences:

• Budge – three years and four months in prison.
• Darby – two years and six months in prison.
• Ford – five years and four months in prison.

Detective sergeant Charlie Pulling said: “Illegal drugs destroy communities and those who supply them often prey on the most vulnerable members of our society.

“We are committed to identifying those responsible and we welcome the sentences handed down by the court following our investigation.”