THREE members of a gang who peddled class A drugs on the streets of Pitsea have been locked up.

Darren Marable, Chuma Asiji and Silik Watt, members of the LBS gang, were sentenced to a total of seven years, nine months after being picked up during a stop-check in Basildon.

A strip search at Basildon police station revealed Watt, 20, of Pentonville Prison, London, had £1,400 of heroin hidden on him.

Marable, 18, from Tottenham, was also found with drugs while Asiji, 20, of Southwark Path, Basildon was found with a “dealer phone” and about £400 cash. The three were convicted at Basildon Crown Court of possession with intent to supply.

Sgt Ben Wollard, of Basildon’s Proactive Team, said: “This is an excellent result for the team and we are pleased the court has seen fit to give them custodial sentences.

“We will not tolerate people coming to Basildon to deal drugs.

“We continue to use all the powers available to us to disrupt drugdealing and associated criminality.

I urge residents who have concerns about drug-dealing in their neighbourhood to contact us.”

The LBS operate a similar model to the Bush Boys and the T and D gangs, whose kingpins have been locked up for a total of 94 years in the past year.

They seek out vulnerable addicts and ply them with free or heavily discounted class A drugs.

Then they take over the addicts’ homes and use them as drug-dealing bases.

Supplies are regularly replenished by henchmen who drive drugs into Basildon along the A13 and A127.

The gang’s initials, LBS, refer to the imperial system of weights and measures.

Marable, Asiji and Watt were picked up by officers from the Pitsea Proactive Team on April 4, 2014, during a routine stop-check off Honeypot Lane, Basildon.

It is thought the three were in Basildon to replenish supplies of drugs. They were caught with a total of 6.2g of crack cocaine split into four wraps and 14g of heroin divided into 17 wraps.

Marable was handed two years at a youth detention centre, a 12- month youth rehabilitation order and ordered to pay £20 victim surcharge.

Asiji was sentenced to 33 months in a young offenders’ institution and ordered to pay a £120 victim surcharge.

Watt was sentenced to three years at a young offenders’ institution with a £120 victim surcharge.