FOUR men who travelled to the region to sell drugs were caught on the evidence of a sharp-eyed street warden, a court was told yesterday.

The senior street warden employed by Middlesbrough Council saw a stream of drug addicts calling at a house in his area, and he contacted the police.

When they raided the address police found 11 wraps of heroin on the arm of a chair and they arrested four men.

The men were all from Jamaica and said they did not know each other, said John Muir, prosecuting. Three were from London and the other from Birmingham. Each man said he was in Middlesbrough to visit a girl.

The police also found six mobile phones, which Cleveland Police intelligence experts said had been used by the men to contact each other.

Mr Muir told Teesside Crown Court: "The prosecution say they were a gang coming together to sell drugs to addicts.

"These men supplied drugs to heroin and crack cocaine addicts."

Mr Muir said that Middlesbrough warden Peter Riley recognised some of the people who called at the house in Manor Street, Middlesbrough, as known drug addicts.

He said: "He kept observations and reported matters to the police, who also put the house under watch."

Two officers raided the house on Friday, July 19, last year and one of them was bitten by a man he was arresting.

Pleading not guilty to possession of heroin with intent to supply are Bunny Campbell, 39, of Thornton House, Rubbin Way, Newtown, Birmingham, Swaye Binns, 24, of Abbots Hill Road, Catford, London, Jabari Moore, 23, of Brockley Road, South Norwood, London, and Kirk Moo-Young, 23, of Oubert Park, Highbury, London. Mr Binns also denies an assault charge.

The case continues.