TWO women and a man have been jailed for a total of ten years following an undercover police sting to target heroin dealers.

Bernardette McArthur, Josie Currie and Quentin Denton were secretly filmed selling heroin to, among others, three police officers who were posing as addicts as part of Durham police's Operation Thespian.

Mother of two McArthur, who concealed wraps of the drug in children's Kinder Egg toys, was at one stage witnessed completing a deal with her six year-old son in tow.

In another incident at least ten addicts were seen waiting outside Darlington's Indoor Market to be supplied by McArthur, who then sold wraps of heroin to four women in some nearby toilets.

Teesside Crown Court were told of scores of deals that took place in front of and involving undercover officers during the operation, in Darlington, over a three month period last year and which netted 20 arrests.

Prosecuting, Shaun Dodds said the officers made contact by ringing the mobile telephone numbers of those concerned and were typically sold 10 foil wraps of heroin after being directed to pick-up points in the town.

These included Gladstone Street, North Lodge Park, Morrisons supermarket car park and the car park at Bamp;Q.

McArthur, 31, of Gilling Crescent, Darlington, who pleaded guilty to eight counts of supplying a class A drug between May 30 and October 1, was jailed for four years by Judge George Moorhouse.

She said the heroin dealing was purely to fund her own habit and was adamant that her children played no part in it.

Her barrister Peter Sabiston said: "This is not an evil woman - it is a woman whose judgement has been marred by her addiction."

Currie, 25, of Gladstone Street, Darlington, who pleaded guilty to six counts of supplying a class A drug and two of possessing drugs between July 1 and the end of August, was jailed for three and-a-half years.

She said she had been threatened and forced to sell up to 20 wraps a day by a man she refused to name.

He would deliver the drugs to her and then return at the end of the day to pick the cash, giving her 20 in return.

Denton, 26, of Salters Lane North, Darlington, pleaded guilty to five counts of supplying a class A drug, all to undercover police officers between August 4 and 25, and received a two and-a-half year prison sentence.