Seven members of an Albanian crime gang who ran a drug distribution network in London have been sentenced to a total of 73 years in prison.

Alket Mehmeti, 31, of Hylands Road in Walthamstow, was one of seven men sentenced today at the Old Bailey.

Mehmeti, Daniel Hoda, 32, and mariglen Masdreku, 30, were arrested outside the Walthamstow address on May 7 after officers witnessed the handover of a box containing six kilos of cocaine from drug courier Andrejus Gorbikas, 34, of Kent.

The three men worked together to cut and dsitrbute the cocaine sourced by car wash owner and gang leader Tefik Hoda, 33, of Islington.

Inside the property on Hylands Road, investigators found presses, rolls of packaging and other drug didtribution equipment.

Two further gang members jailed today were Lithuanian lorry driver Arunas Budrys, 45, who was arrested on May 31 as he handed a kilo of cocaine to gang courier Hamit Hoti, 39, in a layby outside Bracknell.

Prior to their arrests, Tefik Hoda's communication via two phones was monitored and analysed to reveal the drug deals and contact with the gang members.

Hoda was arrested and taken into custody in August 2013.

Six of the group pleaded guilty to conspiring to supply Class A drugs and received reduced sentences, while Burdrys was found guilty in November following a trial.

An eighth gang member, 21-year-old Barmir Trota from Walthamstow, was given a seven-year jail term for possessing cocaine with intent to supply and false ID offences in July 2013.

He was arrested following the seizure of around three kilos of cocaine in April, and had been in regular phone contact with Tefik Hoda before his arrest.

National Crime Agency Branch Commander Dave Shorey said:

“Tefik Hoda headed up a significant criminal operation with the ability to source and distribute large amounts of class A drugs.

“The street value of the cocaine we seized was around £1.6 million.

"Our investigation into this gang was long and painstaking, but we worked our way up the chain to the top. They are now in prison where they belong.”

Gang leader Tefik Hoda was sentenced to 12 years, Hoda was sentenced to seven years and two months, Masrdreku will be jailed for six years and nine months, Gorbikas received a sentence of eight years and nine months, Hoti got six years, and Burdrys was sentenced to nine years with no reduction.