Two drug dealers who supplied dozens of addicts by drug-running in Shrewsbury town centre have been jailed.

Jonathan Mawdsley, 27, of Crescent Road, Hadley, Telford, and Timothy Rodgers, 32, of Gains Park, Shrewsbury, were sentenced at Shrewsbury Crown Court yesterday.

Both men previously admitted being concerned with the supply of heroin to another between October 1, 2007 and May 7, 2008 on the streets of Shrewsbury. Rodgers also admitted possession of heroin with intent to supply.

Mawdsley was sentenced to five years in prison and Rodgers was sentenced to three years in prison on each charge to run concurrently.

The men had been arrested after a surveillance investigation by police.

Mr Nicholas Tatlow, prosecuting, said: “Between October 2007 and early May 2008 police conducted an investigation into street level heroin dealing in Shrewsbury in which Mawdsley was the main suspect.

“We put our case that Rodgers was running for Mawdsley and that is what the evidence shows.”

The court heard Mawdsley was seen drug dealing in the town on a number of occasions and that in March 2008 Rodgers also became involved.

Judge Robin Onions was told Mawdsley was not taking heroin and was dealing to make money and Rodgers was a heroin addict dealing to fund his addiction.

The men were arrested on May 6. Drug paraphernalia and heroin were found at Rodgers’s home and a large amount of cash was discovered at Mawdsley’s.

Mr Jonathan Edwards, for Mawdsley, said: “He lived in Liverpool. He came to Shropshire and he likes Shrewsbury.

“He says ‘it could have been a nice fresh start but I chose to make money instead and I regret that’.”

Mr Daniel White, for Rodgers, said: “He was a drug addict who was taken advantage of by somebody who was not. He is now clean.”

Judge Robin Onions praised the police who carried out the investigation for getting the two men “off the streets”.

By Rhea Parsons