FIVE members of a major drug smuggling gang were yesterday jailed for a total of more than 70 years.

The gang, headed by 53-year-old Frank Smith, conspired to bring in £6m of drugs, which were hidden in a consignment of bananas.

Liverpool Crown Court heard that concealed beneath the false floor of a lorry were heroin, cocaine, Ecstasy and amphetamine.

Smith, who lived in a luxurious £1.5m home in Allerton Road, Allerton, was jailed for 25 years after being found guilty of two charges of conspiracy to supply Class A and Class B drugs.

During his six-week trial, David Turner QC, prosecuting, told the jury that Smith was the "managing director" of the illegal plot.

Anthony O'Toole, 39, of Lapwing Close, West Derby, was described as being Smith's "senior manager".

As Judge Bryn Holloway jailed him for 19 years, he called O'Toole a "devious and dishonest person".

Scottish haulage firm boss Alexander Thom, 41, of Guild Town, Perth, was sentenced to 14 years' imprisonment. He was the driver of the lorry carrying 19 tonnes of bananas bound for a Fyffes warehouse.

Beneath the refrigerated cargo, was a false floor containing 21 kilos of heroin, 19 of cocaine, 100 kilos of amphetamine and 150,000 Ecstasy tablets. Police stopped Thom's lorry on the M74 in Lanarkshire on October 19 last year.

All members of the drug smuggling gang had been under surveillance for months by Merseyside undercover police as part of Operation McArthur.

They knew that the lorry's false floor had been constructed at a unit owned by 49-year-old Harold Camello on the Weaver Industrial Estate in Garston. Camello, of Dacy Road, Anfield, was jailed for 4 1/2 years for allowing his premises to be used in the plot.

Police had also observed Alan Gerrard, 44, of Harecroft, Stockbridge Village.

Mr Turner told the court telephone records showed Gerrard was in frequent contact with Smith and was called by him 31 times in six days.

He said Gerrard was spotted travelling to Amsterdam "on conspiracy business".

Gerrard was jailed for eight years. Smith, who is said to be a millionaire, and his co-defendants will be brought back to the court in December for a hearing in which police will apply to seize the profits he has made from drug crime.

Smith was once one of Britain's most wanted men and a long-term associate of Curtis Warren, the Toxteth criminal now serving 40 years in a Dutch prison for running Europe's biggest drugs trafficking ring.

Judge Holloway said detectives following Smith, O'Toole and the other conspirators deserved a commendation for their work in catching the gang.

They carried out two drugs seizures as part of the investigation and followed Thom's banana-laden lorry from Dover to the Scottish border.

It was a cocky text message from Thom which finally put him and the others into the frame.

Mr Turner told the court: "Thom sent a text message to his business partner which said: 'With this load, we could end up with junky monkeys - ha ha.'

"It was quite a good joke until you realise that he would be making money out of other people's misery."

Sentencing the five men to a total of 72 1/2 years, Judge Holloway said: "All of us who work in these courts know the misery caused by the many people involved in Class A drugs.

"People like you would have brought misery to addicts and their families and caused a crime wave of dishonesty."