A FINSBURY Park woman is one of a gang jailed for nearly 100 years for smuggling more than �5million of heroin into the UK.

The gang ran a massive operation, importing the drug into east London from Turkey and eastern Europe.

They lived the high life from the huge profits generated, splashing out on luxury cars and more, Snaresbrook Crown Court heard.

Romanian Florina Burducea, 39, of the Pembury Hotel, Seven Sisters Road, Finsbury Park, was jailed for 22 years on Tuesday, December 21 for her part in the operation, following a 12-week trial.

She directed distribution of the Class A drug after it reached these shores using a fleet of vans delivering to a network of dealers, alongside Turk Hikmet Sevim, 45, who was also jailed for 22 years.

Their sophisticated network started to unravel when detectives from Operation Trident found Shelon Morris, 34, and Delroy Small, 33, were involved in “large scale” drug trafficking, operating out of a rented flat in Whitechapel.

On September 18 last year, Small was stopped by police in a VW Golf and officers found 2kg of heroin inside.

A further 20kg - with a street value of more than �1.5million - was discovered at the flat and �177,000 cash was seized, the court heard.

In March this year, Shelon’s uncle Harold Morris, 46, was filmed at a cash and carry in Finsbury Park ferrying several large cardboard boxes from his blue Mitsubishi Carisma to a van.

Sevim was seen helping Morris, who was the distributor, while Burducea was spotted sitting in the Carisma’s passenger seat.

Officers swooped and arrested all three, recovering 96.7 kilos of heroin worth more than �5million.

The gang were said to have enjoyed “comfortable lifestyles” and police seized a number of cars and �187,000 cash.

Sevim, of Thurlow Gardens, Ilford, and Burducea were convicted of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs and jailed as above, while Harold Morris, of Glyn Road, Clapton, was convicted on the same count and received 18 years.

Small, of Garnham Close, Stoke Newington, and Shelon Morris, of Mare Street, Hackney, were both jailed for 18 years for drug trafficking.

After the trial Detective Inspector Chris Jones, from Trident, said: “Today’s convictions coupled with the seizure of such a significant quantity of heroin will have seriously undermined the activities of a number of criminal networks across London.

“The individuals concerned were driven by personal greed and gave no thought to the misery caused through the unlawful supply of heroin within London’s communities.”