A Bromley man who sold fake £50 notes to fellow crooks for as little as £12.50 as part of an organised operation has been jailed.

Counterfeit bank notes could be bought from the fraudsters with £20 going for between £3.50 and £5.80, police said.

Ringleader Darren Watkinson would arrange for the sale of the knock-off notes and buyers would pick up the dodgy cash from his associates William Fullerton, from Bromley, Mario Abela and Adam Abela.

During the investigation, police also discovered the gang had access to cocaine and amphetamines, while some members were conspiring to sell a gun. This included Barry Latif, who was arrested by armed officers with a revolver, police said.

City of London Police began investigating in November 2017, after a tip-off that Watkinson was supplying counterfeit money.

At Inner London Crown Court on Friday the four men pleaded guilty to all charges.

Watkinson, 45, of Wickford, Essex, admitted conspiracy to have a counterfeit note with intent, conspiracy to sell a firearm, possessing a prohibited weapon - in this case CS gas - and possessing a class A drug with intent.

He was sentenced to 10 years and four months in jail.

Fullerton, 38, was jailed for nine years and six months for conspiracy to have a counterfeit note with intent and conspiracy to sell a firearm.

Mario Abela, 68, of Corringham, Essex, was sentenced to 15 months in prison, suspended for two years after he admitted conspiracy to have a counterfeit note with intent and possessing class A drugs.

His son, Adam Abela, 34, was jailed for four years for conspiracy to have a counterfeit note with intent and possessing class B drugs with intent.

Barry Latif, 44, of Tower Hamlets, east London, was sentenced to seven years in jail on the same date after a previous trial found him guilty of conspiracy to sell a firearm. He pleaded guilty to having the gun in a public place as well as also having a bladed weapon.

Detective Constable Sally Prinsloo, who led the investigation for the City of London Police, said: "The City of London Police is committed to disrupting serious and organised crime.

"We worked tirelessly to dismantle this crime group, who were selling counterfeit money, drugs and firearms, with input from our partners at the Bank of England and the National Crime Agency's Counterfeit Currency Unit (UKNCO).

"Thanks to this proactive police action, a number of dangerous criminals have been jailed, and a large amount of counterfeit notes and a firearm have been taken out of circulation, making our streets and local communities safer."