DETECTIVES have told of their "race against time" to save a man's life after a murder plot was uncovered.
Darren Wilson, 46, and his brother Dean Armstrong, 40, have been jailed for a total of 20 years for a reign of terror in Hull.
As part of his 12-year sentence, loan shark Wilson was jailed for four years for conspiring to kill Andrew Burr, the husband of a woman with whom he had shared a one-night-stand.
The plot to kill Mr Burr, husband of Lisa Fairpo, only came to light when hitman, Maikell Ward, 42, confessed to police after a change of heart.
Judge Michael Mettyear said Wilson and Armstrong ran their criminal empire, which included drugs, money lending and conspiracy to commit murder and arson, like "underground gangsters".
And he praised Humberside Police for their "magnificent effort" to find Mr Burr, 37, and warn him of the threat to his life.
Outside Hull Crown Court, after the conspiracy gang had been sent to prison, Detective Sergeant Ian Dobson said: "We had no doubt Mr Burr's life was in jeopardy and now we have brought down an organised crime group that Wilson headed.
"It was a race against time that entailed working an extreme amount of hours. We spoke to witnesses, validated CCTV and analysed telephone calls in an extremely short space of time to work out who the intended victim was.
"Once we found out it was Mr Burr, we had to react quickly to warn him and carry out further arrests."
Ward, who was going to be paid £10,000 by Wilson to stab Mr Burr, only knew his intended victim was a painter and decorator.
Ms Fairpo, who was accused of being part of the conspiracy to claim her husband's life insurance, was acquitted of any involvement in the plot and Judge Mettyear concluded Wilson's motivation to kill Mr Burr was his feelings towards Ms Fairpo rather than financial gain.
Wilson was also sentenced to eight years for conspiring to commit arson with Armstrong, who was jailed for seven years.
The brothers ran an "ambitious cannabis cultivation enterprise", turning empty houses into cannabis factories through the letting agency Armstrong worked for.
For this, Wilson was given a four-year concurrent sentence and Armstrong, a one-year consecutive sentence, bringing his total to eight years. Wilson was also given another two years, also to run concurrently, for illegal money lending and laundering.
Determined to expand their empire, the brothers got an unknown henchman to petrol-bomb a house in Grove Street, west Hull, twice while tenant, Donna Nagi, and three others were asleep inside.
When Ms Nagi refused to move, Armstrong sent her a text message, saying: "Still alive but not for long. Going to kill you, you're going to burn."
Judge Mettyear said it was more "luck than judgement" no one was killed.
He said: "You saw there was much potential in this activity and you were keen to recruit others to play their part in what you planned. This was an ambitious and determined operation."
Jackson Nagee, 37, who grew cannabis for the brothers got 21 months while Michael Reid, 45, got 18 months for the same charge.
Det Sgt Dobson said: "They were very organised.
"They had infiltrated a letting company and each member of the group had their own skill set to make it work.
"Reid was very scientific in his knowledge of cannabis production, while Ward had been used by the brothers in the past.
"We worked hard and we are satisfied of the outcome. We hope this will give reassurance to communities in Hull."
