A couple described by a judge as “partners in life and in crime”, were today starting jail sentences totalling 11 years for laundering hundreds of thousands of pounds in criminal money.

Drug dealer Michael Standing, 47, who was jailed for eight and a half years, was said to have benefited by more than half a million pounds from criminal activity.

Jane Noonan, 51, who played a lesser but important role in the criminality, was given a two-and-a-half-year prison sentence at Bradford Crown Court.

Judge Jonathan Rose told them yesterday the offences arose “out of your greed and your avarice”.

He said the offending took place over a substantial period of time and they had obtained a massive profit.

He said Standing had a disregard and disdain for the law. The most serious aspect was the vast profits he made from his criminality and the lengths he went to conceal and hide them.

The judge added: “You were aided to a significant extent by the woman who was your partner in life and in crime.”

Standing and Noonan, both of Wrose Road, Wrose, Bradford, had fought two trials.

But Standing was convicted of two charges of supplying skunk cannabis, two of possessing cannabis with intent, three charges of acquiring criminal property, four of transferring criminal property, possessing criminal property, possessing articles of fraud and possessing class C drugs.

Noonan was found guilty of two charges of acquiring criminal property and two of transferring criminal property.

Judge Rose said Standing was the leader of the criminal enterprise but Noonan took a not insignificant role.

He said both had fought the matter to the bitter end and had shown no remorse. Standing had tried to cloak his story with the authenticity of gambling but he described as “complete and utter nonsense” an exercise by Standing in which he purported to demonstrate how to earn hundreds of thousands of pounds by following tips in a national newspaper.

Robin Mairs, representing Standing, said there was no evidence of sophisticated money laundering.

Noonan’s barrister, Andrew Haslam, said she was not directly involved in the trafficking of drugs and there was no evidence of a lavish lifestyle. She was the principal carer of her 19-year-old disabled son.

After the case, Detective Chief Inspector Mabs Hussain, of Airedale and North Bradford CID, said: “His conviction follows a long and highly detailed investigation stretching back to 2007 to uncover the full scale of Standing’s involvement in fraud and the laundering of hundreds of thousands of pounds of cash linked to crime.

“Our officers have currently restrained £566,000 in accounts and also property controlled by this man and we will be seeking to confiscate this money which has been gained from criminal enterprise.”

The Crown Prosecution Service said the couple owned a large house and operated numerous bank accounts which had received cash credits far in excess of the couple’s declared income and benefits.

Prosecutor Julian Briggs said: “This result sends a clear message that we will not only vigorously prosecute criminals like Noonan and Standing, but make every effort to seize the proceeds of their criminal activities.”