A DRUGS gang allegedly used dealers in Chagford, Crediton and Exmouth to traffic large amounts of cocaine into Devon.

A group of men were said to have been supplied by two dealers from London who made regular trips to supply a network of sub-dealers covering a large part of the County.

There were also links to other alleged conspirators in Cornwall, Bristol and on the M4 corridor through Berkshire and Wiltshire, Exeter Crown Court was told.

Police carried out surveillance in Chagford and Crediton and saw suspected dealers meet up to receive consignments of drugs which were delivered by two men who were based in London but made regular trips to the West Country.

There were also hand-overs of money or drugs in Brixham during a conspiracy that is alleged to have run from the summer of 2019 until the final members were arrested in late 2020.

The jury has been told that some members of the conspiracy have already admitted involvement, including Adi Lleshi and Mark Vasija, aged 27 and 42, from London, and Richard Armitage, aged 41, from Devon, has admitted taking part.

Leum Barrett, aged 33, formerly of Exeter Road, Exmouth, but now of Exeter; Stephen Wills, aged 35, of the Old Quarry, Bridford; Robert Franklin, aged 58, of Thatcham; Jon Brewster, aged 34, of Calne; Paul Cummings, aged 56, of Thatcham; and Matthew Summers, aged 39, of Bournemouth, all deny conspiracy to supply cocaine.

Another man, Jack Robson, formerly of Molyneux Drive, Crediton, but now of Oxfordshire, will be tried later on the same charge.

Mr Richard Posner, prosecuting, said the case is based on the movements of the men, location data from mobile telephones, phone evidence of contact between them, tracking of vehicles by numberplate recognition cameras, and direct surveillance observation by police.

He said the initial conspiracy was ended by the arrest of Vasjja as he prepared to exchange three kilograms of high purity cocaine for £160,000 cash in Bristol in November 2019.

He said: “This was the culmination of an investigation into the movement of cocaine from London to the West of England. There were other locations including Plymouth, Torbay, Penzance, Exeter, Exmouth, Wiltshire and Berkshire.”

Mr Posner said one of the earlier deliveries had been made to Armitage’s former home at Lower Street, Chagford, on November 18, 2019, and that Barrett, Wills and Robson had all been seen to arrive, apparently to pick up supplies.

Lleshi was seen to make a delivery to Crediton four days later with Armitage as a passenger in his car. Barrett was seen to meet them.

There were further deliveries to the men living in Wiltshire and Berkshire in the following days with Vasija and Lleshi making regular trips to the region.

All the defendants deny being involved with the conspiracy and some say they were customers rather than dealers.

The trial continues and is expected to last for another three weeks.