An organised crime group allegedly brought hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of cocaine to dealers in the South West.

A police surveillance operation led to three kilograms of the drug and almost £160,000 cash being seized during a handover in Bristol, while another transaction took place at a holiday park in Chudleigh, a jury was told.

Further observations were carried out at a house in Brixham and a flat in Efford, Plymouth, where other deliveries were allegedly made by two Albanian men.

Police inquiries also pinpointed trips by the same two men to Penzance which tied in with phone contact with a dealer in the town.

A group of three men have gone on trial at Exeter Crown Court accused of being part of the organised crime group in late 2019. The jury have been told that another three have admitted the conspiracy.

The drugs were allegedly brought to the West Country by Albanians Adi Lleshi and Nark Vasija during a series of trips between July 1 and November 29, 2019.

The operation ended when Lleshi was arrested with three kilograms of cocaine worth up to £240,000 at a suburban house in Knowle, Bristol, on November 28.

Previous surveillance and phone intelligence led to the arrest of the others shortly afterwards.

The evidence in the case is so complex that the jury have each been supplied with an iPad so they can follow it. It includes data from phones used by the men, numberplate recognition cameras which tracked journeys, and surveillance images.

Adi Lleshi, aged 25, of London; John Minchinton, aged 42, formerly of Kings Drive, Brixham, but now of no fixed address; and Michael Williams, aged 59, of Padstow Road, Knowle, Bristol, all deny conspiracy to supply cocaine.

Mark Vasija, aged 26, from London; Tyler Harrison, aged 27, of Torridge Way, Efford, Plymouth, and Steven Evans, aged 43, of Mount Lidden, Penzance, have all admitted the same charge.

Mr Richard Posner, prosecuting, said police intercepted Lleshi as he arrived at Williams’s home on November 28, 2018, with three kilos of high purity cocaine with a wholesale value of £100,000 and street value up to £240,000.

Williams was seen inside his parents’ home, which was next door to his own, packing something into a case.

Officers went inside and found half a kilo of cocaine and just under £160,000 cash under the stairs.

Mr Posner said Lleshi and Vasija made previous trips to supply Minchinton in Brixham, Harrison in Plymouth, and Evans in Penzance over the previous four months.

Those involved used numerous phones, some encrypted, to organise the deliveries and Lleshi was seen taking a large bag into flats in Efford where Harrison lived.

Cocaine worth £10,000 and £25,000 cash were seized from Evans’s home in Penzance.

Traces of cocaine were found on a set of scales and a spoon during two raids on Minchinton’s home in Brixham and he was seen flushing a powder down the toilet during one raid.

Payments of £18,000 were made to his partner’s bank account by a man who he took cocaine to while he was staying at the Finlake holiday park near Chudleigh.

An officer overheard a conversation between Lleshi and Minchinton on November 5 in which they discussed three packages, two of nine ounces and one of 18 ounces.

Mr Posner said: ‘Lleshi was an integral part of the supply chain, as can be seen from his behaviour during visits to Williams in Bristol, Evans in Penzance, and Harrison in Plymouth.

‘The other defendants have pleaded guilty, which is evidence that there was a conspiracy. Lleshi was responsible for delivering the product and collecting cash.’

The trial continues and is expected to last a month.