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Six people are on trial accused of plotting to deal Class A drugs on Teesside after a "staggering" £10m Class A haul from a BMW.

The 227lb consignment of heroin and cocaine had been delivered from Belgium via helicopter.

Some of the narcotics were bound for the north-east in a drugs ring organised from "exotic" overseas locations, Teesside Crown Court heard.

Opening a trial on Tuesday, prosecutor Stephen McNally told jurors of the drugs find on April 21, 2016.

He said "a frankly staggering amount of Class A drugs" were discovered along with 35 encrypted mobile devices in a hired BMW stopped on the M26 near Kent.

"The police recovered from that vehicle 103kg of Class A drugs, 60kg of heroin, 43kg of cocaine," said Mr McNally.

"That BMW contained drugs with a potential street value of more than £10m.

"That consignment of drugs had been delivered to the south of England by helicopter. That's right - helicopter."

'Heading to Stockton, heading to Norton, heading to Redcar'

The Crown barrister told of the off-radar drop of "extraordinarily valuable cargo" as the trial of five men and one woman began.

Michael Butcher, 55, John Eddy, 29, Andrew Hill, 55, Joseph Hulme, 51, Daniel Perry, 33, and Emma Newton, 36, deny conspiring to supply Class A drugs between August 2015 and May 2016.

Mr McNally said the six in the dock were not accused of being involved in the helicopter delivery.

"The prosecution case is that some of those drugs brought into the UK on that helicopter were heading to the streets of the north-east, heading to Stockton, heading to Norton, heading to Redcar.

"Some of those, we say, were going to be sold onwards in this area with the knowledge, the help and the involvement of these six defendants.

"This was a sophisticated and well-organised operation."

He said the accused six were identified as part of a larger investigation, codenamed Operation Spoonbill.

The police identified six helicopter flights connected to the drugs operation, which had "tentacles and customers that extended to different areas in the UK", the court heard on Tuesday.

Jurors were told of other seizures involving people not on trial, including £230,000 cash and 16kg of cocaine and more encrypted phones from a home and a van in September 2016.

A large amount of Ecstasy tablets, cocaine and a chemical used to bulk out cocaine and more than £5,000 cash were found in April 2016.

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Alleged roles of the accused

Newton, of Derby Avenue, Acklam, Middlesbrough, is accused of helping one of the organisers of the network.

Perry, of Stockdale Avenue, Redcar, is accused of being a dealer who received large quantities of drugs. He broke a mobile phone as police found £2,000 cash at his home in January 2018, said Mr McNally.

Eddy, of Waterford Road, Norton, is accused of being a courier making trips for drugs transactions.

The other three accused men are from Blackpool. It is alleged Hulme was a supplier, Hill a courier, and Butcher in contact with the north-east "team".

Jurors were told they would hear "layers of evidence" including telephone data, automatic number plate recognition and surveillance.

"The prosecution will invite you to infer and conclude that the evidence shows each of these defendants' involvement in the drugs conspiracy," added Mr McNally.

"The defendants, on the other hand, will say in short the prosecution have drawn the wrong inference, they've put two and two together and they've made five.

"That will ultimately be the issue for you to determine when you begin your deliberations."

Others have been convicted or pleaded guilty to their involvements, the court was told.

Proceeding