DRUGS at the centre of an Oxford Crown Court trial had a street value of £24m, police have said.

The total figure was revealed after the last of five men was convicted on Tuesday of conspiracy to supply 21kg of Class A drugs between January 9 and February 10.

Martin Gray, 32, of Randolph Avenue, Woodstock, Yemi Aiyegbusi, 35, of Walton Street, Oxford, and David Bowen, 42, of Mumford Drive, Northampton, pleaded guilty on Thursday, July 24, to conspiracy to supply heroin and cocaine.

Hakan Razaki, 42, from Prunuslaan, Aandijk, in the Netherlands, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply heroin and cocaine on Friday, September 5.

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On Tuesday a jury found Shorne Ross, 41, of Mumford Drive, Northampton, guilty of supplying heroin and cocaine.

Police seized 14kg of cocaine and 7kg of heroin, along with £50,000 in cash, a hydraulic press and various drug paraphernalia during a series of raids on homes and vehicles on Monday, March 10.

They spotted Ross and Bowen driving a Fiat Doblo van to an M20 service station to meet Razaki in a Dutch-registered lorry.

Bowen was seen returning with a holdall, which he put in the vehicle.

Police later stopped the pair on the M40 near High Wycombe and officers found 13kg of cocaine and 2kg of heroin.

Gray was arrested the same day in his car at a Shell garage in Marlow Road, High Wycombe, while police stopped Razaki from leaving the country at Dover docks and arrested him.

They asked Dutch police to search his home, where they found 42,000 euros stashed.

Officers raided Aiyegbusi’s Walton Street home, where they found more than £40,000, cocaine, heroin and a mixing agent. He was arrested the following day.

During a raid on Gray’s Woodstock home, police found 5kg of heroin in a Next carrier bag, a hydraulic press, a money counting machine and drug paraphernalia in his garage.

Det Insp Rachel Turner said the arrests followed an investigation by Thames Valley Police’s serious organised crime unit (SOCU).

She said: “We are pleased that we have been able to disrupt the supply of drugs in the Oxford area and bring these men to justice.”

Oxford LPA commander Supt Christian Bunt said: “This was a lengthy and complex operation by officers from across the Thames Valley and other forces.

“It also included a collaboration with the Dutch police.

“All of this has led to the successful conviction of these men and the dismantling of their drug supply network across the Oxford area.”

The men will be sentenced at a later date, yet to be confirmed.

Operation Bilbo was launched by the police in 2012 to tackle drug dealing and has seen 68 dealers sent to prison for a total of 162 years.

The special drugs team has seized £230,000 of class A drugs and £81,500 in drug money in Oxford since January.


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