Newcomen Way Colchester 'drug exchange' heard by court

Police saw 60-year-old Neranjan Persaud park his car in Newcomen Way, Colchester, at about 8am on December 7 last year before speaking to the driver of an articulated lorry which had stopped nearby, Ipswich Crown Court heard.

The lorry driver, 63-year-old Kryzstof Bakowski, had put on a pair of gloves before going to the rear of the lorry and giving a thumbs up sign to Persaud who was in his car, said Gareth Hughes, prosecuting.

Persaud was then seen to carry five identical cardboard boxes to his car before police intervened and arrested him and Bakowski.

Action - the police swooped in on the lorries in Newcomen Way, Colchester (Image: Newsquest)

Persaud allegedly told police: “It’s all cocaine. I got told to collect it. I only got paid £250 a day to do this”.

He allegedly said he had got involved after getting into debt and that he and his family had been threatened, said Mr Hughes.

He said the boxes of drugs contained 50 one kilo packages of high-quality cocaine with a wholesale value of £1.3 to £1.5 million.

He said the drugs, which had a dog's face and the word "Pitbull" on the packaging, had a potential street value of between £4 and £6 million.

Investigation - a police car parked in Newcomen Way (Image: Newsquest)

Mr Hughes alleged that a week before his arrest in Colchester, Persaud had delivered a carrier bag containing one kilo of cocaine to a man in Letchworth.

Persaud, of London and Bakowski, of no fixed address, have denied being knowingly involved in the illegal importation of 50kg of cocaine on December 7 last year.

They have also both denied being concerned in the supply of 50kg of cocaine on December 7 last year and Persaud has denied being concerned in the supply of just under one kilo of cocaine on November 30 last year

• The trial continues