‘Cocaine figures don’t add up’

FIGURES presented by the prosecution in the trial of an alleged cocaine gang do not add up, according to the defence.

In his closing speech at Cardiff Crown Court, defence barrister John Hipkin suggested the numbers involved were more consistent with cannabis than cocaine.

He questioned “why on earth bother?” [with cannabis] if his client John Knight and co-defendants were “making millions” with cocaine, as suggested by the prosecution.

Knight have and Lyndon Evans admitted conspiring to supply the Class B drug cannabis. But they, along with Jason Theobold and Lec Gjoka, deny the same charge relating to the Class A drug cocaine.

In his closing speech, prosecutor Matthew Cobbe asked the jury to take a step back and look at the whole picture.

He said: “The picture, I would suggest to you, is crystal clear – wholesale amounts of cocaine coming down the M4 to south Wales.”

Prosecutors allege Knight and Theobold were the “main organisers” of the operation locally, collecting cocaine from Gjoka based in London.

They say Evans and another defendant Stuart Jarman drove to collect the drugs.

The court previously heard Jarman was stopped by police at a service station on the M4 on March 15 and found to have 2kg of cocaine in his van.

Mr Hipkin said that was a separate incident and nothing to do with his client.

Knight states his communication with the other defendants was about cannabis growing equipment, not cocaine.

But Mr Cobbe dismissed that account as “complete nonsense”.

Prosecutors allege there were eight drug runs to London before Jarman was intercepted.

But Mr Hipkin told the jury that would mean the alleged conspirators had acquired cocaine with a potential street value of more than £3m.

The court previously heard police recovered £17,000 from Knight’s address.

Mr Hipkin said: “This level of money is far more consistent with cannabis than with cocaine.”

He stressed his client did not make any mention of cocaine when police installed a secret listening device in his car.

Jarman, 41, from Garden City in Rhymney, previously admitted conspiring to supply cocaine and cannabis.

Knight, 36, from Pleasant Street; Theobold, 42, from Hill Street, Rhymney; Evans, 37, from Union Street, Ammanford; and Gjoka, 42, from Fairlands Court, Blackheath, London, deny conspiring to supply cocaine.

Co-defendant Anthony Vobe, 41, from Tregynllaeth Farm, Ammanford, also denied the charge and Judge Eleri Rees ordered there was no case to answer for him. He admitted the cannabis charge.

The trial continues.