Detective tells court case of ‘two-tier’ cocaine market

A detective told a jury of a ‘two tier’ market for illegal drugs in the North East.

Detective Constable Karl Hopps was giving evidence in the trial of eight men accused of dealing cocaine in an area stretching from Hartlepool to South Shields.

Det Con Hopps said he has worked for Durham Police for 22 years and that, in that time, hehastakenpartinmanydrugs investigations, and he has undertaken numerous courses.

He said: “I consider myself qualified to comment on the drugs trade,” he said.

“In the case of Class A drugs such as cocaine, there is almost a two-tier market.Lower quantities at lesser purity, higher quantities at higher purity. A street deal at 1g would sell for £60 to £100, depending on purity. Today that would be between 15% and 25% pure.

“That’s gone up a little over the last few years. It was more like 10% to 20% at the time of this case in 2015. I have seen deals as low as 1%.”

DetConHoppstoldthecourt cocaine is produced abroad, usually South America.

“It comes from plant matter,” he said. “You need a great deal of plant matter to produce a kilo. The higher the purity of the seized drug, the close you are to the importer.”

Prosecutors allege 41-yearold Gary Mitchell of South Hetton was the leader of a ring of dealers. Durham Police kept watch on the gang for months, observing meetings between members. Investigators catalogued thousands of mobile phone calls and text messages between the gang.

The following each deny conspiracy to supply Class A drugs between August, 2015, and July 2016: Gary Mitchell, 41, of Pinedale, South Hetton, Steven Horner, 23, of Frederick Terrace, SouthHetton,ChristopherHickson, 34, of Gloucester Terrace, Haswell,DeanPringle,34,ofLittle Eden,Peterlee;GrahamWilding, 32, of Warren Road, Hartlepool, AlanBaines,32,ofStocktonRoad, Hartlepool, Darren Gates, 48, of Chaucer Avenue, South Shields.