A Wickford man will stand trial on Monday accused of conspiring to import cannabis worth £2.45 million.
Loy Pearce, 54, a foreman of Wick Drive, Wickford, will stand trial alongside five other men including Robert Fenner, 51, a haulier from Bedford Road, Laindon, Gary Rosier, 38, a car trader of Ballards Walk, Basildon and Paul Shrimpton, 59, a builder of New Waverley Road, Basildon.
They will appear at Southampton Crown Court charged with conspiring to import 491 kilos of cannabis from South Africa through Southampton docks.
The arrests, which took place over the past 14 months, followed a joint operation by the Southampton branch office of the National Crime Squad and customs.
The cannabis, contained in ten metal boxes inside three wooden crates, was seized at an address in Billericay on the same day Fenner was arrested.
The other two men charged are Paul Nicholls, 34, a roofer of Chalfont Road, Edmonton, North London, and jobless Robert Orley, 52, of Sutton Court Road, Plaistow, East London.
Converted for the new archive on 19 November 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article