FOUR alleged drug dealers are on trial accused of flooding the streets of Newport and other British cities with heroin worth £22 million.

Harri Pullen, Ryan O’Connor, Jan Serafin and Nicholas Evans are alleged to be players in a conspiracy with connected networks in Cardiff, Caerphilly, Plymouth and Gloucester.

Newport Crown Court heard how this alleged criminal empire was run from Liverpool and operated on an “industrial scale” throughout Wales and England.

Prosecutor Andrew Jones told the jury: “This is a case about drug dealing and the people who are involved in executing those deals.

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“Drug dealing committed on a significant if not industrial scale.

“This trial focusses on the activities of two organised crime groups (OCGs) involved in the widespread supply of heroin.

“But this case is not just about these two groups as they only form part of a much wider picture – a wholesale distribution network that ran nationwide with its core based in Liverpool.”

Mr Jones added: “This nationwide consortium of OCSs controlled a significant proportion of the Newport and Plymouth drugs trade.

“Their activities extended beyond those two areas – there were also OCGs in Cardiff, Caerphilly and Gloucester that were all part of this widespread nationwide drugs network.”

Pullen, aged 21, of Crouch Close, Bettws, Newport, O’Connor, aged 24, of Sullivan Circle, Newport, Jan Serafin, aged 27, of Greene Close, Newport and Nicholas Evans, aged 27, of Highglen Drive, Plymouth, have denied their involvement.

They all pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to supply a class A drug between April and December 2018.

Mr Jones told the court: “An experienced drugs squad officer has estimated that those involved in this conspiracy all contributed to the sum of 232.5kg of heroin being distributed throughout the United Kingdom.

“In monetary terms, these groups and their members were responsible for putting almost £22 million pounds worth of heroin onto the streets in just over nine months.”

The prosecution claims that Pullen, O’Connor and Serafin acted as drug couriers.

Mr Jones said that Evans is a “Plymouth-based drug dealer” who was “involved in furthering the criminal enterprise”.

He added: “The conspiracy covers a time frame of just over nine months. On the basis of calculations done from the number of trips to collect drugs and the amount of drugs recovered in individual seizures, the amount of drugs involved can only be described as large scale industrial drug dealing.”

Ffion Tomos is also a prosecutor in the case.

The jury of five men and seven women have retired to begin their deliberations.

The trial judge is Richard Williams.

Proceeding.