POLICE smashed a substantial drugs conspiracy in an operation involving months of covert surveillance across West Yorkshire, a jury heard today.

Officers seized ten kilos of "cutting" agents, a drugs press and heroin, cocaine and cash being transported between Bradford and Huddersfield, Bradford Crown Court was told.

In the dock are Rizwan Arshad, 33, of Lower Rushton Road, Thornbury, Bradford; Abbas Sohrabi, 29, of Arncliffe Road, Eastmoor, Wakefield and Fezan Mahmood, 22, also of Lower Rushton Road.

All three deny conspiracy to supply heroin, cocaine and crack cocaine.

Prosecutor David Hall told the court that Arshad was alleged to be one of those running and organising the conspiracy.

He and two other men, not before the court, were said to be the major players and very careful not to have significant quantities of drugs in their possession.

The jury was told that Arshad was blind and partially deaf.

Mr Hall said that Sohrabi and Mahmood were among others working on behalf of the trio at a lesser level.

He told the jury that those further down tended to be the ones caught with the drugs and cutting agents.

The court heard that much of the case was based on covert surveillance, video footage and still photographs of those said to be involved.

On August 14 last year, a plastic tub containing ten kilos of alleged drugs cutting agents was seized by the police from a house in Bradford, along with wraps of heroin, bags and scales.

Police observations between then and January 16, when all major suspected conspirators were arrested, tracked what the Crown said were drugs transactions involving a range of different people and vehicles.

In September last year, a kilo of cocaine of 92 per cent purity was seized from a car on the M62.

Mr Hall said that if cut to the usual street deal purity of 33 per cent, the drug would amount to three kilos.

Packs of disposable gloves and a red dealer book were also found in the car, the jury was told.

Judge Jonathan Durham Hall QC said there were originally to be 11 defendants on trial in connection with the conspiracy.

The case would have lasted well into next month but was now expected to finish next week.

The trial continues.