A “Mr Big” drugs baron serving 16 years for trafficking £3 million of heroin across Bradford wants a gold Rolex watch and jewellery seized from him by the police to go back to his Italian family, a court heard.

Daniele Spinola and an accomplice were caught with the biggest-ever single haul of class A drugs recovered in West Yorkshire as they drove through Girlington in a black Mercedes CLK convertible and a black Audi A4.

In July 2011, Spinola, 55, was convicted by a jury at Bradford Crown Court of conspiracy to supply heroin and conspiracy to possess amphetamine with intent to supply.

A confiscation hearing under the Proceeds of Crime Act ruled that he netted £3.6 million from his criminality.

Spinola is paying back his ill-gotten gains from his pension fund but the police want to sell £4,830 worth of his jewellery, including the watch, to add to the pot.

Spinola, who declined to appear in court yesterday, wants more time for his family in Italy to buy the family heirlooms.

His barrister cited difficulties caused by him being locked up and the fact that his relatives did not speak English.

Judge John Potter described Spinola’s reason for the delay as “not an impressive explanation” but extended the deadline for the family to come up with the money until May 23.

If it is not available by then, the police can sell the watch and jewellery.

Spinola, a restaurant boss from Manchester, was arrested transporting five sports bags containing 120 blocks of heroin in the boot of his Audi.

Jewellery and cash were later seized from him but financial investigators found it difficult to free up shares in properties in the Caribbean that were tied up in a self-invested personal pension scheme.

When police raided Spinola’s home, protected by electronic gates, they found documents relating to a Bentley GT, Porsche Cayenne and Ferrari Modena, as well as the gold Rolex watch.

Ampthetamines with a street value of £656,000 were found in the attic of one of his Italian restaurants.