£200,000 crack cocaine factory 'was found in Bradford apartment' (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)
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£200,000 crack cocaine factory 'was found in Bradford apartment'
7:00am Friday 27th July 2012 in News By Jenny Loweth, T&A Reporter
The Silens Works building where an apartment was raided by police
Police smashed their way into a Bradford city centre flat to discover a crack cocaine manufacturing business and seized more than £200,000 of drugs, a jury heard.
The “highly addictive” drug was being processed at an apartment in Silens Works, Peckover Street, Little Germany, and a 25-tonne hydraulic press, discovered in a bedroom, made it into bars to sell on, Bradford Crown Court was told.
Prosecutor Adrian Dent told a jury yesterday that five men and a woman had pleaded guilty to offences connected to the illegal operation.
On trial, denying any involvement, are Craig Smithies, 42, of Brownroyd Hill Road, Wibsey , Bradford; Daniel Crowley, 28, of Longfield Grove, Pudsey , and Ben Bateman, 23, of Sewell Road, Laisterdyke , Bradford.
All three plead not guilty to possession of cocaine and crack cocaine with intent to supply and production of crack cocaine, between June 23 and July 8 last year.
Mr Dent said the apartment was rented to store cocaine powder and process it into crack cocaine “away from prying eyes”.
On June 23 last year, the police set up a surveillance operation using a hidden camera to monitor who came and went at the premises.
On July 7, 2011, officers raided the apartment and seized crack cocaine with a £58,000 street value in a baking tray on the kitchen unit.
A mixing bowl contained cocaine powder with a potential value of £102,000.
The court heard that crack cocaine is made by a baking process involving bicarbonate of soda.
Cocaine found hidden elsewhere on the premises was valued at more than £40,000.
Mr Dent said electronic scales, drums of bulking agent and women’s tights, used to store cocaine powder, were also seized.
The jury was told that Carlin Asquith, 26, of Holme Wood View, Bradford, Michael Cogley, 32, of Tong Road, Leeds, and David Towers, 22, of Landseer Mount, Bramley, were arrested at the flat after arriving in a BMW.
They had all pleaded guilty to the three offences, along with Tarendeep Takhar, 23, and Kyle Broadbent, 24, both of Tyersal Road, Tyersal, Bradford.
Sinead Brown, 21, of Meadway, Woodside , Bradford, had admitted permitting premises to be used for producing crack cocaine.
Mr Dent alleged that the “overwhelming inference” was that anyone going in and out of the flat must have known that substantial quantities of crack cocaine were being manufactured there.
The trial continues.
