Group concealed kilos of cocaine and heroin in generators and engines - trial Anthony Sheridan, 45, Keith Shea, 53, Mark Peers, 61, William Armstrong, 44, Mark Pickthall, 40, and Andrew White, 45, each deny importing class A drugs (Image: MEN Media ) A group imported huge amounts of cocaine and heroin concealed in generators and engines into the UK, prosecutors allege. Five men are alleged to have conspired to import 28 separate consignments into the country using legitimate haulage companies from Belgium and Holland, a court had heard. ‌ In March 2019, and twice in June of the same year, their consignments were intercepted by law enforcement. In it they found packages of drugs concealed within, the combined value of which was estimated to be around £5m, it was said. Article continues below In examining the consignments, investigators were able to determine how they were booked and paid for, and by whom; the travel patterns; communication between defendants, details of addresses and details of the other 25 alleged imports, jurors were told. Anthony Sheridan, 45, Keith Shea, 53, Mark Peers, 61, William Armstrong, 44, Mark Pickthall, 40, and Andrew White, 45, each deny conspiring to fraudulently evade the prohibition on the importation of class A drugs and are on trial at Manchester Crown Court. Join our Court and Crime WhatsApp group HERE ‌ Opening the case for the prosecution, prosecutor Alexander Leach KC said: “Anthony Sheridan was an organising mind in the conspiracy. He arranged and paid for importations of generators, using legitimate hauliers. “He organised and paid for the movement of conspirators across the country and into Holland and Belgium, where cocaine was loaded into the generators that were to be imported. He arranged premises for and liaised directly with those responsible for receiving and warehousing the drugs once in the UK.” Mr Shea was said to be an ‘experienced drug dealer’, said Mr Leach. It is alleged that he travelled to Northern Europe ‘over and over again’ during the course of the conspiracy, to organise the concealment of cocaine and heroin within the generators. ‌ He then organised the transport, receipt, collection and warehousing of the drugs after it was received in the United Kingdom, prosecutors allege. “Mark Peers is also an experienced drug dealer and, as you will hear, one of his previous convictions relates to a conspiracy to supply drugs alongside Keith Shea. Mark Peers, William Armstrong and Mark Pickthall were responsible for the movement of generators as cover-loads and of cocaine,” Mr Leach KC continued. “They relied upon commercial vehicles, and travelled by air, road and by ferry crossings, to and from Northern Europe and across the north of the UK. They transported generators packed with drugs to and from depots operated by international hauliers, in this country and in Northern Europe.” ‌ Mr White is alleged to have helped Mr Sheridan by acquiring at least one of the generators that was used as a cover. Jurors were told that the defendants believed they were participating in ‘lawful business’ and maintained that the drugs must have been imported by others. Mr Leach told the court that Mr Sheridan used haulage companies with names that were intended to give the impression that he was involved in the generator business. ‌ (Image: MEN Media ) These included NXG Engineering, NXG Cars Ltd and Generator Power Ltd. “Importantly, the prosecution say, the financial and tax records for the businesses used by Antony Sheridan revealed nothing like the kind of activity that you would expect to find for companies routinely importing and exporting generators as part of a legitimate business,” said the prosecutor. ‌ “In order to complete the importations, the conspiracy engaged the services of eight legitimate haulage companies. The conspirators did not, however, source and purchase all the generators that they were to import on mainland Europe. “Instead, as you’ll see from the shipping records in this case, the conspirators exported generators from the UK, to Belgium. Once in Belgium, generators that had been sent there from the UK could be packed with drugs, before being imported back, through Holland, and ultimately to the North West.” Between October 18 2018 and March 20 2019, the group allegedly exported, and then imported, 16 consignments of generators from the North West to Belgium and back. ‌ However, a few days later, officers intercepted a consignment which was found to contain a total of 31kg of cocaine. As a result, the defendants allegedly ‘modified’ their methods, instead arranging for hauliers to collect the generators that had been packed with drugs from their premises in Belgium. They then began delivering the consignments directly to the haulage deports, for onward transportation. The importations came to an end when, in June 2019, two further consignments were intercepted and found to contain cocaine and heroin, jurors heard. Mr Sheridan, of Cambridge Road, Birkenhead; Mr Shea, of Parkdale, Caldy; Mr Armstrong, of Seaview Road, Wallasey; Mr Peers, of Norbreck Close, Warrington; Mr Pickthall, of Lathom Avenue, Wallasey; and Mr White, of Marlowe Road, Wallasey each deny conspiracy to import class A drugs. Article continues below Prosecutors will continue to outline their case on Monday, April 28. Proceeding