TWO men involved in the supply of a large amount of cocaine were warned to face substantial prison sentences.

It follows the recovery of a haul of the class A drug, found on the back seat of a car stopped by police at the Red Lion pub, at Plawsworth, near Chester-le-Street, on September 17 last year.

Durham Crown Court was told the cocaine, in two uncovered packages, under a havasack, weighed almost 2 kilograms and was of 73-per cent purity, about three times that of standard deals.

Sold in bulk it would fetch about £150,000, but in street-sale terms, at much lower purity, it was said to have a potential estimated value of £300,000.

The car driver, Wayne Bruce, who initially denied knowledge of the packages, pleaded ‘guilty’ to a charge of possession of a class A drug, with intent to supply, at a hearing at the court in December.

Sentence was adjourned pending preparation of a background report by the Probation Service on 32-year-old Bruce, of Cedarwood Grove, Sunderland.

He was remanded in custody by Judge Christopher Prince, who warned him that guidelines for cases involving recovery of such levels of drugs suggest a starting point for sentence of between eight and 11 years.

But, before Bruce was sentenced, a co-accused subsequently appeared at the court in connection with the drug recovery.

Alexander Anthony Dobbing previously denied an offence of conspiring with Wayne Bruce and others, unknown, to supply class A drugs, between August 5 and September 18, last year.

But, appearing via video link from Holme House Prison, at Stockton, today (Thursday April 24), 35-year-old Dobbing, of Burdon Walk, Castle Eden, near Peterlee, changed his plea to ‘guilty’.

Defence counsel Tony Davis asked for preparation of pre-sentence reports on Dobbing, but added: “It was Mr Bruce who was arrested at the car, but the telecommunications evidence reveals the extent of the conspiracy involving my client and others unknown.

“It’s implicit that a pre-sentence report and some medical evidence is considered prior to sentence, but the defendant appreciates there is no other avenue in this case other than custody.”

Adjourning to allow the reports to be drawn up, Judge Prince told Dobbing: “Obviously there will be a custodial sentence, it’s just a case of how long?”

Dobbing was remanded back to custody pending sentence, with Bruce, on May 16.