£40 million worth of cocaine, heroin and cannabis hidden in fruit and veg seized by police was just 'tip of the iceberg', jury told

An international drugs gang imported 'vast' amounts of cocaine, heroin and cannabis into the UK hidden in lorries of fruit and vegetables, jurors heard. Police seized 450 kilos of heroin and cocaine and more than two tonnes of cannabis, with a total street value of £39.5 million.

Prosecutors say the seizures were the tip of an 'extremely large iceberg'. The authorities intercepted six loads containing drugs, but claim that the gang were responsible for more than 200 shipments.

Now 11 men have gone on trial at Manchester Crown Court accused of being involved in the gang, including four from Greater Manchester. They all deny drugs offences, and the trial is expected to last for seven months.

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Prosecutors allege Paul Green, said to have had expensive cars and took holidays to Portgual, was the 'ringleader' of the outfit. He was described as the 'puppet master' who 'pulled the strings' of those lower down the chain.

Prosecuting, Andrew Thomas QC alleged that Green ran a 'transport service' to import drugs from the Netherlands into the UK. His alleged gang later formed an 'alliance' with a Dutch outfit to work together on drugs importations, Mr Thomas claimed.

"For the most part, the drugs were hidden in pallet loads of foodstuffs and shipped under the cover of bogus import businesses," Mr Thomas said.

The shipments were made using 'bogus' companies with names including Pot Fresh, Blackpool Fruit and Veg, Europroduce, Mr Thomas said. "The prosecution say that these defendants used those business names as a cover, they hid their drugs all with the intention of making it difficult to detect what they were doing," Mr Thomas said.

He alleged that Mr Green