Breaking Bad-style drugs gang with three men from Black Country facing jail

The case was likened to the American TV series which features a teacher dying from cancer who sets up a factory to supply the synthetic drug.

Gang leader George Rogers, 78, a cancer sufferer from Brislington, Bristol, masterminded the drugs plot, Bristol Crown Court heard.

Two men from West Bromwich and one from Walsall were among the gang, which will be sentenced at a later date.

The court was told Rogers masterminded the plot while serving a prison sentence.

The trial heard that he and David Nash from Redcliffe, Bristol were behind the audacious plan and even sourced the required chemicals and laboratory equipment to set up the crystal meths production line.

When he met up with fellow gang members Harish Chander, 48, of Monmouth Drive, West Bromwich, and Garry Gooda, 46, of Shefford, he did not know police were monitoring him.

Officers used covert filming and recording equipment during the surveillance operation to catch the deals unfolding.

The jury heard the gang had obtained 1kg of cocaine and the £60,000 profits from its sale were to pay for the chemicals and equipment, with some to be imported from the Netherlands.

Needing someone to cook up the chemicals to make the drug, the gang recruited 61-year-old Nash.

But before he could start work police arrested the gang on the M5 near Bristol and seized the cocaine.

Rogers, Chander, Gooda and Nash were all found guilty of conspiring to supply class A drugs.

Also convicted were Popinder Kandola, 55, of Walsall and Wojciech Kolodziejczyk 27, of West Bromwich along with Carl Thomas, 45 of Tredworth, Gloucester, Stephen Williams, 58, of Brislington, Bristol,

Kandola was convicted of conspiracy to produce MDMA (ecstasy) and amphetamine and Kolodziejcski of conspiracy to produce amphetamine

All apart from Thomas remain in custody until sentencing, which will take place at Bristol Crown Court at a later date.

Stephen Mooney, prosecuting, said: "Each of these defendants were involved in a number of agreements or conspiracies to supply or produce controlled drugs.

"These agreements, had they remained undetected, would have led to these defendants establishing one or more laboratories in which ecstasy, crystal meth and amphetamine would have been produced.

"It is likely that the proceeds of the sale of cocaine would have been invested in the purchase of chemicals from which the drugs set out in counts two to four would have been manufactured."

Police have hailed the convictions as sending out a message that drugs gangs like this will eventually be brought down.

The three-month trial heard that hours of footage had been recorded to build up a case against the men.

Det Insp Jim Taylor of Avon and Somerset Police said: "Crystal meth is fairly uncommon in this country.

He added: "We are extremely pleased with the decision of the court. The decision sends out a strong message that those involved in illegal drugs activity in the south west have no hiding place.

"They will be found and brought to justice."

The convictions followed an 18-month investigation, spearheaded by Zephyr, the South West regional organised crime unit.

The gang was foiled by Zephyr detectives, who were working in collaboration with Avon and Somerset police neighbourhood teams, West Midlands Police, Bedfordshire Police and the National Crime Agency.

Police recorded in-car conversations and used telephone call analysis to work out who was talking to who, the court heard.

During one meeting in a layby near Leyhill open prison a police officer was standing in a nearby field listening to a conversation on the sourcing and pricing of chemicals.

Another man, Ryan Kelly, admitted at a previous hearing, conspiracy to supply cocaine.

Rogers and Chander were convicted of conspiracy to produce MDMA (ecstasy) methamphetamine, amphetamine and conspiracy to supply cocaine.

But Gooda was found not guilty of conspiracy to produce MDMA.