A gang of drug dealers who shipped more than £1m worth of narcotics and armed themselves with an arsenal of weapons were intent on expanding their empire, a court heard.

Three men from the North East joined forces with a Glaswegian to sell cannabis and cocaine in the region.

Hundreds of messages were recovered from mobile phones belonging to the gang showing their efforts to source drugs and weapons, Teesside Crown Court heard.

Lee Moore, Charles Dodkins and Daniel Snowdon were operating out of the Redcar area with the support of William Brown who was making the connections in Glasgow and Manchester.

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Anthony Pettengell, prosecuting, said weapons and ammunition were recovered by police following a raid on Dodkins’ home on Staithes Road, Redcar, on August 9, 2021.

Officers found a de-commissioned handgun, a replica Colt, two self-loading semi-automatic weapons and a silencer hidden inside a bag with some ammunition. Mr Pettengell conceded that none of the ammunition was for any of the weapons seized and there was no evidence they had been used by the gang.

The court heard how £12,300 worth of cocaine was recovered along with a £10,500 Rolex watch and £18,000 in cash stuffed inside a beanbag seat.

A book was also seized which showed deals totalling around £1m had been carried out by the gang, Mr Pettengell added.

A series of messages between 48-year-old Moore and 31-year-old Brown showed the pair regularly talked about drug deals and sourcing weapons or body armour.

Martin Sharpe, representing 29-year-old Dodkins, now of Barsby Green, Middlesbrough, said the defendants pre-sentence report highlighted what had landed his client in the middle of the conspiracy.

He added: “The firearms and ammunition were only in his house for 45 minutes and that will factor in with the information that the police had to carry out the raid that day.

“He says the reason they were in his house was for his own protection.”

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Rod Hunt, representing Moore, of Queensbury Close, Redcar, said his client’s life descended into criminality in his 40s and still has the support of his family.

He added: “He said ‘When I was arrested, I think it saved my life’ – how sad is that? When one looks through this miserable set of factors, there is one silver lining to these clouds.”

Ian Mullarkey, representing 42-year-old Snowdon, of Westfield Way, Redcar, said the father-of-two’s decline into drug use was behind his involvement in the drug conspiracy.

Brown, of Langside Road, Glasgow, and the three other defendants will be sentenced on Tuesday (May 30) morning by Judge Chris Smith.