A CRIMINAL gang operating a £30m cannabis ring met numbered customers using Swindon postcodes sent to pre-paid mobile phones, a court heard yesterday.

It is alleged the head of the gang is David Barnes, 41, of New Hayward Farm, Hungerford, with his right-hand man Michael Woodage, 51, of Hartley Meadows, Whitchurch, Hampshire.

Christopher Wills, 29, of Sparrow Close, Wokingham and Stephen Docking, 45, of Northfleet, Kent, are accused of delivering the Class-B drug to their customers. All four men deny conspiracy to supply cannabis.

They are alleged to have conducted their “sophisticated” operation from a derelict building at Poplar Farm in Wanborough, prosecutor Simon Edwards told Bristol Crown Court.

The prosecution claims a number of deals were carried out just a five-minute drive from the farm.

This, Mr Edwards said, was arranged by the texting of post codes to customers on pay-as-you-go phones. It includes SN3 3JW – a location for drug pick-ups in Kelvin Road, Greenbridge. Faraday Road in Dorcan and Kennedy Drive in Eldene were other meeting places, the prosecution said.

“Barnes coordinated large cannabis skunk deals going out of the farm,” said Mr Edwards.

“Ledgers show there was 10 tonnes of cannabis skunk during the time of the conspiracy.

“Postcodes were sent by text message using pre-paid mobile phones. This was to arrange a meeting place with the courier.”

He added: “All in all, this was a sophisticated, well coordinated and large scale operation.”

Mr Edwards said the couriers would never see Poplar Farm’s location after the gang would swap vehicles, drive back to the farm, load up the cannabis skunk and then drive it back.

Police raided Poplar Farm finding ledgers detailing 10 tonnes of cannabis skunk deals over the course of the nine-month conspiracy.

Officers also found £20,000 in cash, three money counting machines, vacuum packs and a CCTV recording system.

CCTV showed 540 hours of footage was captured between March 31 and April 25. Mr Edwards said the cameras were switched off for 30 minutes to a several hours at a time, so it wouldn’t record the drugs being packaged.

The gang’s own cameras showed Barnes and Woodage at the farm on a number of occasions. These video clips have been shown to the 12-person jury.

Police also found a scanning device, which was fully integrated counter-surveillance package designed to perform a through sweep of both premises and vehicles to a professional standard.

Another site with a striking similarity to the set-up of Poplar Farm was found by police at a unit in Whittonditch, Ramsbury. This the prosecution say is where the cannabis skunk was stored.

When Wills house was raided police found £228,000 in cash on March 16, last year. They also found a ledger detailing between £7m and £8m worth of drug deals.

Docking was stopped on the M4 driving towards London on April 24. A search of the vehicle found six large cardboard boxes containing cannabis skunk.

Woodage was arrested as he drove into Poplar Farm at 6am on April 25. An inspection of his van found two pallets wrapped in black wrapping and a number of large cardboard boxes. More than 200 kilograms of cannabis skunk was discovered.

Barnes, who leased Poplar Farm, was arrested by Heathrow Airport police on April 28. They found coded and deciphering numbers identical to those recovered at Poplar Farm on his person.

He also had £1,300 in cash, two mobile phones and a piece of paper with Dutch and English phone numbers on it. One of the numbers was marked “Lorry”.

This, the prosecution said, allowed him to coordinate proceedings with the Dutch flower lorry drivers bringing the cannabis skunk into the UK.

The case continues.