SEVEN men accused of involvement in a cocaine dealing plot have been remanded in custody.
All are accused of conspiracy to supply almost £44,000 worth of the class A drug following an operation by Gloucestershire police earlier this week.
Gloucester men Mohammed Tagari, 42, of Blenheim Road; Richard Neil Hoskins, 26, of Howard Street; Kieran Cox, 21, of Hartland Road, all in Tredworth; Aaron Warmington, 26, of Elmleaze in Elmbridge; Kyle Ashley Silk, 25, of Linden Road; Mark Ian Jones, 27, of The Rushes in Tuffley; and Simone Cicilloni, 41, of Boulter Crescent in Wigston, Leicester all appeared before Cheltenham Magistrates' Court yesterday morning.
Silk was also charged with production of cannabis and Jones was also charged with possession with intent to supply fluoromethcathinone, a class B 'designer' drug known as 3-fmc.
No pleas to any of the charges have been entered at this stage.
All seven are accused of being part of a plot in which a cutting agent for cocaine was alleged to have been ferried from Grimsby to Gloucester.
The court heard that the estimated street value of the cocaine seized was £43,890, but that could have run into several hundreds of thousands of pounds if mixed with the cutting agent and sold.
A number of warrants were instigated by Gloucestershire police and carried out in Gloucester, Leicester, Middlesex and Bedford this week.
District Judge Joti Bopa-Rai remanded all seven in custody ahead of a plea and case management hearing on August 22 at Gloucester Crown Court.