Police busted a big Trans-Pennine drugs supply ring when they swooped on a car delivering cocaine from Manchester to Bradford, a court heard.

The Skoda Octavia stopped on the M606 was ferrying drugs and cash from a “warehouse” where high purity cocaine, crack cocaine and heroin was stored and crack cocaine produced.

The front seat passenger in the Skoda, Ifeanyi Odunze, had a red leather bag in the foot-well between his feet that contained eight packets of cocaine and £410 in cash, prosecutor Jess Butterell told Bradford Crown Court.

He was today jailed for three years after he pleaded guilty to three counts of possession with intent to supply Class A drugs, production of crack cocaine and possession of more than £9,000 as criminal property.

After he was arrested, the police found the key to a flat in Manchester in his pocket.

A raid on that address uncovered a drugs storage warehouse where crack cocaine was manufactured.

Miss Butterell said other men were present when the police searched the flat. They seized £8,620 in cash, cocaine, crack cocaine, heroin, scales, bicarbonate of soda and a dealer list.

Odunze, 35, of Aspenwood Drive, Blackley, Manchester, was linked to the drugs ware-house by his DNA and fingerprints.

The letting agent recognised him as the man who always paid the rent in cash.

He at first denied any knowledge of the drugs, saying he didn’t know what was in the bag, but went on to admit his involvement in the operation.

Odunze’s barrister, Daniel Prowse, said that a number of men were working for the drugs ring.

“This was not a one-man band,” he told the court.

Others were at the flat when the police raided it.

Odunze was at a high risk of being caught because he was the courier and the man who turned up to pay the rent.

Mr Prowse said he had fled from Nigeria and been given leave to stay in the United Kingdom.

He had a wife and children and turned to drug dealing in desperation because they were very short of money.

Odunze had engineering qualifications but he was forced to borrow money and he be-came depressed and in debt.

He was in custody on remand and had waited more than a year to be sentenced because his co-accused went to trial. That man was subsequently cleared by a jury at Bradford Crown Court.

Judge David Hatton QC said Odunze was active in an operation that warehoused, pre-pared and distributed “serious and harmful drugs.”

“You undoubtedly played a significant part in the operation,” he said.

A Proceeds of Crime timetable was set by Judge Hatton with a confiscation hearing listed for September 6.