Three men face trial over claims they supplied cocaine

Trio were arrested in Plymouth and London after police carried out simultaneous raids - including on a Plymouth convenience store

Three men have been remanded into custody after appearing at Plymouth Magistrates' Court on charges of conspiracy to supply class A drugs.

The men were arrested by officers from the Metropolitan Police and Plymouth police who carried out simultaneous raids at properties in the two cities last month.

Officers forced their way into one property in in Walthamstow at 7am September 30 where two men were arrested. At the same time officers from Plymouth's Proactive Policing Team bashed down the door of a property above the Bucharest minimart store in Mutley Plain and two more men were arrested.

Moments later Plymouth officers attended Edgar Terrace and arrested two more men as they approached a car. Searches of the properties and vehicles resulted in the seizure of a sizeable amount of cash and a quantity of suspected class A cocaine. Officers also seized a Kia Sportage from Edgar Terrace and a Nissan Qashqai from Mutley Plain.

Three men were later released on police bail.

Arlind Nezaj, aged 30 of Orford Road, Walthamstow was later charged with conspiracy to supply class A cocaine and possession of criminal property - namely cash while Bekim Hilaj, aged 33 of Mutley Plain was charged with conspiracy to supply class A cocaine.

Halil Doda, aged 30, originally from Geraldine Road, Birmingham, was charged with conspiracy to supply class A cocaine and possession of criminal property - namely cash.

All three appeared at Plymouth Magistrates' Court on October 2. No pleas were entered and all three were remanded into custody before a plea and trial preparation hearing at Plymouth Crown Court on November 4.

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