A JURY hearing the case against eight men accused of being members of a multi-million pound drug smuggling gang has been discharged.
Judge William Morris discharged the jury for legal reasons and made an order preventing publication of any details of the order.
Eight men, including Bolton man Paul Bell, all denied smuggling millions of pounds worth of cocaine, ecstasy and amphetamines into the North-west from the continent.
A new trial will start on November 25.
The defendants are Bell, aged 37, of Hardcastle Apartments, Bradshaw Hall Drive, Bradshaw, Gerald McLeish, aged 42, of Clifton Close, Heywood, Paul Earle, aged 31, of Huyton,, Ian Longden, aged 38, of Ancoats, Paul Dunn, aged 34, of Prescott, Christopher King, aged 38, of Middleton, Nigel Hughes, aged 33, of Coventry and Paul Wyatt, aged 38, of Caddington, all denied two charges of conspiracy to sell Class A and conspiracy to sell Class B drugs.
Two men, Christian Wolfendale and Simon Balshaw have already admitted their role in the offences and will be sentenced at the end of the next trial and another man, Stanley Bryson who was additionally charged with money
laundering, has since died.
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