Cocaine with a street value of up to £6million was seized by police after officers saw it being unloaded from the back of an articulated lorry into a car on an industrial estate, a court has heard.

Police saw 60-year-old Neranjan Persaud park his car in Newcomen Way in Colchester at about 8am on December 7 last year and speak to the driver of an articulated lorry which had stopped nearby, Ipswich Crown Court.

The lorry driver, 63-year-old Kryzstof Bakowski, had put on a pair of gloves before going to the rear of the lorry and giving a thumbs up sign to Persaud who was in his car, said Gareth Hughes, prosecuting.

East Anglian Daily Times: Police at the scenePolice at the scene (Image: Newsquest)

Persaud was then seen to carry five identical cardboard boxes to his car before police intervened and arrested him and Bakowski.

Persaud allegedly told police: “It’s all cocaine. I got told to collect it. I only got paid £250 a day to do this”.

He allegedly said he had got involved after getting into debt and that he and his family had been threatened, said Mr Hughes.

Mr Hughes said the boxes of drugs contained 50 one kilogram packages of high-quality cocaine with a wholesale value of £1.3m to £1.5m.

He said the drugs, which had a dog's face and the word 'Pitbull' on the packaging, had a potential street value of between £4m and £6m.

Mr Hughes alleged that a week before his arrest in Colchester, Persaud had delivered a carrier bag containing 1kg of cocaine to a man in Letchworth.

Persaud, of London and Bakowski, of no fixed address, have pleaded not guilty to being knowingly involved in the illegal importation of 50kg of cocaine on December 7 last year.

They have also both denied being concerned in the supply of 50kg of cocaine on December 7 lash year and Persaud has denied being concerned in the supply of just under one kilo of cocaine on November 30 last year.

The trial continues.