A drugs ring used a 'Magic Phone' number to advertise its wares to Exeter heroin users by sending group texts when they had stock on its way to Devon, a jury have been told.
The London-based group transferred tens of thousands of pounds in profits back to the capital in cash shipments or bank payments, Exeter Crown Court was told.
The operation was making so much money that when a VW Golf which they were using was seized by police, nobody bothered trying to get it back.
A group of five men from London and two from Exeter are on trial accused of playing a variety of roles in the supply chain including providing a safe house and acting as runners or couriers.
Mr Sean Brunton, prosecuting, has told the court how a jigsaw of phone, bank, surveillance, and human evidence links all the defendants to the supply of heroin or crack cocaine.
The group were known as Magic and operated through a single mobile phone which was called the Magic Number and was called by addicts to arrange purchases.
The defendants include Drew Morgan, aged 25, of Wynford Road, Exeter, who denies allowing his address to be used for the supply of class A drugs between November 1, 2011 and July 5, 2013.
Alex Driscoll, aged 35, from Exeter, denies being concerned in the supply of heroin and crack between the same dates.
Dawit Girmay, Armah Irving, Joel Pires, Flimon Girmay and Keiron Ralph, all from London, all deny being the same offences.
Samuel Brisefert and Wesley James, both from Thornton Heath, South London, have admitted them while Tuan Li, also from London, has admitted laundering the proceeds of crime.
Mr Brunton said Driscoll's role was confined to acting as driver and helping in the distribution of drugs and was indicated by a succession of texts on his phone to and from others.
He said bank transactions which have been traced and cash seized from cars which were stopped by police give an inkling of the scale of the overall supply chain.
Cars including a VW and hired BMWs were stopped at Tiverton, Exeter and on the M4 or M5 on several occasions in the first seven months of 2013 and sums of £2,455, £2,600, £470, £3,000, £350, £5,000, £1,600, £200 recovered.
Among the locations for the stops were the M5 at Tiverton; Honiton Road, Exeter; and Station Road, Exeter. Those found in the cars included Brisefert, James, Li, Irving, both Girmay brothers, and Ralph.
In addition there were payments made through banks in or around Exeter to Brisefert's account in London totalling £23,000 over 14 months.
Mr Brunton said the only sensible explanation for the trips was drug dealing. He said:"Their actions were at all times consistent with drug dealing and nothing else."
He said the phone records also showed the Magic Number being used to send group texts to potential customers in Exeter shortly before deliveries were made.
He said:"One of the trips which was interrupted by the police was immediately preceded by an advertising campaign being sent on the Magic Phone in the form of 88 text messages to Exeter drug users."
