A POLICE undercover operation code-named Auriga led to the arrest of Clayton Hawkes and John Clark, allegedly the leader of a Camborne drugs ring and his first lieutenant respectively, and their trial began at Truro Crown Court yesterday and is expected to run into next week.

The jury heard that Hawkes, aged 38, and 35-year-old Clark have denied conspiring with other persons to supply heroin between August 1, 2005, and January 13, 2006.

Hawkes has denied a further eight charges - two alleging the possession of crack cocaine and ecstacy with intent to supply and two alternatives of simple possession of the drugs, the simple possession of 2.734 grams of herbal cannabis and 5.34 grams of cannabis resin, and two of possessing illegal weapons, an electronic stun gun and a pepper spray.

Four others have admitted the conspiracy charge and are awaiting sentence. They are Annette Kaute, aged 37, Hawkes' girlfriend with whom she lived in Commercial Street, Camborne; Keith Coles, aged 31, and 35-year-old Matthew Falls, both of Union Street, Camborne, and Dean Hartley, 37, of Barkla Shop, St Agnes.

Lee Fellows, 27, of Pendarves Street, Tuckingmill, where Clark was living, has admitted a charge of money laundering - converting the proceeds of criminal activity.

The addresses are those at which the defendants were living at the time of their arrests.

Prosecutor Jonathan Barnes told the court that when police became concerned about the apparent level of heroin use in Camborne they mounted Operation Auriga to try and detect those responsible. Under cover officers posed as drugs users and hoped to be led by other users on the streets to those who were dealing in them.

"It was a rather brave operation these officers carried out, going in that way into the drug dealing world," said Mr Barnes. "Sometimes they were at greater risk carrying equipment to record what was said and cameras to record what was going on."

When the trap was sprung they searched a number of premises but, not surprisingly, no substantial stash of drugs was recovered. But at Hawkes' home drugs were found hidden in his body and Coles was trying to flush wraps down the toilet. Hawkes also had £500 cash on him, and the police also seized 13 mobile phones and a further seven from elsewhere.

The stun gun and pepper spray were also found - "the drug dealing world is a rough one and they may be needed for protection from customers or a rival gang," said Mr Barnes. Also in the flat was a quantity of stolen property which the prosecution alleged had been used by customers to buy drugs.

Fellows, he said, was connected to the money laundering allegation by his fingerprints, and those of Hawkes, being detected on a stolen cheque which had been forged in the sum of £9,795.

Mr Barnes then revealed an alleged connection with a wholly separate conspiracy in Humberside for the supply of heroin on a much larger, wholesale basis. A man who lived in Hayle had pleaded guilty to being involved in that conspiracy.

"There is not a scrap of direct evidence to say he supplied or agreed to supply to Hawkes. But there is strong telephone links between the two."

The man had made 90 landline calls to Hawkes between October and December 2005, and a further 40 to a phone owned by Hawkes, while Hawkes had responded 49 times.

The trial continues.