A north Cumbrian man played a pivotal role in helping to kick-start a large scale “military”-style county lines drug-dealing plot.

Carlisle Crown Court has heard 16 people were charged with conspiracy to supply class A substances amid a painstaking police probe.

This focused on a “major” plot to peddle heroin and crack cocaine to “Cumbrian addicts needing to feed their sad habits” from June to November last year.

Nine people from Cumbria and four from the Merseyside area have admitted the conspiracy charge, jurors have been told.

But three people deny involvement and are on trial. They are Carlisle pair Daniel Brennan, 32, and Sharnee Dawkins, 29; and 19-year-old James Bailey, of Skelmersdale.

Opening the case, prosecutor Tim Evans spoke of drugs being distributed by Liverpool gang members in Cumbria, where “local residents” assisted by providing services and accommodation. A criminal plot was headed by 35-year-old Liverpudlian Roy Hickman.

“Roy Hickman, say the Crown, is the general,” Mr Evans told jurors.

“The Liverpool-based defendants are his officers and the Cumbrians below that his soldiers.

“That is not to say that all do not play important and significant roles in this dealing; simply that the Liverpool defendants control what is going on.”

One Cumbrian who admits the charge is 51-year-old Michael Bernard Mandale, of Greystoke, near Penrith.

Mr Evans told jurors Mandale was texted by one of three “key” mobile phones used by conspirators. “Evidence on these text messages shows Mandale helped set up a customer base of drug users by providing a list of contact numbers and their phone numbers,” said Mr Evans.

That same key phone “began to send out offers to supply drugs to those contacts provided - text bombs”.

Brennan, of Woodside North; Dawkins, of Crummock Street; and Bailey are each alleged to have been involved in the conspiracy. But when interviewed by police, Brennan said he knew nothing of any drug-dealing. Dawkins denied knowing about drugs being found at her home.

The trial continues.