TWO men involved in the illegal trafficking of £350,000 worth of cocaine to a 'drugs hub' in Oxford have been jailed.

Police caught the men after they watched the delivery of 10kg of the class A drug to an address in the Botley area of the city.

The driver of the BMW vehicle that transported the drugs - Jamaal Rehman - was cleared of all wrong-doing after an earlier trial.

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Derrick Slater, 39, of Wycombe Close, Oxford and Stuart Lashley, 49, of Larch Close, Oxford, meanwhile, had both already admitted their roles in the drugs trafficking.

They were both jailed at Oxford Crown Court today for their part in the operation.

Outlining the case prosecutor Tim Hunter said the men were caught near an address at Larch Close on April 26 this year.

Police watched Slater's Vauxhall Astra van park up outside Lashley's home before a BMW driven by Mr Rehman also parked up.

He was there with a consignment of cocaine totalling 10kg, which prosecutors said was worth about £350,000 if sold wholesale.

Lashley got out of his flat and went into the BMW before going on to retrieve a bag from inside.

As he walked away police stopped him and the sizeable haul of drugs was found in the bag.

Officers then went to the flat and saw Slater who was 'trying to jump out of the window' and he too was arrested.

Prosecutors said the Oxford house was being used as a drugs 'hub' and noted that the drugs were of a high purity - at 86 per cent.

It was said that Slater had gone to the address that day in order to buy half a kg of the trafficked cocaine with a total of £18,000.

Mr Rehman was cleared of any wrong-doing by a unanimous verdict of not guilty to the single count he had denied after two hours and 26 minutes of deliberations at the end of his trial.

In mitigation today Lashley's defence barrister said that his client, a builder, was highly regarded as a 'reliable and honest man' amongst his colleagues.

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It was claimed he had lost work during the lockdown and agreed to rent out his spare room so he could pay for his own drugs habit, but he was unaware of what would be stored in that room.

Representing Slater, Peter Du Feu, defending, said that his client had been a 'model prisoner' since he was remanded in custody.

Sentencing, Judge Michael Gledhill QC called the incident a 'serious case' and jailed the two men for their individual involvements in the drugs trafficking plot.

Slater was jailed for six years and eight months after admitting attempting to possess a controlled drug of class A and possession of criminal property.

Lashley was jailed for eight years after admitting being party to a conspiracy to supply class A drugs.

They must also each pay a statutory victim surcharge.