WE have followed the trial of the nine defendants as it has been revealed.

The story has been a real tale of intrigue, criss-crossing locations across the city and encompassing secret recordings, police surveillance and dramatic arrests as the net closed in on the gang.

Here we set out the timeline of the cocaine conspiracy:

* December 6, 2014: Del Smith stopped by police for driving with no lights on his car. He was found to have cocaine with a street value of £460. Smith has already been convicted of possession of class A with intent to supply. In Smith's possession they found a gym membership card belonging to Todd Porter. His phone also revealed contacts to other conspirators including Ashley James and James Jones.

*March 9, 2015: Police secretly observe Ashley James and James Jones at the Wych Way Inn in Wychbold, near Droitwich. James Jones gets into the back of a black Vauxhall Vectra before getting back into Ashley James's van. The Vectra driver is seen to lean over the engine compartment before closing it up and driving away.

* April 22, 2015: Former Worcester City winger Chris Cornes, who has already admitted possession of cocaine with intent to supply, is observed taking a large Lidl bag back to the address of Ashley James and Elizabeth Cottle in Cherington Close, Worcester. From there the bag is taken by Ashley James to the home of David Warren in Grasmere Drive, Warndon, Worcester. The prosecution stated that the bag contained cash or drugs.

* May 6, 2015: Tom Day is arrested, found with eight wraps of cocaine with a street value of £240. Day has already been convicted of possession of cocaine with intent to supply. Day's mobile phones shows he is connected to Ashley James, James Jones and Chris Cornes.

* May 13, 2015: Chris Cornes and Marcus Henney set off from an address in Bromyard Road, St John's, Worcester in a silver Ford Focus. Police stop the car and seize a JD Sports bag containing cocaine with a street value of around £15,000 but perhaps as much as £22,000. The bag has Todd Porter's fingerprints on it. Porter at that time lived at the Bromyard Road address.

* May 13, 2015: Police search the Bromyard Road address. They find a hand-written drugs list made by Cornes, £19,000 in cash found in a wash basket in an upstairs bedroom. In total police seize £35,000 in cash and £1,700 worth of cocaine.

* June 23, 2015: Drugs courier Liam Pearson drives to Worcester from Liverpool. He is secretly filmed getting out of his Ford Galaxy in Selborne Road West, Barbourne, Worcester. He meets Lee Bryant, described as the step-father of Todd and Tiffany Porter and partner of their mother, Deborah Crowther. Later that day Porter is stopped by police heading north on the M6. In his car is just under £30,000 in cash, a 'dirty phone' which he claimed did not belong to him and a Sat Nav which showed he had made previous trips to Worcester. The drugs cash is inside a pillow case inside a black bin liner. The bin liner has Todd Porter's fingerprints on it. Porter is later seen leaving Bryant's home in Selborne Road West carrying an orange bag the size of a house brick.

* August 6, 2015: Samuel Mann, one of the gang's dealers, is stopped by police with £2,000 worth of cocaine he had been given by Todd Porter.

* August 10, 2015: James Southall, another of the gang's dealers, is stopped by police. £5,000 is found in an orange nappy bag in his car's glove box. Todd Porter's fingerprints are found.

* October 2, 2015: Ashley James meets with his cousin, Maurice James, in the car park at the rear of Narraway Butchers in St John's, Worcester.

* October 3, 2015: Maurice James is arrested travelling to Liverpool with £52,000 in cash. Again, Todd Porter's fingerprints are found on the bag.

* October 5, 2015: A summit meeting takes place, again at the rear of Narraway Butchers.

* October 8, 2015: Ashley James is observed by police using a dirty phone hidden in a hedge.

* October 2017: Trial starts at Worcester Crown Court.

Lee Bryant, David Warren, Ashley James, Deborah Crowther, Todd Porter and Tiffany Porter James Jones and Liam Pearson all deny conspiracy to supply cocaine between September 6, 2011, and October 6, 2015.

Ashley James and his 25-year-old partner Elizabeth Cottle, both denied concealing criminal property.

* November 2017: Lee Bryant, David Warren, Ashley James, Deborah Crowther, Todd Porter and Tiffany Porter James Jones and Liam Pearson are found guilty after the jury deliberates for two hours and eight minutes.

Ashley James and Elizabeth Cottle were both found guilty of concealing criminal property.

Ashley James was found not guilty of perverting the course of justice.