A CONVICTED drug dealer who rented a Colne Valley garage to store drugs worth more than £1m has been told he will go to jail.

A jury convicted Mark Appleyard on four counts of conspiracy to supply drugs after they heard that a lock-up garage he had rented was used to stash £1.4m worth of cocaine.

Appleyard, 37, of Tamar Street, Little Horton, Bradford, had told the city's Crown Court a friend had asked him to rent the unit at Crimble Viaduct, Slaithwaite.

Appleyard said he had no idea what was being kept there.

But, after nearly four hours of deliberation, the jury of five men and seven women found him guilty by a majority of 10-2.

The three-day trial had heard that three other men involved in the conspiracy - Paul McKone, Dean Butters and Damien Smith - had already pleaded guilty to their part in the conspiracy.

Prosecutor Andrew Haslam had told the jury that police saw Smith at the garage as he was loading a quantity of cocaine into his van.

He then drove to meet McKone and Butters at a rendezvous point, where the stash was handed over.

The pair then drove into Bradford, where police arrested them.

Police then raided the garage and found the cocaine in a shipping crate.

Police also found large amounts of Ecstasy, cannabis resin and amphetamines.

When Appleyard's old address was searched police found a hydraulic compressor.

The prosecution said this was used to compress the cocaine.

Appleyard had said that a friend - whom he refused to name - had asked him to rent the garage so that a van could be stored there.

Although a direct debit was set up with his bank details, Appleyard said he did not even know where the garage was.

He also said a friend had given him the compressor and asked him to try and fix it.

The jury was told that Appleyard was jailed for four years in 1998 for possession and supplying drugs.

He was released on bail and will return to court along with his co- defendants to be sentenced next month.

Judge James Barry told Appleyard that, although he was adjourning the case for a pre-sentence report, only a custodial sentence was applicable in this case.