Officers also found notebooks referencing cocaine deliveries with details of how they would be divided up and sent to places including Bradford, London and Birmingham.

The NCA said CCTV cameras captured the men at the airport, and found one courier had even taken a picture of Hosker over his shoulder after a handover.

Iseberi, of Aintree Lane in Aintree, tried to escape over a roof when his home was raided.

In Creen’s bedroom, meanwhile, weapons including an axe, a knife and a machete were seized.

Cat McHugh, NCA branch commander, said: “Like other hardened criminals, their thirst for money and riches drove them, but an excellent, tenacious NCA team conducted a painstaking investigation involving thousands of hours of work.”

All four men were due to stand trial at Bolton Crown Court earlier this month but Hallaci, Iseberi and Hosker pleaded guilty to possession of cocaine with intent to supply and conspiring to fraudulently evade a prohibition on the importation of Class A drugs.

Creen took his chances with a jury and was cleared of the conspiracy charge but was found guilty of possession with intent to supply on Tuesday.

All four men are due to be sentenced on 30 January.