FIVE men are awaiting sentence for their part in an international plot to smuggle 25 tonnes of counterfeit soap powder into Britain.

They arranged for "low grade" detergent to be shipped from South East China to Felixstowe to try to flood the black market with fake Persil.

The detergent, which had no bleach content, was then driven to a warehouse where the gang hid 2,900 empty replica Persil boxes, which were described as "almost perfect" copies of the real thing.

But their scam failed after chemicals giant Unilever hired a private investigator and they were caught red-handed.

Steven Charlesworth, aged 46, of Highfield Avenue, Cheadle; Justin Campbell, aged 38, of Ferndown Drive, Newcastle; Martin Forrester, aged 39, of Oakwood Road, Blurton; Nicholas Moult, aged 42, of Beaumont Rise, Stoke, and Michael Baggaley, aged 24, of Silverdale Road, Newcastle, have all admitted possession of an infringing article with a view to sale between September 1 and September 30, 2008.

Now a sixth man, Richard Brayford, aged 43, of Stonehaven, Whiston, near Cheadle, has gone on trial after denying the charge.

Chester Crown Court heard the detergent was shipped from Jinjang in the Fujian province of South East China to Felixstowe on a container ship CSLC Asia.

It was then transported to a unit at the Phoenix Centre on Winsford Industrial Estate.

The unit was raided after Unilever received a tip-off from a member of the public.

Peter Moss, prosecuting, said: "The surveillance operation was "all singing, all dancing".

"At 10.55am on September 23, 2008, in a joint operation by Cheshire Police, Cheshire West Council and Trading Standards, officers raided the unit at the Phoenix Centre and found an Aladdin's cave of detergent.

"Individual bags of detergent each weighing nine kilograms were found along with flat pack boxes which had been assembled using a "wooden contraption"."

The court heard Unilever's private investigator had been tracking the gang's moves since the detergent arrived in Felixstowe on August 22, 2008. The replica boxes followed around two weeks later.

The court heard the investigator was aware that a van bearing the logo NJN Trade Supplies, a company set up by Charlesworth and Campbell and based at High Carr Industrial Estate, Chesterton, was being used to transport the goods.

Prosecutors believe the Chesterton site was a planned distribution centre for the boxes of fake powder.

But the court heard the detergent was collected from Felixstowe by Forrester who drove it to the Winsford warehouse.

The court heard Forrester later met up with Brayford on the A54 and they returned to the warehouse in Brayford's black BMW.

Mr Moss said: "The defendants hadn't the faintest idea they were being watched.

"Brayford was seen looking in the back of the container with the bags of detergent waiting to be unloaded.

"He was there for about five minutes before Forrester drove him to Manchester Airport where he was due to fly to Alicante."

In his police interview Brayford denied any involvement, saying Forrester was driving him to the airport and had asked him to meet him at the warehouse. He described himself as "one of life's unlucky men".

The trial continues.