A man blamed his father for tricking him into getting involved with a drugs ring, a court heard.

Nathan Salas said he was angry his father had used him as a "gofer" to pick up and deliver packages of cocaine.

The 28-year-old said he also agreed to send money allegedly provided by a millionaire businessman to his father in Peru because he thought it was legitimate.

Salas, his father Oscar Salas, and Lubhia Ram were among eight people arrested after the drugs plot was uncovered, Hove Crown Court was told.

Customs officers in Germany intercepted packages containing £630,000 of cocaine destined for addresses in Crawley from Peru in October last year.

Nathan Salas said after he was arrested in November he knew nothing about the drugs posted to Crawley.

He said his father told him he was setting up a business in Peru and asked him to pick up packages from addresses in Crawley and deliver them to Ram.

Nathan Salas said: "I asked dad if it was anything illegal. He said it was all above board.

"He said Ram was a multi-millionaire and was helping him with money to buy premises in Peru.

"I did not think I was doing anything illegal or bad.

"Looking back, I feel I have been used and taken for a ride.

"My dad has put me in that situation and it makes me angry."

Eight men deny conspiracy to smuggle cocaine between August and October last year.

They are Ram, 43, of Smallfield, Surrey; Oscar Salas, 54, of Falmouth, Cornwall; Nathan Salas, of Innes Road, Horsham, and Fabio de Palma, 30, of Albany Road, West Green, Crawley.

Trevor Bowden,38, of Clive Way, Crawley; Russell Lawrence, 49, of Maidenbower Place, Maidenbower; Paul Casella, 44, of Capricorn Close, Bewbush, Crawley, and his brother Richard Casella, 43, of Lampsden Court, Copthorne Common, near Crawley, also deny conspiracy to smuggle cocaine.

The trial continues.

* In a report of this trial in The Argus on Thursday it was stated that taxi driver Nizar Baccar said he agreed to let Ram send parcels to his home in Crawley while he was away.

We accept that Mr Baccar in fact said he had not agreed to being sent parcels and would like to apologise to him for the error.