County lines drug dealer who sold crack cocaine and heroin in Chester is jailed

A county lines drug dealer who brought crack cocaine and heroin to sell in Chester has been jailed.

Ryan Holmes, 26, of Tennyson Walk, Blacon, Chester was sentenced to five years and six months at Chester Crown Court on Wednesday 23 March after pleading guilty to the offences.

The court heard how a car was spotted in the Edgerton Street, Chester on 18 February with a number of people approaching the window and making some kind of exchange.

Officers attended and found the Holmes in the passenger seat. He was arrested for an unrelated matter and searched in custody where a quantity of Class A drugs (crack cocaine and heroin) was found in his trousers.

A search was then conducted of the address he was staying in Telford Way, Saltney and police recovered more drugs and digital scales.

He was released under investigation pending further enquiries.

Just three days later, on the 22 February, plain clothed officers spotted Holmes, again in an area known to be used by those involved in drugs supply.

As officers approached him, he was seen to discard a large quantity of white and brown plastic coated wraps. He was subsequently arrested once more for possession with intent to supply class A drugs.

Around £100 was also seized from Holmes’s jacket pocket along with a smart phone.

Holmes was then charged with four counts of possession with intent to supply class A drugs.

Police Constable James Wright of Chester Proactive Team said: “We have removed another drug dealer from our city and stopped a large quantity of drugs from finding their way onto the streets.

“Holmes never offered any answers that officers put to him while in custody and provided no account of his actions.

“This sentence has once again shown that we will not stop in pursuing those who bring illegal drugs into Chester.

“I’d like to thank both the response officers and the proactive team at Chester that helped bring this case together, a real team effort has helped make the area an even safer place to live and visit.”