County lines dealer jailed following police intercept near Northwich

A county lines drug dealer from Merseyside has been jailed after he was caught transporting illegal drugs into Cheshire.

Lewis Roberts appeared at Chester Crown Court on Wednesday 1 February where he was sentenced to 44 months in prison. 

The 34-year-old, of Norwyn Road, Liverpool, had previously pleaded guilty to two counts of possession with intent to supply class A drugs.

At the sentencing the court heard how Roberts was arrested following an investigation into county lines drug dealing by officers from Northwich Proactive Team.

During their enquiries, officers identified a blue BMW 318 that they believed was transporting Roberts between Northwich and Liverpool to collect class A drugs.

At around 3.30pm on Wednesday 4 January, officers decided to intercept the vehicle on the  A556 near Lostock Gralam. 

Roberts was a passenger in the vehicle and when searched by officers he was found in possession of a large ball of crack cocaine which was hidden between his buttocks.

Officers also discovered a bag of heroin and a mobile phone in the back of the car. 
 
It was estimated that the drugs had a street value of £4,770. 
 
Following his arrest Roberts refused to come out of his cell for questioning and spoke only to tell officers that “the drugs were for personal use.”

However, upon appearing at Chester Magistrates’ Court on Thursday 5 January, he pleaded guilty to two counts of possession with intent to supply class A drugs (heroin and crack cocaine).

Following the sentencing, Detective Constable Claire Heatley, of Northwich Proactive Team, said:

“I welcome the sentence handed to Roberts and I hope that his conviction sends out a warning to other dealers planning to come across the border and target the Northwich area. 
 
“While Roberts attempted to claim that the drugs were for personal use, it is clear that he was a county lines dealer, bringing illegal drugs from Liverpool to sell in Northwich and Winsford.

“Thankfully, as a result of our work, we were able to intercept Roberts and remove almost £5,000 worth of class A drugs from the streets of mid-Cheshire.

“While Roberts is now behind bars, our crackdown on county lines dealers continues, and we will use all the tools available to us to ensure that Cheshire remains a hostile environment for criminals.”

Chief Inspector Leeroy Moss, of Northwich Local Policing Unit, said:

“Illegal drugs have a hugely detrimental impact and we are committed to doing all we can to remove those involved in the supply of such drugs from our communities.

“Information from the public is vital for this fight and I urge anyone with any information about suspected drug related activity in their community to get in touch.

“You will be listened to and we will investigate the matter.”

You can report suspected drug dealing to Cheshire Constabulary directly by calling 101 or giving the details online via Report a crime | Cheshire Constabulary

Two other people, a 35-year-old man and a 39-year-old woman, both from Winsford, were also arrested on suspicion of drugs offences following the stop. 

The pair have since been released under investigation pending further enquiries.