Prolific Winsford offender jailed for more than five years

A prolific offender from Winsford has been jailed for more than five years for dealing class A drugs.

Angela McDougall appeared at Chester Crown Court on Wednesday 9 August where she was sentenced to five years and eight months in prison.

The 44-year-old of High Street, Winsford, had earlier pleaded guilty to two counts of being concerned in the supply of Class A drugs (Heroin and Crack Cocaine) and one count of being concerned in the supply of Class B drugs (Ketamine).

She also admitted possession of Class A drugs (crack cocaine) and Class B drugs (Cannabis).

McDougall is believed to be one of the first women in the UK to be sentenced under the ‘three strikes’ laws which were introduced as part of the Sentencing Act 2020. Under the legislation anyone who is convicted of drug dealing on three occasions faces a significantly increased sentence.

The latest case against her began in July 2020 when officers from Northwich Proactive Policing Unit received intelligence that she was dealing drugs again.

A warrant was conducted at her home in Winsford on Monday 25 July where officers recovered a small amount of crack cocaine and cannabis, along with three mobile phones.

During subsequent analysis of the phones officers discovered hundreds of messages which indicated that McDougall was dealing drugs.

They also found that despite being unemployed, more than £95,000 has been paid into her bank account in small amounts of between £25 and £100. The majority of the cash was then transferred into the account of an unknown accomplice.

Following the sentencing Detective Constable Dean Butterworth, Northwich Proactive Policing Unit, said:

“As a drug addict herself McDougall was well aware of the harmful consequences of illegal drugs, but despite this she chose to sell drugs to other vulnerable people across the Winsford area.

“While she claimed that she was only dealing drugs to feed her own habit, it is clear that having been involved in the sale of more than £95,000 worth of illegal drugs she was a major dealer in the area and this has been reflected in the significant sentence that she was handed by the judge.”

Sergeant Paul Cundy, of Winsford Beat Team, added:

“McDougall is a prolific offender who has convicted more than 100 offences over the years, but thankfully she is now behind bars. This is a fantastic result and I hope that it provides reassurance to the local community.

“Here in Winsford we are doing all we can to stop drug activity on our streets to make the town a safer place to live and visit while also making it extremely difficult for dealers like McDougall to operate.

“We will always act on any information about drug activity provided to us and would urge anyone who believes this activity is happening near to them, to please contact Cheshire Police.”

Anyone with information about illegal drug activity in their area can report it to Cheshire Police via the Cheshire Police website or report it to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.