County lines gang jailed for drug dealing in Widnes

Three men who were members of a county lines gang operating in the Widnes area have been jailed for more than 11 years.

Alan Grimes, Alan Pierce and Declan Cooney appeared at Chester Crown Court on Friday 10 May where they were sentenced to a total of 11 years and seven months in prison.

Grimes, 56, of Brentfield, Widnes was jailed for four years; Cooney, 26, of Newlyn Road, Liverpool, was sentenced to three years and seven months; and Pierce, of Bolton Avenue, Westvale, Kirkby, was jailed for two years and nine months.

All three men had previously pleaded guilty to two counts of being concerned in the supply of class A drugs.

During the hearing the court was told that on Wednesday 5 October 2022, plain clothes officers spotted a car leaving an address in Widnes which was linked to county lines drug dealing. The officers followed the car as it drove to Grimes nearby address.

After the vehicle came to a stop, police intervened and arrested the driver, Pierce, on suspicion of Drugs offences. Police also attempted to detain the front seat passenger, Cooney, but he managed to flee on foot and ran into Grimes’s house.

Officers forced entry into the address and detained Grimes in the living room. Cooney was quickly located attempting to barricade himself in the bathroom. Police again forced entry, where they found him attempting to destroy a mobile phone which had been used as a burner phone to sell illegal drugs.

Grimes was subsequently taken to hospital, where doctors discovered that he had concealed a bag containing 19 wraps of crack cocaine and 14 wraps of heroin within his anus.

After examination of the phone, all three men were charged with drugs offences.

Following the sentencing, Police Constable Nicholls of Widnes Proactive Policing Team stated:

“I welcome the sentences handed to Cooney, Grimes and Pierce and I hope they act as a warning to others planning to deal drugs in Cheshire.

“This case is an excellent example of proactive Policing by Cheshire Officers who have acted swiftly to secure three suspects and key evidence which has led to their conviction.

“County Lines drug dealing will not be tolerated in Cheshire and this case reinforces our stance on those who enter into this type of criminality. Once you come to our attention you will not be able to shake us off your tail until you have been arrested and brought to justice.

“Whilst this investigation has concluded, the war on drugs continues, and I would like to encourage anyone with information on drug dealing to report this to us via 101 or anonymously through Crimestoppers - you will be listened to, and we will act on information we receive.”