Drug dealers jailed for bringing class A drugs to Warrington

Cameron Irvine and Jake Cullen, both 22, were arrested on Lovely Lane where they were found to be in possession of the class A drugs.

Irvine, who also had a knife on him, had £1,200 to £3,000 worth of crack cocaine in a Morrisons carrier bag while Cullen, who was found to have a graft phone, had more than 135 wraps of crack cocaine and heroin.

They both appeared before Liverpool Crown Court last Thursday for sentencing.

At a previous hearing, Irvine, of Withers Avenue, Orford, pleaded guilty to possession with intent to supply crack cocaine and possession of a bladed article.

Callum Irvine (Image: Cheshire Police)

While Cullen, of Kirkby, pleaded guilty to possession with intent to supply crack cocaine and heroin and being concerned in the supply of crack cocaine and heroin.

Prosecuting, Stella Hayden said the defendants were both arrested in August this year as part of an investigation into county lines drug trafficking in Warrington.

Officers had initially identified a phone number that was being used to send ‘flare messages’ advertising class A drugs.

The number was traced to Lovely Lane which is where both defendants were located and stopped and searched in the street before being arrested.

Ms Hayden said how Cullen was found to be in possession of three packages which contained wraps of crack cocaine and heroin with a value of more than £1,000.

Jake Cullen (Image: Cheshire Police)

A Nokia phone was also linked to him which had been used to send out a number of messages advertising class A drugs.

And when officers searched Cullen’s home, they discovered drug paraphernalia which was consistant with the supply of drugs.

The court heard how Irvine was in possession of a Morrisons bag in which three separate packages of crack cocaine were found in.

The drugs had a value of between £1,200 to £3,000.

Irvine was also found with £580 cash and a knife.

When his home address was searched, more cash just short of £400 was found.

Liverpool Crown Court heard how Cullen has nine previous convictions for 10 offences while Irvine has three previous convictions for nine offences.

Defending Irvine, Frank Dillon said how his client left school at the age of 16 with ‘decent qualifications’. He said instead of building on these or entering the world of employment, Irvine became involved in ‘the world of cannabis culture’.

Mr Dillon said how his client had cannabis debts and he was ‘conscious of the consequences of not paying these’.

He said that this stress led to him using cocaine which is where he became in contact with class A drug dealers.

The court heard how Irvine is ‘sorry’ for his behaviour.

Defending Cullen, Jim Smith said: “This is underpinned by owners of these drugs praying on vulnerable young people to carry out their dirty work for them.

“His involvement was through immaturity.”

He also said that his client is somebody who has suffered from depression and has depended on drugs.

Cullen is remorseful for his behaviour, Mr Smith said.

Concluding, judge David Aubrey KC said: “Each of you played a significant role in this operation.

“In my judgement, you were at the centre of this operation.

“I am satisfied that each of you is streetwise and if you continue to be involved in crime after you are released from this inevitable custodial sentence, you will discover that you will serve longer and longer in the future and will be wasting your lives.”

Cullen and Irvine were both handed three years behind bars.

The sentence was welcomed by DI Robert Balfour, who said: “Cullen and Irvine thought they could establish a drug supply line into the town, yet little did they know we were hot on their trail.

“We were able to provide a catalogue of evidence against both Cullen and Irvine in order to put them before the courts, which led them to plead guilty to the offences put to them.

“Illegal drugs can have a devastating impact on not only drug users, but the community around them.

“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 these gangs to operate.

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