A PAIR of men who ran a drugs den in Orford have been jailed for nearly a decade after being found with heroin, cocaine, and graft phones.

Michael Blease and Mark Boden, both appeared in Chester Crown Court to be sentenced for their roles in a Warrington drug den busted on two occasions by police.

Prosecuting, Ryan Rothwell told the court how, at Boden’s address on Festival Avenue in Orford, drugs were stored, packaged, and taken to be sold.

Two other defendants, Benjamin Dawson and David Jackson, who will be sentenced later this year initially ran the den alongside Boden. Jackson was stopped by police outside the property and found with drugs on him.

After this, police raided the den – with Dawson found with scales covered in white and brown powder. He ran to the kitchen to try and evade police before he was arrested.

Later, wraps of powder, two black bags containing drugs, and graft phones were found. Boden was also arrested in this incident.

This all occurred in December 2021.

In October 2023, Boden was seen at a drug deal by police, and was later arrested at his property. Wraps of drugs were found, with Blease having helped Boden in 2023 by looking after a graft phone, send flare messages, and staying in the house with the drugs.

Boden has an extensive previous criminal record, with 26 separate offences on 18 separate occasions.

Defending Boden, Paul Wood stated that Boden himself was a user, however is currently clean from drugs. He stated that a former partner had been an addict, and this had led to the defendant being ‘heavily addicted’.

Mr Wood also pointed to his mental health issues and troubled childhood, with Boden’s mother being an alcoholic, and his father being an addict.

Defending Blease, Rebecca Smith said that Blease was also himself an addict with a difficult childhood, but that he had been out of legal trouble since 2014.

Ms Smith pointed to the fact that Blease had been vulnerable at the time due to the death of two close family members.

Recorder Steven Everett, presiding over the case, interrupted at this point, stating that whilsehe felt sympathy in some way for this – in other ways he felt ‘not a lot’ in another.

Ms Smith also went on to state that Blease deserved credit for the fact he made frank admissions in his first police interview.

The judge stated he ‘had no idea why Blease did not plead guilty at the first opportunity’ having already admitted to all matters he was charged with.

This decision meant that, rather than 33% credit, the defendant would receive 25% credit for pleading at the second possible opportunity.

Discussing the initial drugs den in 2021, Mr Everett said: “As best I can see this was a small time drug operation. You were making probably not large amounts of money, but you were making money.”

He went on to add: “You operated in a chain, people were above you and addicts were bellow you.”

Both Blease and Boden were judged to have operated in Major Roles.

Across both offences Boden received a total of four years and seven months in prison, while Blease , of Richmond Park, Anfield, received a total of two years and seven months.