Jailed: Drug dealer caught in Shrewsbury had phone with coded messages

Connor Wasley, 22, from Liverpool, was stopped by police and found to have small quantities of the drugs worth just £40. But his phone was found to have messages sent out to 40 people offering drugs.

Police arrested him on an unrelated matter on December 1 last year, and found the items on him during a search.

Jamie Scott, prosecuting, told Shrewsbury Crown Court: "He was found in Shrewsbury without any good explanation. It was just past 11pm.

"He was searched and four wraps were found - three containing under 1g of crack cocaine and one containing under 1g of heroin.

"He was tested for drugs in his system and the results came back negative.

"Although the amount of drugs that were seized was small, a phone was found on him. It was revealing."

Mr Scott added: "It was a county lines phone. On that phone was a text sent in bulk to 40 contacts advertising drugs for sale to potential customers.

"He was interviewed by police and said that he wasn't involved in selling and that the drugs found on him were for his personal use.

Convictions

"He has a long history of offending for his age. He has 20 convictions for 26 offences."

Wasley, of Northumberland Terrace, in Everton, Liverpool, admitted possession of Class A drugs with intent to supply.

Debra White, defending, said that the reality was very different from the picture painted by the Mr Scott, and that Wasley was in fact someone with medical problems who was simply moving the phone to help pay off debts he accrued from buying cannabis for medicinal purposes.

She said: "He has Crohn's disease and he uses a stoma bag. That is something which must be difficult for a man of 22.

"He and his family were threatened. He was told in no uncertain terms that the way to pay off that debt was to collect the phone from Shrewsbury."

Judge Anthony Lowe sentenced Wasley to 33 months in prison. He told Wasley: "You must have had some awareness of the operation."