Men left drug den with £2,000 in coins

A couple of weeks later Callum Oliver was stopped for a second time with £1,400 in coins.

A jury at Shrewsbury Crown Court found Oliver guilty in his absence of two counts of conspiracy to supply drugs.

Mr Recorder John Freeman who had agreed the trial should go ahead adjourned the case for sentence and issued a warrant for Oliver's arrest.

The jury was told Oliver was arrested as part of a County Lines police investigation.

Oliver, whose last address of Bootle, Merseyside, was taking the money back to the dealers when he was stopped, they were told.

He pleaded not guilty at an earlier hearing to conspiracy to supply drugs.

Mr Myles Wilson, prosecuting, told the jury that the case was part of a County Lines investigation involving a house in Racecourse Crescent, Shrewsbury.

Cuckooed

“An elderly, infirm man, was taken advantage of by two women, Rebecca Brookes and Donna Bound, who moved into, or ‘cuckooed’ the house,” he said.

The two women had earlier pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply, he said.

On April 27, 2017, police followed Oliver from the house to the railway station where he caught a train. He was arrested at Crewe and searched.

“He had £2,000 of coins in the bags, £490 of note and stolen clothing worth more than £600,” Mr Wilson said.

"He told police that he had come down from Liverpool to buy a motor bike and that the money was a present from his father."

He was questioned and bailed but on May 10 was followed from the house and arrested again in a car at a service station.

"He was caught red-handed, counting the money in the car," Mr Wilson said.

He had £1,400 in coins and stolen items worth more than £200 as well as two mobile phone on him.

When police examined the phones they found text said to be from drug users asking for drugs and also a list of drug debtors.

Mr Brandon Carville for Oliver said there was nothing on the phones to connect them with his client or text received when they were in his possession.