A LATCHFORD woman who was part of the ‘TQ’ county lines gang who conspired to supply class A drugs, including crack cocaine and heroin, into Warrington has been jailed.
Angela Williams, aged 36, who allowed her home to be used as part of the drug dealing operation appeared in the dock alongside Remell Da Silva, 21, from Manchester and together have been sentenced to a total of over 6 years in prison after their appearance at Chester Crown Court on Tuesday 2 January.
An investigation was launched after detectives became aware of two mobile numbers advertising the sale of class A drugs to local drug users in Warrington.
Da Silva, of Lindale Avenue, Manchester, was quickly identified as the controller of the county line and responsible for sending daily ‘flare’ messages to sell his supply.
Whereas Williams, of Stringer Crescent, Warrington, acted as a street dealer and allowed Da Silva to orchestrate his drug operation from her home.
A warrant was conducted at Williams’ home address at around 2.10 pm on Thursday 6 July, resulting in the arrest of Da Silva and Williams on suspicion of drug offences.
During the warrant, officers recovered a graft phone, believed to be the one used by the team, with messages evidencing the sale of illegal drugs.
A list of drug dealers and drug paraphernalia, such as scales, was also recovered from the home.
Upon arrest, Da Silva was found in possession of a large quantity of cash.
The pair were subsequently charged with two counts of being concerned in the supply of Class A drugs (crack cocaine, heroin).
Da Silva was also charged with possession of criminal property. He was sentenced to three years and four months in prison.
Williams was sentenced to two years and seven months in prison.
Detective Inspector Rob Balfour, of the Serious and Organised Crime Unit, said: “Da Silva and Williams thought that they could get away with bringing crack cocaine and heroin into Warrington, but they were wrong.
“I welcome the sentences handed to them, and I hope this sends a clear message that county lines activity has no place in the town.
“We are doing all we can to stop drug activity on our streets to make our county 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 would urge anyone who believes this activity is happening near to them, to please contact Cheshire Police.”
Anyone with information about illegal drug activity in their area can report it to Cheshire Police via the Cheshire Police website or report it to Crimestoppers via the Crimestoppers website.
