A drug dealer who was caught by police dealing heroin and crack cocaine on the streets of Warrington hid the drugs and money up his bottom a court heard.
Aaron Honson appeared at Liverpool Crown Court on Wednesday 7 February, where he was sentenced to three years and eight months in prison.
The 39-year-old of Portland Road, Warrington, had previously pleaded guilty to possession with intent to supply Class A drugs (heroin, crack cocaine).
The court heard that on Monday 8 January, plain-clothed officers were on patrol as part of Operation Medusa, a joint operation between Cheshire Police and Merseyside Police to target county line drug activity.
Honson was spotted, involved in what appeared to be a drug deal on Longshaw Street in Warrington.
He was stopped and questioned by officers as to whether he had any illegal substances in his possession – Honson admitted that he was in possession of heroin and crack cocaine, which he had hidden in his anus.
He was arrested at around 2.20pm that day, on suspicion of possession with intent to supply Class A drugs (heroin, crack cocaine).
Cecilia Pritchard, prosecuting, told Liverpool Crown Court that officers detained the two users and they were found to have wraps of heroin and crack cocaine.
“He was spotted close to the scene and was arrested. He was seen to put his left hand down the back of his trousers and when searched initially he denied he had any items but then admitted putting things down the back of his pants,” she said.
When further searched he was found in possession of 13 bags of crack cocaine and four bags of heroin and he had a total of £631 cash. The drugs had a street value of about £300, she said.
During his arrest his mobile phone was constantly ringing and when interrogated “it was plain to see offers to supply being put forward,” added Miss Pritchard.
The court heard that his previous convictions include being jailed for 30 months in July 2020 for Class A drug dealing.
Olivia Beesley, defending, said that Honson was addicted to heroin at the time but had been trying to address this while in prison.
He had been taken into care aged six and placed in a children’s home when he was ten. He had been a cannabis user since the age of 13 and a heroin user for almost a decade.
She said that he has three young children but had lost contact with them during his last sentence.
Sentencing him Judge Robert Trevor-Jones said, “When apprehended you offered the fact of money and drugs secreted in your anus.”
He warned him that if he returns to court for similar offending he would be eligible for a minimum jail term of seven years.
Following the sentencing Detective Inspector Robert Balfour, said: “Illegal drugs have a hugely detrimental impact on our communities, and we are committed to doing all we can to ensure that those responsible are held accountable for their actions.
“Thanks to this excellent example of proactive police work and collaboration with our neighbouring forces, we have successfully put another drug dealer behind bars and removed a quantity illegal drugs from our streets.
“We always endeavour to do all we can to combat this kind of behaviour, to make our communities safer places to live and visit, while making it harder for people intent on supplying drugs to operate.
“We will always act on any information about drug-related activity and would urge anyone who believes this activity is happening in their community to Cheshire Police by calling 101 or through our website.”
