Chester Crown Court Sentencing Results

Martin Del-Frate, 58, of Macclesfield, allowed his home to be used as a base by the 'Scouse AJ' organised crime group while they operated in Macclesfield for four days following the initial arrests in February 2021. The group used the property to facilitate the supply of class A drugs including cocaine, heroin, and crack cocaine.

Michael Flynn, 31, of Norris Green, Liverpool, was a key member of the 'Scouse AJ' organised crime group, responsible for transporting class A drugs from Merseyside to Macclesfield. He directed operations from a base in Macclesfield, including flare messages to buyers, and was involved in recruiting runners like Joe Tyrer and Anthony Proctor. The operation was disrupted in February 2021 after police observed drug deals in Victoria Park, Macclesfield.

Joe Tyrer, 26, of Prenton, was recruited by Michael Flynn and Lewis McCallum into the 'Scouse AJ' line and transported to Macclesfield by Mark Finnigan in February 2021 to run the drug operation. A warrant at an address he entered led to his arrest with 24 wraps of heroin, seven wraps of crack cocaine, and over £450 in cash.

On May 12, 2025, police raided an address in Ellesmere Port, where Joshua Voice was present along with Ben Rennix. Kian Burgess, the resident, was alerted by phone and arrived shortly after. Officers seized weighing scales, 240 snap bags of crack cocaine with a street value of £2,000, and a machete found under a bed. All three were arrested following the raid.

On May 12, 2025, police raided an address in Ellesmere Port, where Kian Burgess lived. Ben Rennix and Joshua Voice were present at the time, and Burgess was alerted by phone and arrived 15 minutes later. Officers seized weighing scales, 240 snap bags of crack cocaine with a street value of £2,000, and a machete found under a bed. All three were arrested following the raid.

On May 12, 2025, police raided a house in Ellesmere Port, where Ben Rennix was present along with Joshua Voice. Kian Burgess, the resident, was alerted by phone and arrived shortly after. Officers seized weighing scales, 240 snap bags of crack cocaine with a street value of £2,000, and a machete found under a bed. All three were arrested following the raid.

Anthony Proctor, 38, of Halewood, was recruited by Michael Flynn and Lewis McCallum as a foot soldier and runner for the 'Scouse AJ' line shortly after the initial arrests in February 2021. He was transported to Macclesfield by Mark Finnigan to continue the drug supply operation, which involved supplying heroin and crack cocaine to users in the area.

Steven Gain, 45, of Macclesfield, was arrested in February 2021 in Victoria Park, Macclesfield, after police observed him meeting suspected drug users and conducting a deal. He was found with individual amounts of heroin and crack cocaine, and was part of the 'Scouse AJ' line operation bringing class A drugs from Merseyside.

Daniel Bone, 38, of Runcorn, was involved in flooding the area with cocaine by selling significant quantities to downstream sellers and local users. Police executed warrants at his address on 10 September 2022 and 14 July 2023, discovering packages of cocaine, over £2,200 in cash, scales, plastic bags, and other drug-related items. He was well known for drug dealing in the Mather Avenue area and was arrested after evidence was gathered.

On 15 December, officers from Winsford Neighbourhood Policing Team executed a warrant at Bradley Nield's home in Winsford, where they discovered a large quantity of cannabis, cash, drugs paraphernalia, cannabis edibles, and other items with a potential street value of between £8,500 and £17,500. Nield admitted to dealing drugs to pay off a debt, but analysis of his mobile phone revealed he had been involved in supplying cannabis for several years.

Rick Beardsell fraudulently applied for two Bounce Back Loans totalling £100,000 in December 2020 and January 2021 for his company, Sports Creative Ltd, by exaggerating its turnover up to 23 times the actual figure of £20,622. He used the funds for personal purposes, including transferring money to his personal account, making mortgage payments, and purchasing a £1.3 million property in Prestbury, Cheshire, with his wife. This occurred during the Covid-19 pandemic when the loans were intended to support struggling businesses.

Videsh Raghoonanan was involved in a drug supply operation as part of the 'Ghost' county lines gang, storing drugs worth over £10,000, including crack cocaine and heroin, in South Cheshire. He used a mobile phone to send hundreds of messages advertising drug sales and was caught travelling in a BMW on London Road in Nantwich towards Crewe in April of the previous year. Police found drugs in his underwear during a search, seized his phone, and discovered cash and more drugs at his home in Birmingham. The drugs seized were valued at £10,400.

Molly Breen attempted to smuggle 15 small snap bags and 74 tablets of MDMA, valued at approximately £1,200, into the Creamfields music festival in Daresbury by hiding them inside her vagina. The incident occurred on August 25, 2023, when she was stopped at the festival entrance, admitted to possessing the drugs, and was subsequently turned away and interviewed at a police station.

On May 30, 2025, a police warrant was executed at Sheldon Holland's address in Chester, where numerous wraps of heroin and crack cocaine, a large quantity of cash, a burner phone, and drug paraphernalia were discovered. Holland admitted that the drugs and cash were his, leading to his arrest and subsequent charging.

On March 5, 2024, officers patrolling in the Underwood Lane area of Crewe spotted a group of people heading to a pathway leading from Underwood Lane to Ford Lane. They followed the group and saw Cameron Jones on a bike. He disappeared from sight briefly and returned to the group. When stopped and searched by detectives, drugs and two phones were found and seized from his possession.

Enrico Poli was stopped by police in Northwich on May 24, 2025, after leaving an address linked to drug activity. He was found in possession of £345 in cash and a snap bag of cocaine. He attempted to walk away without engaging with the officer and was subsequently arrested.

Michael Grisedale, a 39-year-old under-10s football coach for the Vauxhall Astras team in Ellesmere Port, stole £6,401.39 that parents had raised through contributions and sponsorships for a children's football tournament trip to Salou, Spain, scheduled between April 9 and April 12, 2024. He gambled the money away in online casinos instead of paying for tournament fees, hotel accommodation, meals, and airport transfers. The theft was discovered on April 6, 2024, when a parent received a call from the hotel about the cancelled booking due to non-payment, leading to distress among parents and children. Despite the betrayal, the children attended the tournament after a community GoFundMe appeal raised the necessary funds.

Sian Bullock, 35, from Halton Avenue, Thornton-Cleveleys, attended Creamfields festival in Daresbury, Cheshire, on August 26, 2023. She was stopped by security after a drug-sniffing dog indicated drugs, and she confessed to having two Kinder Egg containers in her vagina containing 64 MDMA tablets.

Jed Sutton, 26, of Alderley Edge, was involved in the 'Dmo' drugs gang's operations, acting as a middleman for drug supplies and handling distribution in Alderley Edge as part of the conspiracy to supply class A and B drugs from March 2020 to June 2023.

Lewis Charlesworth, 20, of Congleton, was part of the 'Dmo' drugs gang, controlling street-level dealers and assisting in the supply of cocaine, MDMA, cannabis, and other drugs in Congleton and surrounding areas between March 2020 and June 2023. Police raids in January 2022 targeted his involvement, leading to seizures of drugs and cash.

Reece Evans, 23, of Congleton, was part of the 'Dmo' drugs gang that supplied cocaine, MDMA, cannabis, and other substances in Congleton and surrounding areas between March 2020 and June 2023. He controlled street-level dealers and was arrested in January 2021 during police operations that seized significant quantities of drugs and cash.

Jack Peberdy, 22, of Crewe, was involved in supplying cocaine in Nantwich. Police executed a warrant at an address in Hightown, Crewe, on June 20, 2024, recovering cocaine worth £1,000, empty bags, scales, and £1,315 in cash.

Brad Plant, 20, was involved in supplying cocaine in Nantwich. During a police raid on June 20, 2024, at an address in Hightown, Crewe, officers found cocaine worth £1,000, along with other drug paraphernalia and cash.