A MAN from Ellesmere Port who was concerned in the supply of drugs including: cocaine, cannabis, morphine, diazepam, alprazolam, pregabalin and zopiclone has been jailed for six years.

Philip Stuart, of Durham Court, Ellesmere Port, was sentenced at Chester Crown Court on Monday, March 4.

Officers first conducted a warrant at the 38-year-old’s address on Thursday, December 2, 2021. As they forced their way through the front door, a man was spotted throwing a small white package out of a first-floor window.

Officers located the package and found it was a bag of white powder and individual wraps. Stuart was the only person present in the property. A bag of cannabis, several mobile phones, digital scales, boxes and strips of prescription drugs, and £145 in cash was recovered from the property.

Stuart was subsequently arrested and released under investigation pending testing of the suspected drugs and examination of the mobile phones.

The white powder was confirmed to be cocaine, with a potential street value of up to £930.

Examination of one of the mobile phones revealed messages consistent with being concerned in the supply of controlled drugs, namely cocaine, morphine, cannabis and benzodiazepines.

The wraps of white powder were also found to have Stuart’s DNA on them.

Officers attended Stuart’s home once again on Thursday, October 2023, and arrested him for drugs supply offences.

He was found in possession of six wraps of crack cocaine. Digital scales with powder residue, rolls of plastic bags, and other drugs paraphernalia was recovered.

Stuart was subsequently charged on Thursday 12 October and later pleaded guilty to the offences.

Following the sentencing, PC Mike Rogers said:

“I welcome the custodial sentence handed to Stuart after a detailed investigation by Ellesmere Port officers. Even after being arrested and released under investigation for drugs supply offences, he continued with his offending and has now rightly been handed a lengthy spell behind bars.

“Illegal drugs have a hugely detrimental impact, and we are committed to doing all we can to remove those involved in the supply of such drugs from our communities.

“While Stuart is now off the streets, our fight is not over. We would urge anyone who has any information about suspected drugs activity to get in touch with us.”