Manchester man pleads guilty to drug dealing in Northwich

A county lines dealer from Manchester is set to be jailed following his arrest in Northwich.

At around 12.50pm on Friday 26 January, officers from Northwich Proactive Policing Team forced entry into an address Brackley Lane, Little Leigh, after a suspected drug dealer was seen entering the property.

Liam Smith was found inside the address and when searched officers discovered that he had over £2,000 worth of heroin and Crack cocaine concealed in his buttocks.

Following his arrest, a warrant was conducted at Smith’s home in Manchester where a large quantity of designer clothing was seized.

Smith, aka ‘Manc Mark’, of Brynorme Road, Manchester, was subsequently charged with two counts of possession with intent to supply Class A drugs (heroin and cocaine).

The 35-year-old appeared at Chester Magistrates on Saturday 27 January where he pleaded guilty to the charges. He has been remanded in custody and is set to be sentenced at Chester Crown Court on Friday 23 February.

Following the guilty plea, Police Constable Matt Uren, of Northwich Proactive Policing Unit, said:

“This conviction is the outcome of a long running investigation involving detectives from Northwich, with the support of colleagues from the Op Impact and Op Apollo teams.

“Intel has suggested that ‘Manc Mark’ has been an active county lines dealer in the Northwich area for a significant period of time, and I have no doubt that his conviction will have a really positive impact on the community.

“While Smith is now behind bars, our campaign against drug dealers is ongoing and we’re committed to doing all we can to can to stop drug activity on the streets of Northwich and make Cheshire a hostile place for criminals.

“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 us on 101 or visit www.cheshire.police.uk/tell-us .”