Winsford man jailed for county lines drug dealing

A county lines drug dealer has been jailed following an investigation by detectives from Northwich Proactive Policing Team.

Kyle Kirton appeared at Chester Crown Court on Monday 22 April where he was sentenced to five years and six months in prison.

The 21-year-old, of Esk Road, Winsford, had previously pleaded guilty to two counts of being concerned in the supply of class A drugs (cocaine) and two counts of possession of criminal property.

The investigation initially began in October 2023 after officers became aware of that Kirton was in possession of a mobile phone that was being used to sell illegal drugs to users in the Winsford area.

He was subsequently arrested on Friday 3 November 2023 after officers stopped a taxi he was travelling in at Winsford Town Centre.

Kirton was searched at the scene and was found in possession of more than £550 cash along with an iPhone. Officers also recovered a dismantled Nokia mobile phone in the taxi.

He was arrested at the scene and taken to custody before being released on bail.

Enquiries continued while he was on bail and during subsequent analysis of the iPhone officers discovered messages relating to drug dealing, traces of Kirton’s DNA were also found on the dismantled Nokia mobile.

Then, at 12.43pm on Thursday 7 March 2024 Kirton seen acting suspiciously on Vauxhall Way and stopped by officers. During a search he was found in possession of a smart phone, £320 cash and a Nokia mobile phone.

He was arrested at the scene and taken to custody. While reviewing the Nokia officers discovered a number of messages from people ordering drugs. They also found a drug dealers’ list on the phone.

Kirton was subsequently charged with two counts of being concerned in the supply of class A drugs (cocaine) and two counts of possession of criminal property.

Following the sentencing, Police Constable Dean Butterworth, who led the investigation said:

“It’s clear that Kirton has no regard for the law, even while on bail he continued to deal illegal drugs in the Winsford area. Thankfully, because of our investigations we have been able to bring his offending to a stop and he is now behind bars.

“Illegal drugs have a devastating impact on not only drug users, but the community around them, which is why we are relentless in our pursuit to rid Cheshire of illegal drug activity.

“In order to achieve our goal information from the public is vital. We will always act on any information about drug activity provided to us and I 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

Pictured - Kyle Kirton of Esk Road, Winsford.