A DEALER already serving time behind bars after being caught with drugs stashed in his anus has been jailed for longer.

Alan Grimes was locked up for four years in May for his role as part of a county lines gang operating in the Widnes area, with two co-defendants bringing the total sentence for the group to 11 years.

The 56-year-old appeared back before the court recently to be sentenced for separate shoplifting matters.

He was charged with three counts of theft from a shop and one of attempted theft from a shop.

Grimes pleaded guilty to all counts during a plea hearing at Warrington Magistrates’ Court, with the case proceeding to sentence.

The court heard from Lisa Maguire, representing the prosecution, who said that the first incident on the indictment was an attempted theft from a Co-op shop in Widnes.

On January 17, the defendant attempted to steal multiple packs of cheese of a value unknown.

He returned the next day however and stole three packs of San Miguel lager valued at £36.

Two other thefts occurred at Co-op in Widnes on January 21 and March 17, when Grimes stole two packs of Stella Artois lager worth £30 and five multipacks of tuna to the value of £20.

The court heard of Grimes’ conviction before the crown court in May for being concerned in the supply of crack cocaine and heroin.

On October 5, 2022, plain clothed police officers spotted a car leaving an address in Widnes which was linked to county lines drug dealing.

The officers followed the car as it drove to Grimes’ nearby address and arrested the two occupants.

Grimes was in the living room, detained and taken to hospital, where doctors discovered that he had concealed a bag containing 19 wraps of crack cocaine and 14 wraps of heroin within his anus.

For his shoplifting offences, magistrates considered his guilty pleas, but given his record and the fact he is already in custody for the drug matters, they passed an immediate sentence.

Grimes, of Brentfield in Widnes, was sentenced to two weeks immediate imprisonment.