A DRUG dealer who police say ‘brought misery to a community’ in Runcorn has been put behind bars.

Daniel Bone appeared before Chester Crown Court to be sentenced on Wednesday after pleading guilty to being concerned in the supply of cocaine and possession with intent to supply the class A drug.

The court heard that Bone was well known in the Mather Avenue area of Weston Point, with Cheshire Police receiving intelligence that he was involved in ‘regular drug dealing outside of his address at all hours of the day’.

Thanks to the ‘excellent’ engagement between members of the community and police, officers gathered enough evidence against Bone and conducted a warrant at his home on September 10, 2022.

During the raid, officers found three packages containing white powder with traces of cocaine, more than £2,200 in cash, a set of scales and other drug-related paraphernalia.

At the time of the warrant, Bone was not present at the address, but he was arrested at a later date on suspicion of possession with intent to supply cocaine.

On July 14 last year, officers conducted a second warrant at his Mather Avenue home and found more drug paraphernalia, including weighing scales with white powder residue on them, several small plastic snap bags, a mobile phone and a large number of cash notes.

During his interview, Bone claimed that the weighing scales were used for his own personal drug use, and not for measuring substances to sell on.

He also went on to say that the plastic bags were used to store his medication, that the large quantity of cash was used to pay for his rent, and that some of the money was to be used to put down a deposit for a puppy he was looking to buy.

Data taken from Bone's phone provided officers with several text messages that showed requests for drugs in varying quantities.

He denied all knowledge of these texts, but his banking activity was also questioned, with large amounts of money being moved into and out of his accounts – something he could not provide an explanation for.

Due to the overwhelming amount of evidence against him, Bone was charged with being concerned in the supply of cocaine and possession with intent to supply cocaine.

At Chester Crown Court, he was sentenced to six years in prison.

The force welcomed the sentence, with a spokesman stating: “Bone brought misery to residents of Mather Avenue for a prolonged period of time, with his relentless drug dealing activity all times of day outside his house.

“I would like to thank the members of the community for their assistance.

“Their courage in coming forward with information was vital in supporting officers in Runcorn in disrupting a small part of the wider circle of organised crime in the town.”