A COUNTY lines dealer in Widnes was caught red-handed by police in possession of three burner phones.

Liverpool Crown Court heard how on Wednesday, August 21, officers from Cheshire Police spotted Jordan Alja leaving an address on Lower Appleton Road in Widnes.

Alja was the subject of a pre-existing protection from harassment order, with conditions not to enter the address he had been sighted at.

As a result, he was swiftly arrested for the breach of the order.

Upon his arrest, Alja was found in possession of three burner phones – used by county lines gangs to send ‘flare’ messages advertising the sale of class A drugs in the area.

While the investigation into his drug dealing continued, Alja was charged and sentenced to 16 weeks in prison in relation to the breach of the protection order.

Following his release from prison, Alja was subsequently rearrested and later charged with being concerned in the supply of crack cocaine and heroin.

The 23-year-old, of no fixed abode, pleaded guilty to being concerned in the supply of class A drugs, namely crack cocaine and heroin.

Alja appeared before Liverpool Crown Court, where he was sentenced to 40 months in prison.

The sentence was welcomed by PC Chris Nicholls, who said: “Alja targeted Widnes thinking that it would be an easy place to deal drugs.

“What he did not realise is that we were hot on his trail.

“We were able to provide a catalogue of evidence against him, leaving Alja with no option but to plead guilty to the charges.

“Illegal drugs can have a devastating impact on not only drug users, but the community around them.

“I would like to thank officers who are doing all they can to stop drug activity on our streets and to make Widnes a safer place to live, work and visit, while also making it an extremely hostile place for criminals.

“We will always act on any information about drug activity provided to us, and we would urge anyone who believes this activity is happening near to them to please contact us.”

You can do so by calling Cheshire Police on 101 or visiting cheshire.police.uk/tell-us