Burton man jailed for part in county lines drug operation

A man from Burton-upon-Trent has been jailed for seven years for his role in a county lines drug operation.

Forty-five-year-old Andrew Wortley – of Main Street, Stapenhill – was sentenced at Stafford Crown Court on Friday 19 June having been found guilty of possession with intent to supply Class A drugs (crack cocaine) and possession of criminal property.

Wortley’s sentencing comes less than a month after his arrest on 21 May 2020 by officers investigating county line operations in Burton.

Following an intelligence-led vehicle stop, officers carried out a search of Wortley’s home, seizing crack cocaine valued at more than £1,000, scales, cash, a mobile and a tick list.

Detective Sergeant Jonathan Bradbury, from the Staffordshire Police’s Southern Disruption team, said: “This is a great result and we’re very pleased that the courts have imposed this kind of sentence.

“We want this to stand as a warning to anyone involved in county lines drugs operation that we will find you and will look to hand significant jail terms out.”