County lines operation taken down as two men jailed

A county line which was supplying class A drugs in Stoke-on-Trent has been taken down after two men were jailed.

Reece Chell, 25, of Hartshill, Stoke-on-Trent, and Michael Davis, 32, of Birmingham, were both arrested after we uncovered messages advertising the sale of drugs.

Between June and August last year, the county line phone was used to send 3,042 messages, with a further 1,032 messages sent between August and October.

Chell was arrested in connection with the drug line on Shelton Old Road, Stoke-on-Trent, in August last year. He was charged with drug dealing offences and bailed ahead of a date in court.

In August, we spotted Davis topping up the phone in Walsall. He was later stopped on the A34 and taken in for questioning, where we found the drug phone.

We also found around £1,000-worth of crack cocaine and heroin that was being supplied by the drug line after searching an address near Whieldon Road, Stoke-on-Trent, in October last year.

Then, in December, Davis was arrested again inside a house after we found more than £2,000-worth of crack cocaine, around £1,000-worth of heroin, £395 in cash and multiple mobile phones. Chell was arrested on the same day inside his home address in Stoke-on-Trent.

(Michael Davis (left) and Reece Chell (right))

They were both charged with the offences and taken to court.

On Thursday (4 July) at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court, Chell and Davis were both sentenced:

• Davis was given a three-year sentence after he previously pleaded guilty to possession with intent to supply crack cocaine and heroin, as well as being concerned in the supply of crack cocaine and heroin
• Chell was jailed for one-year-and-seven-months after he previously admitted being concerned in the supply of crack cocaine and heroin

Detective Sergeant Isabelle Pole worked on the case. She said: “This was a sophisticated drug line that had cross-border reach. I’m pleased with the efforts of everyone involved to bring it down and stop harmful drugs from being circulated in our communities.

“Officers across Staffordshire are working hard every single day to proactively build intelligence against the gangs responsible for drug dealing and to protect those who are often exploited by these groups for criminal gain.”

If you’re concerned about drug dealing in your area, call us on 101 or use Live Chat on our website.

To report anonymously, call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.