[A] WORKINGTON drug dealer has been jailed for almost six years after police saw him repeatedly peddling heroin near his home.
Steven Hilland, 51, was locked up for 67 months at Carlisle Crown Court today (WED). Hilland had pleaded guilty to supplying heroin, possessing the class A drug with intent to supply, and simple possession.
His crimes were uncovered after police carried out covert surveillance of his Roper Street address for more than a week last month. They saw 57 separate illegal transactions involving Hilland and customers in alleyways adjacent to his property.
When officers swooped, on November 23, he was found in possession of heroin, while scales and plastic packaging were located at his home.
The court heard Hilland had two previous class A drug supply convictions on his criminal record.
The police operation was said to have been carried out to disrupt heroin dealing in Workington.
Detective Constable David Riley of West Area Drugs Unit said: “Hilland was a significant street level dealer of heroin whose activities impacted greatly on the lives of the innocent members of the public who lived in the area around where Hilland was operating.
“From our observations, Hilland was extremely busy, had a large client base and had learnt little from his previous convictions.
“We received information about Hilland’s activities from a number of sources and this helped to guide our investigation.
“We can only target those persons we know about and as such I would encourage anybody who has concerns about drug dealing to contact the Police.”