A county lines drug dealer from Barrow has been jailed for two-and-a-half years.
Daniel Ramsay, 31, of Hornbeam Crescent, was sentenced on 19th October at Preston Crown Court.
He appeared in court alongside a 17-year-old male, from London. Sentencing on the teenager was adjourned until 30th November.
In June this year officers stopped a vehicle driven by Ramsay on Cheviot Green, Barrow, with the London teenager as a passenger.
Inside the vehicle a bag containing £1,700 in cash was seized alongside a large amount of street deals of heroin and crack cocaine worth a street value of £3,380.
A spokesperson for South Cumbria Area Drugs Unit said: “This is another example of the county lines issue that is currently affecting rural towns all over the country.
“Organised crime groups are travelling hundreds of miles, frequently using children in their criminal enterprises, to flood rural towns with Class A drugs. They are regularly arming themselves with knives, which in turn poses a threat to members of the public.
“The sentence today reflects how seriously both the police and the criminal justice system take offences of this nature. We will continue to target any people or groups found to be involved in drug supply and place them in front of the courts.
“We will use any powers available to us to stop anybody involved in drug supply in the town. Drugs have a detrimental effect on the whole community and we urge anybody who has information regarding this issue to contact the police.”
John Woodcock MP said: “This sentence sends out the message that anyone thinking of becoming involved in county line dealing and spreading misery across our communities should think again.
“The number of drugs-related deaths that have occurred across Barrow and Furness during the past year have quite rightly sparked a demand from the public for something to be done and I am glad to have taken the county lines issue to parliament where I called on the government to increase training for railway guards and for rewards to be offered to people who are willing to tip off the police when they know of criminal activity.
“The police and the courts are taking drug-dealing very seriously and that is reflected in the sentences that are being handed out.”
