Two Workington drug addicts preyed upon by Merseyside gang members during a county lines drug dealing operation have been spared immediate prison.
Police uncovered the illegal roles of David Albert Harrison, 50, and 49-year-old Alison Winn on June 18, 2019.
At around noon, police officers executed a search warrant at the pair’s Scalebeck Court home in Workington. After they forced entry, Winn was heard to make reference to a failed bid to hide a package inside her body.
A bag containing smaller snap-sealed bags was found in a bedroom. A total of 44.1g of 26 per cent purity heroin was recovered. This was worth £900 to £1,800 “as found” and up to £2,200 if sold on the street.
A phone seized from the address was said to be a county lines drugs supply line device, Carlisle Crown Court heard.
Winn and Harrison admitted being concerned in the supply of class A heroin, and possessing it with intent to supply.
But their respective barristers told how the pair had been preyed upon by those higher up the criminal chain who used a county lines phone. “The expert (police) witness says they have been cuckooed,” said Brendan Burke, for Harrison. “We all know about the wretched nature of these kinds of defendants and the way they are predated upon,” he said. “They are doing it to fund heir own habit.”
Winn got involved after running up a £2,000 drug debt, her role being to deal with messages which came through the phone line.
After hearing mitigation and background information, Judge Nicholas Barker opted to suspend 24-month prison sentences for two years. They must also complete rehabilitation and 180 hours’ unpaid work.
“By rights you should be going to prison today,” Judge Barker told the pair. “These county lines drug dealing gangs are a menace — a menace to everyone.”
The judge added: “These county lines operations can’t work unless the likes of you are there to facilitate it.”
