Baby-faced gang members brought misery to town - then refused to talk

Two knife-wielding teenagers who refused to tell police how they flooded a town's streets with drugs have been jailed.

Keenan Hughes and Vincent Potter first came to police attention in April this year, when officers became aware of a mobile phone number which was being used to sell drugs in Cheshire. The number was being run by the 'Kyle' county lines gang.

CCTV footage showed an unknown man who was suspected to be one of the people using the phone. The image was sent to Cheshire Police's facial recognition system, which matched it to Hughes.

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On May 17, he was spotted walking along Winnington Street, in Northwich, alongside Potter. Both men were stopped and searched by officers.

Hughes was found in possession of 99 individual wraps of crack cocaine, worth approximately £990, along with a hunting style knife. Potter was found to have two mobile phones, a lock knife and £960 cash. The pair were arrested for drugs offences and possession of a knife in a public place.

According to Cheshire Police, the pair remained tight-lipped in relation to drugs offences during interrogation, answering no comment to the majority of the questions put to them. But when analysing one of the phones seized from Potter, officers discovered several messages indicating it had been being used to sell illegal drugs.

Despite their silence, both teenagers were charged with possession with intent to supply Class A drugs (crack cocaine), possession of criminal property and possession of a knife in a public place. They pleaded guilty to the offences before being sentenced at Chester Crown Court yesterday (July 1).

Hughes, 18, of Cable Street, Connah’s Quay, was sentenced to 28 months behind bars for possession with intent to supply Class A drugs (crack cocaine) and possession of a knife in a public place. Potter, 19, of no fixed abode was jailed for 34 months for possession with intent to supply Class A drugs (crack cocaine), possession of criminal property and possession of a knife in a public place.

Police Constable Dean Butterworth, of Northwich Proactive Policing Team, said: “This is a great example of how technology can make a real difference in modern day policing. Hughes was not known in the Northwich area, but thanks to the CCTV footage and facial recognition technology, we were quickly able to identify him as a suspect.

“As a result of this information and the work of the team here at Northwich Proactive Policing Team, another two drug dealers have been removed from the streets of our town and both men are facing time behind bars. I welcome the sentences handed to the pair and I hope that their conviction provides reassurance to local residents and acts as a warning for any other dealers who are planning to target the Northwich area.”