Dealer lied about name before police found drugs in his Somerset hotel room

Three drugs dealers have been jailed after police found around £1,200 worth of crack cocaine and heroin in a hotel room in Bridgwater. Curtis Coburn, 25, Karl Richardson, 36, and Zack Wildman, 27, were involved in a drugs lines between Manchester and Somerset.

Police officers raided the hotel room in February and seized the drugs. It came after they received information that Coburn was staying in Bridgwater on Thursday, February 22.

When officers attended the hotel, Coburn initially claimed he was staying in the room alone and gave a false name. The drugs were then found and Zack Wildman was understood to have been staying in the same room.

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However, he was not present at the time and further enquiries were carried out to locate him. Officers then gained entry to a property in Riversmead Walk the following day and found him with Karl Richardson and a 17-year-old boy.

A number of mobile phones were also found at the property, including one directly being used in the drugs line. A review of that device found sufficient evidence that all four people were concerned in the supply of illegal drugs.

The three men, all from Greater Manchester, were sentenced at Bristol Crown Court last Thursday (November 7). They were handed the following sentences:

• Coburn, of Urmston, has been given a seven-year prison sentence after he was found guilty of being concerned in the supply of class A drugs (crack cocaine and heroin), as well as being in possession of a controlled class B drug (cannabis). He was also given a consecutive four-year prison sentence for separate matters.

• Richardson, of Timperley, has been given a prison sentence of two years and three months after admitting being concerned in the supply of class A drugs (crack cocaine and heroin).

• Wildman, of Partington, given a three-year prison sentence after admitting being concerned in the supply of class A drugs (crack cocaine and heroin).

A 17-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, also admitted being concerned in the supply of class A drugs (crack cocaine and heroin), as well as being in possession of a class A drug (heroin) with intent to supply. He will be sentenced at a youth court at a future date.

Det Sgt Stuart Hassell said: “The sentences given are a reflection of how seriously these offences are treated by the courts. Three men are now behind bars for their role in this corrosive and illegal enterprise and we’ve stopped a quantity of dangerous drugs from causing misery in our communities.”