Man who led gang that flooded town with heroin and crack cocaine is jailed

A Wistaston man who ran a Crewe-based county lines drugs operation has been imprisoned for over three years following the discovery that he was dealing heroin and crack cocaine.

Harvey Etchells faced the music at Chester Crown Court on Friday 17 January, having admitted to offences involving class A drugssupply concerns (Heroin), possession with intent to supply (other class A drugs) and carrying an offensive weapon in public.

The 27 year old from Windermere Road, Wistaston, received a sentence of three years and seven months incarceration.

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At his trial, it emerged officers from Cheshire Constabulary's Serious and Organised Crime Unit (SOCU) had pinpointed two mobiles used by Etchells as county lines to push the trade of crack cocaine and heroin around Crewe.

Etchells' phones, known as the "H" line, were found to be advertising narcotics sales. Investigations showed that one of these numbers regularly texted a lengthy roster of recipients offering drugs. These communications were traced to near a Wistaston address.

Officers believed Etchells sent these texts and controlled the H line. Subsequent proof solidified their hunches, prompting a raid at Etchells residence on Windermere Road on Thursday 28 November 2024.

Upon entering the property, officers found Etchells fleeing to his bathroom. He was apprehended and a mobile phone was seized from him.

However, officers suspected that Etchells had tried to dispose of additional evidence by flushing it down the toilet.

The police then accessed a manhole in the garden of the property. When they flushed the bathroom toilet, a mobile phone emerged from the downpipe into the manhole.

Officers dialled one of the numbers suspected to be linked to drug dealing, and the phone that Etchells had tried to discard rang.

Back inside the house, officers discovered several items believed to be associated with the sale of class A drugs scattered across the property.

Scraps of paper bearing names and phone numbers were also retrieved from an outdoor bin at the front of the property. Upon inspection, it was revealed that 14 out of the 25 numbers listed on the document were known to Cheshire Police systems as individuals linked to possession of Class A drugs.

A large zombie-style knife, approximately 17.5 inches long, was also discovered in Etchells' bedroom. Later, during questioning by officers, he claimed that he used it for gardening and was unaware that possessing such items was illegal.

Etchells was subsequently charged with involvement in the supply of class A drugs (Heroin), possession with intent to supply class A drugs (other) and possession of an offensive weapon in a public place.

Detective Inspector Rob Balfour from the Serious and Organised Crime Unit remarked: "Controllers of county lines groups play integral roles in the distribution of illegal substances across large areas advertising drugs for sale to perspective buyers."

He elaborated on the case, saying, "The presentation of the evidence by the team has more than shown Etchells' control of the line, how involved he was and for how long. Unlike Etchells' flushed mobile phone that was recovered by us, the work of SOCU officers has resulted in his plans to continue the selling illegal drugs going fully down the toilet."

DI Balfour also expressed satisfaction with the outcome, stating, "I really welcome such a sentence being given to Etchells. It is well documented the damage these types of drugs do and Etchells was trying to profit from his criminality. People who involve themselves at this level of control deserve such a sentence."

Emphasising the unit's dedication, he added, "We work very hard to prosecute those controlling County Lines and want to protect and safeguard any individuals at risk of exploitation from these types of criminals. Officers are continuously acting on intelligence and carrying out regular enforcement activity on both a local and county-wide level to go after organised groups."

He concluded with an appeal: "I urge anyone with any information about suspected drug related activity in their community to get in touch. You will be listened to, and we will investigate the matter."