Crack dealer jailed after stop-and-search arrest
A HEROIN and crack cocaine dealer has been jailed for more than five years after being arrested in a stop -and-search.
Christopher Bridger would travel from his home in Oldham to Cheshire to sell class A drugs, police said.
The 26-year-old was arrested after officers spotted him acting suspiciously in an area of Macclesfield that was well known to drug addicts.
On March 15, police saw him ‘conversing with known drug dealers’ then saw a ‘coming together of hands,’ so conducted a stop and search.
Bridger was found with a small quantity of cannabis, £765 in cash and two mobile phones.
He was arrested and police found that he had a drugs debt and was dealing heroin and crack cocaine.
He was charged with two counts of being concerned in the supply of the class A drugs, possession of class B drug cannabis and possession of criminal property.
Bridger, of Copster Hill Road in Oldham, pleaded guilty to all of the charges and was jailed for five and a half years at Chester Crown Court on April 14.
He was also ordered to pay a £190 victim surcharge.
Detective Sergeant Angie Coppock, of Macclesfield Local Policing Unit’s county lines team, said: “Christopher Bridger was travelling into Cheshire from his home in Oldham in Greater Manchester to sell class A drugs.
“He has been brought to justice as a result of officers out on patrol seeing him act suspiciously in an area of Macclesfield that we know to be a hotspot for drug deals.
“They stopped and searched Bridger, and a subsequent investigation revealed the extent of his offending. “Bridger has previous convictions for dealing class A drugs. The court took that into consideration when sentencing him.
“I hope that this case and the sentence that has been imposed by the courts deters others from coming to Cheshire to sell illegal drugs.”
Chief Inspector Dave Moores, of Macclesfield LPU, said: “This case shows the importance of the police’s power to stop and search people they suspect to be breaking the law.
“As a result of our ability to stop and search Christopher Bridger, a repeat class A drugs dealer has been removed from our streets.
“These drugs cause untold damage to the lives of both those who use them and become dependent on them and the wider community who suffer from the resulting crime.
“Drug dealing in Macclesfield or elsewhere in Cheshire will not be tolerated.
“While this investigation has now concluded, our fight against illegal drugs, and those who supply them, continues.
“Intelligence supplied by members of the public is crucial to this fight and I urge anyone with any information about suspected drug related activity in their community to get in touch.
This case shows the importance of the police’s power to stop and search people Chief Inspector Dave Moores
“You will be listened to and we will investigate the matter.”
You can report suspected drug dealing to Cheshire Constabulary directly by calling 101 or giving the details online via https://www. cheshire.police.uk/ro/report.
Alternatively, information can also be given anonymously, via Crimestoppers, on 0800 555 111.