A MUM and son have been jailed after cannabis and cocaine were discovered in drug busts at their family home in Alderley Edge.
Julie Finney, 48, Marcus Finney, 28, and her younger son, Dylan Hepburn, 19, appeared at Chester Crown court on Monday and sentenced for conspiracy to supply cocaine and cannabis.
The trio had pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing.
READ > Knutsford's 60 King Street could be saved by £2m rescue bid
Marcus Finney was handed a four-and-a-half-year jail-term while Julie Finney received three-years imprisonment.
Hepburn was given an 18-month suspended sentence.
The court heard that the family, of Oakfield Close, Alderley Edge, were conspiring together to supply drugs across the Alderley Edge area between January 2020 and May 2021.
Officers raided the family home on Friday, December 18, 2020, as part of Operation Yellow Lakeside.
Police recovered a quantity of cannabis and a small amount of MDMA, a synthetic drug that acts as a stimulant and hallucinogen.
More than £1,000 in cash was also seized from Hepburn’s bedroom.
Hepburn was subsequently arrested alongside two other individuals, who were later eliminated from the investigation.
Plain clothes officers detained Marcus Finney following suspicious activity at Alderley Edge train station on March 3, 2021.
A small amount of cannabis, quantity of cash and a mobile phone were discovered after he was searched.
Officers found messages detailing information arranging the sale of drugs on his mobile phone.
The family home was raided again later that day and cannabis and drug paraphernalia was discovered in Marcus Finney’s bedroom.
In custody, Finney was searched and cocaine thought to be worth an estimated £100 to £105 was found.
Evidence from the phones seized showed that the two brothers used flare messaging to advertise the sale of both cocaine and cannabis to addicts across the area.
The message data also proved that the pair arranged to niu wholesale amounts of drugs by the kilogram.
Data obtained from their mum’s mobile revealed that drugs distributed by the family were being stored at their home, with her bank details repeatedly provided to buyers paying for drugs.
Police Constable Sam Needham, said: “With the strength of the evidence we have been able to gather, this trio had very little option other than to plead guilty to the charges against them.
“Their convictions are testament to the great work of our officers involved in the case which shows the value of police stop searches.
“I hope that their sentencing will serve as a warning to others who intend to come to Cheshire to commit crime.
"We will catch you and we will bring you to justice.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here