Hastings man sentenced for county lines drug dealing

Luke Waeling, 34, from Hastings, admitted charges of conspiracy to supply crack cocaine and heroin and was sentenced to two years seven months, said Cumbria Police.

Alexander Nyarashe, 22, of Jubilee Drive, Liverpool, admitted charges of supply crack cocaine and heroin and was sentenced to three years and six months. Laura McGannan, 33, of Dalton Avenue, Carlisle, admitted charges of supply crack cocaine and heroin and was sentenced to two years and four months, police added.

A police spokesman said: “The investigation began when Cumbria Police received information that a new county line drugs line had gone live in Carlisle in May 2020.  

“The number, ending 666, had been sending out bulk advertising text messages offering to supply crack cocaine and heroin.  The drug dealers were identifying  themselves and the drugs they sold with the trade name of ‘Red’.  Cumbria Police’s North Area Drugs Squad commenced Operation Denier to identify and dismantle this new attempt to flood Carlisle with Class A drugs.”

Waeling was seen meeting a known drug user and police detained both men.

The spokesman said: “ Both men were searched and while no drugs were recovered, the local drug user’s phone was seized from him.  Analysis of this shows he had placed a call to the 666 number just prior to being detained by Police. 
“Waeling was found in possession of a Smith & Weston folding pocket knife larger than legally permitted and was arrested for possession of this and for being concerned in the supply of controlled drugs.”

Entry was gained to the address he had left. Inside was a man who was later identified as Alexander Nyarashe, said police. 

The spokesman added:  “Nyarashe was in the process of flushing wraps of drugs down the toilet to try to destroy them.  From the address was recovered around £700 in cash, 22.5 grams of heroin in one lump, 18.4 grams of crack in one lump, 106 individual wraps of crack, 23 individual wraps of heroin.  These have a total street value of £4,215.

“Nyarashe had a mobile phone in his pocket that had been receiving messages from the 666 number, sending him instructions on drug deals to be conducted.

“Also found at the address at the top of the stairs leading into the flat was a loaded crossbow, available to hand and ready to be fired at anyone entering the property.”

Analysis showed the 666 number had been in frequent contact with the number of Laura McGannon in 2018.
Police arrested McGannon. “The phone of McGannon was seized and the content was found to illustrate her role in the conspiracy.  She had been assisting in the physical distribution of crack cocaine and heroin all across Carlisle,” said the police spokesman.