FOUR more Ellesmere Port members of a large organised crime gang which flooded Chester and Ellesmere Port with kilos of class A drugs have been jailed.

Liam Roberts, Hakeem Stockton, Anthony Carr and Curtis McHugh all appeared at Chester Crown Court on Tuesday, September 29, to be sentenced, having pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply crack cocaine and heroin.

It follows the first three gang members being sentenced on Monday, including ringleader Mark Cavanagh, for a gang which between September 2019 and June 2020 had two established lines of operation: the Dell Line in Lache, which involved between 2.9kg-5.8kg of crack cocaine and heroin, and the Dark Line in Ellesmere Port, which involved between 21.2kg and 42.5kg of the class A drugs.

Police valued the total drugs operation in Lache as between £278k-556k, and Ellesmere Port as between £903,500-£1.8m.

Roberts, 23, and Stockton, 20, were seen as "trusted lieutenants", prosecuting barrister Simon Parry told the court, while Carr, 32, and McHugh, 22, were street dealers.

In addition Roberts, of Wilmslow Drive, Great Sutton, had previously received a suspended sentence in 2018 for supplying cocaine in Rosies nightclub. Police and security were called and he swallowed his phone's SIM card before they could access it.

The court heard he was in breach of that 12-month suspended sentence, had a total of six convictions for 14 offences.

Stockton, of Central Avenue, Ellesmere Port, had also admitted GBH and common assault charges for offences in March 2020.

McHugh, who had no previous convictions, was involved in the drugs gang in March 2020 and supplied drugs to undercover officers. When caught by police moments later, he said: It's the first time I have done it," adding: "Scouse Mark made me do it," in reference to the gang leader Cavanagh.

He also admitted having a stash of 93g of class A drugs at his address.

Carr, who had 15 previous convictions for 26 offences, had been supplying heroin to undercover officers in February as part of the gang in Ellesmere Port.

Peter Barnett, defending Roberts, said he had got involved while depressed and as a cocaine addict, and his involvement was not as high as others.

A previous pre-sentence report had shown Roberts to be immature with a lack of consequential thinking, and had shown remorse.

He had a partner who had a child in July.

Philip Clemo, defending Stockton, said while Stockton's role in the gang was significant, it was not as high as other 'trusted lieutenants' previously sentenced and his involvement was limited. It had also effectively ended in January following a personal event which had been "a wake-up call" in his life.

He accepted responsibility for the assault but he had been provoked into acting "out of character".

Since making changes earlier this year, he had started coaching a six-a-side football team for disadvantaged children.

Oliver King, defending McHugh, said the defendant had been upfront with police about his offending.

Up until the age of 20 he had not taken drugs but then a relationship break-up and the death of two close friends hit him hard. He was introduced to cannabis then became addicted, and wracked up a debt for which he was put under pressure to pay off.

Chris Hunt, defending Carr, said father-of-three Carr had got into a cannabis drug debt, but after being supplied with a mountain bike and told to cycle to various spots to do drug deals, he voluntarily gave up.

He wanted to express shame for letting his family down.

Mr Hunt added: "He earned about £300 from it. It wasn't worth it."

Honorary Recorder of Chester Judge Steven Everett said class A drugs were "major blights on our society" as he told the four defendants about the "evils" of crack cocaine and heroin.

He added: "You should feel ashamed of yourselves for bringing these evil drugs into Chester and Ellesmere Port."

He told Roberts: "What comes across in your case is someone who blames everybody but yourself. You made a choice get involved in this, you did. The judge [last time] gave you a real chance and you didn't take it. You get no sympathy from me."

Roberts was jailed for 58 months for the drugs conspiracy and a further 12 months for breaching his suspended sentence, making 70 months in total.

Stockton was jailed for 50 months for the drugs conspiracy and a further 12 months for the GBH and common assault, making 62 months in total.

McHugh and Carr were each jailed for 22 months.

Further members of the Cavanagh drugs gang are to be sentenced at Chester Crown Court on Wednesday.