Drug dealers carried heroin and crack from Sheffield into Derbyshire in hire car, court told

Two drug dealers carried heroin and crack from Sheffield into Derbyshire in a hire car, a court heard.

Mitchell Whittaker, aged 34, and 33-year-old Connal Porter were arrested by Derbyshire police in March 2020 at a car wash in Chesterfield in a hire car they were using.

Both men were arrested and during searches Whitaker, of Adalia Walk in Worksop was found with more than £2,800 in cash.

Porter, of Folds Lane, near Abbey Lane, in Sheffield, was found with 26 wraps of heroin and 18 wraps of crack cocaine, plus more than £2,400 cash.

An investigation of their activities revealed how the pair were involved in dealing, running a county lines drugs operation that they called the Damo Line, with Whittaker being the more senior member of the enterprise.

They both pleaded guilty to possession with intent to supply heroin and crack.

Whittaker was jailed for three years and four months following a hearing at Derby Crown Court on Friday January 5.

Porter was handed a suspended sentence of two years, suspended for 18 months with 240 hours of unpaid work.

The court also ordered that the cash seized is donated to charity.

Detective Constable Clare Shaw, of Derbyshire Police, was the officer in charge of the case.

She said: “This is a successful outcome which has seen a county drug line into Chesterfield severely disrupted and the two involved facing the consequences of their actions.

“Drugs cause devastation in the community and in the lives of those involved and we will continue to combat drug related activity and bring to justice those who commit crime in Derbyshire.”

Det Cons Shaw added: “If you suspect drug-related crime is happening in your area, please report it to us.

"We will treat every piece of information with care and will not hesitate to take the action as appropriate.”