Northwich drug dealer jailed after police find evidence on iPhone

Ryan Foster, of Linnards Lane, Wincham, had refused to answer questions but pleaded guilty when detectives revealed the strength of their evidence.

The 33-year-old was sentenced to three years and six months at Chester Crown Court on Tuesday, October 1.

Foster had previously pleaded guilty to two counts of being concerned in the supply of class A drugs, namely cocaine.

Convicted drug dealer Ryan Foster (Image: Cheshire Police)

The court heard how detectives launched an investigation after becoming aware of a drugs line operating in Northwich on November 21, 2023.

The drugs line, a mobile number being used to send flare messages advertising the sale of illegal drugs, was used multiple times, before changing to a new number on December 12, 2023.

Police found pictures of large amounts of cash on Foster's iPhone (Image: Cheshire Police)

It was again used to send flare messages for around a month.

Officers on patrol in Northwich conducted a stop check on a black Mercedes-Benz which was seen speeding on Manchester Road, Lostock Gralam, on February 7, this year.

Foster was driving the car, and upon searching the vehicle officers located a Nokia mobile phone in a storage compartment.

Police found pictures of large amounts of cash along with messages asking for cocaine on his iPhone (Image: Cheshire Police)

Checks revealed that the phone was the same one that had been used to sell drugs in November and December.

Foster was arrested at the scene and his personal iPhone was also seized.

He was later questioned by officers but answered no comment to all of the questions put to him.

During subsequent examination of the iPhone, officers recovered evidence which showed Foster had bought large quantities of cocaine in May 2023, along with messages about how many drugs he had supplied.

Images were also located on the phone showing large amounts of cash, along with a number of messages asking for cocaine.

Officers also recovered further evidence, including cell-site data and ANPR footage, which showed that Foster had been in the same location as the drugs line.

After gathering a catalogue of evidence, Foster was charged with two counts of conspiracy to supply class A drugs.

Following the sentencing, Detective Sergeant John Lyons, of Northwich Proactive CID said: “It’s great to see another drug dealer taken off the streets of Northwich and I hope Foster’s sentencing acts as a warning to others.

“Despite his refusal to answer any questions, the strength of the evidence against him was overwhelming and he had no option but to plead guilty to the charges against him.

“While Foster is now behind bars, our fight against illegal drugs continues and we are committed to doing all we can to ensure those responsible are held accountable for their actions.

“However, this is not an issue that we can tackle alone, information from the public is vital if we are to breakdown the organised crime groups who bring misery to our streets, and I would appeal to anyone who has information to come forward.”

Anyone with information or concerns in relation to drug dealing in the Northwich area is asked to report it to Cheshire Police via cheshire.police.uk/tell-us or call 101.