A Chester man who used a relative's flat as a base to deal drugs has been jailed. Sean Randles, 37, of Victoria Road, Ellesmere Port, was sentenced to six years and four months in prison at Chester Crown Court on Thursday, August 20.
Police raid uncovers drugs and cash
On Thursday, June 18, Cheshire Police raided the address in St Anne's Flats, Chester, after receiving information it was being used for drug dealing. Officers found the homeowner in the living room watching television and Randles in the bedroom, where they also located a large quantity of heroin, a quantity of cocaine, a set of digital scales which were turned on, along with a number of bags ready to pack the drugs into.
A full search led to the recovery of four mobile phones and £5,840.13 in cash. Both men were arrested at the property and taken into police custody. In total, the drugs recovered from the flat had a potential street value of up to £15,000.
Investigation and sentencing
Randles remained silent throughout questioning, but officers were able to establish the drugs and cash all belonged to him, and he was simply using his family member's flat as a base to store the illegal drugs. Despite his silence, he was later charged with two counts of possession with intent to supply class A drugs (heroin and cocaine) and possession of criminal property.
Randles had earlier pleaded guilty to the charges. Following the sentencing, Detective Inspector Rupert Morrey said: “Randles is well known to the team here at Chester, having only been released from prison in January 2026 for previous drugs offences.
“It appears that following his release from prison, he thought he could outsmart police by using a flat belonging to a family member as his base. However, as he has now discovered, he was clearly wrong.
“During our investigation it was clear that he was involved in the sale and distribution of class A drugs on a commercial scale and I welcome the latest sentence handed to him.
“The impact that illegal drugs have on our communities cannot be underestimated and I hope that the sentence handed to Randles will act as a warning to others.
“If you have information or intelligence about drug dealing in your area, please don’t hesitate to contact us on 101 or via cheshire.police.uk/tell-us – and we will do the rest.
“Alternatively, contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.”
