A dealer caught flushing wraps of drugs down a toilet played a part in his own downfall after police discovered 'drill' music videos he made confessing to his crimes.
Alexander Nyarashe, 22, from Jubilee Drive in Kensington was part of a gang trying to flood Carlisle with drugs.
The gang advertised their drugs operation in messages offering to supply crack cocaine and heroin from a phone number ending in '666'.
Cumbria Police managed to identify members of the gang who were using the trade name of 'Red' to brand the drugs they were selling between May 4 and 18 last year.
Officers traced the 'Red Line' phone which had the number ending '666' to an address on Millholme Avenue, Carlisle on May 19.
Nyarashe's accomplice Luke Waeling, 34, from Sussex was spotted coming out of the flat to meet a local known drug user.
Police raided the property and Nyarashe was discovered in the bathroom flushing wraps of drugs down the toilet.
Also found at the top of the stairs leading into the flat was a loaded crossbow, which police said was available to hand and ready to be fired at anyone entering the property.
Both Nyarashe and Waeling were arrested.
Nyarashe was found with a mobile phone in his pocket that had been receiving messages from the 666 number, sending him instructions on drug deals to be conducted.
Police 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 all with a total street value of £4,215.
While Nyarashe and Waeling were in custody, analysis of the 'Red Line' phone showed that the 666 number was still in operation and was not among the phones seized.
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Further analysis showed that the 666 number had been in frequent contact with the number of local woman, Laura McGannan in 2018.
Two days later, police arrested McGannan at an address in Dalton Avenue, Carlisle.
In the house was the second teenager known to have arrived with Nyarashe on May 2. He was a vulnerable 17-year-old missing from home.
In the bedroom the 666 county line phone was recovered, along with cash and powders used to bulk up heroin to make more profit.
During investigations, police discovered ‘drill’ music lyrics on Nyarashe's phone.
Cumbria Police worked with colleagues from the Metropolitan Police Service’s specialist gang unit for help translating the lyrics.
Written and performed by Nyarashe in a number of self-shot videos, he boasted of carrying machetes, shotguns and handguns while conducting his ‘business’ as a county lines crack and heroin dealer.
His lyrics include claims that he had stabbed and shot gang rivals in his home city of Liverpool.
All three defendant’s admitted their role in the conspiracy, and yesterday they were sentenced at Carlisle Crown Court.
Nyarashe admitted charges of supplying crack cocaine and heroin and was sentenced to three years six months in prison.
Waeling admitted charges of conspiracy to supply crack cocaine and heroin and was jailed for two years seven months.
And McGannan admitted charges of supply crack cocaine and heroin and was sentenced to two years four months in prison.
Welcoming the sentences handed down by the court, Detective Constable Tim Prangnell of the County’s North Area Drug Squad said: “Organised gangs based elsewhere in the country continue to try to import drugs into Cumbria and attempt to exploit vulnerable local people.
“However, through our work with other agencies and most importantly the support of our communities in reporting suspicious activity, we remain successful in identifying and convicting those responsible.
“Cumbria is not a soft touch. Those intent on exploiting our communities should think twice about coming here to ply their destructive trade.”
