A gang who used "flare messages" to advertise their drugs and build their enterprise was jailed for almost 30 years.
The dealers were busted after a series of raids across Wirral and Cheshire folllowing a huge police operation to bring them down.
Eight men were sentenced for being part of a criminal enterprise that used flare messages to advertise the sale of crack cocaine and heroin in Chester city centre.
Alex Freeman, aged 21, set up the gang which was then controlled by 23-year-old Ryan Wallace following his arrest.
He relied on Bradley Wong, 21, to help manage the deals to those on the street while Ashley White, 28, Joseph Birthwright, 21, and Frederick Pendleton, 44, were entrusted to deliver the drugs to the users directly.
They recruited 21-year-old Fergus Rideal as the driver where he would take them to Liverpool on a number of occasions.
The gang operated using at least three graft phones, with James McLeod, 30, using them on a number of occasions.
Speaking to the ECHO in 2019, a former drug dealer explained what flare messages are and how drug gangs used them to advertise.
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The man, who did not wish to be named, said: "Firms [drug gangs] in Liverpool have been using these kind of messages for years now.
"You send a text message to all the contacts in your graft phone to let them know about the latest cannabis or coke."
Their activity was monitored by detectives between 30 September 2019 and 29 June 2020.
They are estimated to have supplied 100 deals of 0.1g of class A per day.
Following a timely operation the men were arrested during a number of dawn raids across Blacon, Broughton, Upton, Saughall and Ellesmere Port on Monday 29 June 2020.
The men were sentenced at Chester Crown Court on Monday 21 September and Tuesday 22 September after admitting to their crimes at an earlier hearing.
Detective Sergeant Stuart Needham, of Chester Local Policing Unit, said: “These men were part of a fully established criminal network who had been operating drugs in the city for a while.
“The gang had a large customer base with the majority addicted to crack cocaine and heroin.
"They supplied them with the drugs with the sole purpose of making a substantial profit.
“In order to get to the root of this problem and target those who were at the top of the tree we had to undertake a lengthy and covert operation to ensure we disrupted the supply of the drugs.
“We are grateful to the public who came forward to provide us with information as it was crucial to the investigation and I want to encourage them to keep showing their support and coming forward to report it.”
David Keane, Police and Crime Commissioner for Cheshire, said: “This is great news for those living in the community who have no doubt been impacted by the actions of the men involved in this conspiracy.
“Preventing and protecting Chester from serious and organised crime is a priority in my Police and Crime Plan and I am once again really proud of the detectives who have dismantled another organised crime group.
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“I want to add that the public have played a part in providing police with important information which hugely supported this outcome.”
If you believe drug activity is taking place in your community please report it to police either anonymously through Crimestoppers by calling 0800 555 111 or Cheshire Police on 101.
