A drug dealer has been jailed for four years after sending nearly 2,000 text messages in a mass marketing campaign to sell the class A drug cocaine.
On August 30 last year, at 9.20pm, Chris Mannix was stopped by Derbyshire Police in London Road, Derby, while driving an Audi Q2.
Officers searched the 24-year-old and he told them he had "three bags of coke down my pants".
The drugs were recovered along with £425 in cash and a mobile phone, and Mannix was arrested on suspicion of possession with intent to supply cocaine.
Mannix gave an address in Nottingham as his home which was searched by officers, but none of his possessions were found to be there.
He was linked to an address in Uttoxeter Road in Derby, which was then searched, and, at the house, dealer bags and two mobile phones were found.
Following his arrest, the mobile phone that was found when Mannix was searched was reviewed.
On the device, at least 1,900 messages were found advertising cocaine for sale between May 12 and August 30 last year.
In interview, Mannix claimed he had nothing to do with supplying drugs, he had not sent any messages and that the money he was found with had come from his job working at Rolls-Royce.
However, despite his claims, he was charged with possession with intent to supply cocaine and, after being remanded by officers, was released on court bail.
Mannix was due to stand trial at Derby Crown Court on Monday (March 7). However, he pleaded guilty before then.
He appeared at the same court on Friday (March 4) where he was jailed for four years.
Mannix was brought to justice by the specialist Risk Reduction Team in Derby – which tackles specific individuals and crime types that pose threats to communities.
Detective sergeant Chris Barker, who runs the Risk Reduction Team in Derby, said: "The scale of Chris Mannix’s dealing was clear to see from the number of messages he sent in a relatively short period of time.
"Each week he was sending out more than 100 messages advertising the drugs - from which he would have made a substantial sum of money.
"In this case it was pure greed that motivated Mannix, who held a well-paid job that would have adequately accommodated most people’s needs, and he is now paying the price for his avarice."
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