Man jailed after cocaine found in tea bag

Hannon was sentenced at Carlisle Crown Court

A man has been jailed for more than five years after police found cocaine hidden in a tea bag during a raid.

Scott Hannon, 27, was sentenced at Carlisle Crown Court after pleading guilty to possessing with intent to supply cocaine and cannabis.

Cumbria Police said Hannon, from Workington, had been selling at least 26kg (57lbs) of cocaine per year.

Mobile phones found during warrants also showed he had been "actively" involved in supplying drugs, the force added.

Officers found a bag containing 9.62g (0.05lbs) of cocaine hidden inside a tea bag, when they raided a property in Dalegarth Avenue, Whitehaven, on 6 July last year.

Two bags of cannabis, a cannabis grinder, a mobile phone and more than £800 in cash were also discovered.

Cumbria Police said analysis of the mobile phone found "extensive evidence" that Hannon was actively involved in the supply of drugs between April and July 2023.

Another phone which had received messages from him was also seized in a separate warrant in Cleator Moor last December.

'Supplying in bulk'

Officers also seized a phone from Hannon on 1 April with more evidence of his involvement in the supply of drugs between July 2023 and March.

Det Con Dean Young, from the Community Serious and Organised Crime (CSOC) team, said a drug expert determined that Hannon was involved in the supply of drugs "on a commercial level, supplying in bulk as well as carrying out street deals".

He added: "The expert concludes that Hannon was selling a minimum of 26 kilograms of cocaine per year, supplying to vulnerable drug users in the area."

Hannon, of Wastwater Avenue, was sentenced to five years and four months in prison.