Drug dealer jailed for Birmingham to Herefordshire network

Lee Carr used an associate to travel to Leominster and co-ordinate drug sales on his behalf

A man who ran a drug network using the home of a vulnerable man as part of his supply route has been jailed.

Lee Carr "cuckooed" the drug addict's address in Leominster, Herefordshire, and used it as a base to supply crack cocaine and heroin, police said.

Carr, 29, of Moseley, Birmingham, had been running a drugs network from the city into the market town.

He was jailed for six years and nine months after admitting conspiracy to supply Class A drugs.

Cuckooing is when criminals set up a base in a rural area or small town for a short time, taking over the home of a vulnerable person.

"Carr exploited a drug user as part of his operation and that kind of exploitation, with children often groomed to sell drugs in the street, is part of the County Lines model," Det Insp Julie Woods of West Midlands Police said.

The drug dealer used an associate to travel to Leominster and co-ordinate sales on his behalf, although he occasionally made the trip himself, police said.

His Chestnut Road home was raided in November 2018 and details of the main drugs line was found, plus £2,000 in cash.

Examination of his phone revealed the extent of his operation, police added.

Carr was jailed on Thursday at Worcester Crown Court.