Warrington dealer who ran Instagram cannabis shop is jailed
- Published
Jack Routledge-Wrench is thought to have made £50,000 from the illegal operation
A man who ran an Instagram store selling cannabis-laced sweets from his one-bedroom flat has been jailed.
Jack Routledge-Wrench admitted selling sweets including Chewits and Nerd Ropes infused with the drug on three separate accounts on the platform.
The 29-year-old of Warrington, Cheshire, put "incredible effort" into the illicit operation and is thought to have made about £50,000, police said.
He was sentenced to five years and three months at Liverpool Crown Court.
Officers started investigating Routledge-Wrench's activities in April 2020 after words of the Instagram accounts spread.
Drugs were also available in chocolates, vape fluid and syrups marketed with professional printed labels.
One of the accounts was public while two others were closed and only viewable by sending a friend request.
Potential customers were directed to contact Routledge-Wrench through what he thought was a secure messaging app, but police accessed the communications.
His activities were uncovered when his flat above a shop in Knutsford Road was searched in February 2021.
Officers found what they described as "large-scale production", with every room used to store, produce or prepare items for delivery.
Many of the items were produced with professional labels
Det Supt Tom Hall, of Cheshire Police, said: "The scale of his business was significant, amassing about £50,000 in ill-gotten gains and spending thousands on printed labels for the products he was selling.
"All the incredible effort he put into his 'business' will be for nothing as he now faces time behind bars."
The money he made was expected to be confiscated following a Proceeds of Crime Act hearing, the detective added.
Routledge-Wrench pleaded guilty to possession with intent to supply Class B drugs and three counts of possession of a Class B drug.
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