A DRUG dealer has been locked up after being caught in possession of more than £1,000 worth of heroin and crack cocaine.

Niko Lopata attempted to walk away from officers and make a phone call when they were trying to talk to him at about 3.30pm on Thursday, January 22, 2022.

The officers were patrolling an area of Crewe that is known to be used for drug dealing.

They were on off-road motorbikes, as the area is difficult to access using traditional police vehicles.

Due to Lopata’s suspicious behaviour, the officers from Cheshire Constabulary’s Motorbike Unit stopped and searched the 19-year-old, from the West End area of the town.

The search revealed that he was carrying a total of 80 wraps of heroin and crack cocaine, a further seven grams of heroin, a small bag of cannabis, a large Rambo-style knife and £673 in cash.

The estimated street value of the class A drugs seized from Lopata is between £1,040 and £1,340.

Lopata was arrested, and a subsequent search of his home revealed a quantity of bags that are used for street drug deals.

He refused to answer any questions when interviewed in custody and was subsequently charged with a number of offences.

Lopata pleaded guilty to two counts of possession with intent to supply class A drugs (heroin and class cocaine) as well as possession of a knife in a public place and possession of class B drug cannabis.

At Chester Crown Court on Monday, April 11, he was sentenced to four-and-a-half years in a young offenders’ institution.