POLICE officers raiding a house to search for drugs were told to look in the wardrobe and bedside table by a man inside.

Liverpool Crown Court heard yesterday, Thursday, how Cheshire Police officers in Warrington executed a drugs warrant at an address on Alder Lane in Orford last month.

When officers swarmed the address at around 11.55am on Tuesday, February 13, three people were arrested inside.

One of them was Ben Whitelock-Wainwright, who informed officers that there were drugs at the property in a wardrobe and on his bedside table.

During a search, police recovered approximately £6,775 in cash and a large quantity of heroin, with an estimated value of around between £11,300 and £13,160.

Whitelock-Wainwright, aged 49 and of Alder Lane, was later charged with possession with intent to supply class A drugs, namely heroin, and possession of criminal property in the form of cash.

Ben Whitelock-Wainwright was jailed at Liverpool Crown Court

Ben Whitelock-Wainwright was jailed at Liverpool Crown Court

The defendant pleaded guilty to all charges and was sentenced by judge Andrew Menary to four years in prison.

The sentence handed down by the court was welcomed by detective constable Robert Catterall, of Cheshire Police.

He said: “Illegal drugs can have a devastating impact, not only on drug users, but also on the community around them.

“We are doing all we can to stop drug activity on our streets, to make Warrington a safer place to live and visit, while also making it extremely difficult for these gangs to operate.

“We will always act on any information about drug activity provided to us, and we would urge anyone who believes this activity is happening near to them to please contact Cheshire Police.”