County lines dealer from Skelmersdale jailed for drugs offences in Ellesmere Port

A county lines dealer from Skelmersdale who travelled to Cheshire to deal illegal drugs in Ellesmere Port has been jailed.

Joseph Barker appeared at Chester Crown Court on Wednesday 7th October where he was sentenced to three years and four months in prison.

The 21-year-old of Edgerton, Tanhouse, Skelmersdale, had earlier pleaded guilty to two counts of being concerned in the supply of Class A drugs and two counts of possession with intent to supply class A drugs.

The investigation began in September 2026 when officers received intelligence suggesting that the home of a vulnerable resident in Ellesmere Port had been ‘cuckooed’ and was being used as a base by a county lines drug dealer.

Officers attended the address on Monday 7th September, to check that the occupant was safe and well. On arrival there was no response, so officers entered the property to ensure the occupant had not come to harm.

Inside the property, officers discovered a vast array of drugs paraphernalia and weapons, along with a quantity of heroin and crack cocaine.

While they were inside the address, officers heard the door open and Barker initially began to enter but fled on foot after spotting the officers. He was quickly detained following a short foot chase, and during a search he was found in possession of £465 cash along with the keys to the address in Ellesmere Port and a personal mobile phone.

Barker was also seen swallowing a small mobile phone, which was also later recovered. During analysis of the device, officers recovered a number of flare messages advertising the sale of crack cocaine and heroin in the Ellesmere Port area.

Analysis of his personal device also showed that he was regularly travelling between Ellesmere Port and Merseyside, where he is likely to have collected the illegal drugs.

Barker remained silent throughout his interview and refused any legal advice. Despite his silence, he was later charged with being concerned in the supply of crack cocaine and heroin, and two counts of possession with intent to supply crack cocaine and heroin.

Following the sentencing, Detective Sergeant Tom Philpotts, of Ellesmere Port Proactive CID said:

“I welcome the sentence handed to Barker; he is clearly a callous criminal who purposefully travelled to Ellesmere Port to exploit a vulnerable man in order to profit from drug dealing.

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

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

“However, this is not an issue that we can tackle alone, and I want to take this opportunity to urge residents to keep spotting the signs of vulnerability. Keep an eye out if they feel something isn’t right and report it to us on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

“We will always act on any information we receive, and I would urge anyone who believes this activity is happening near to them, to get in touch.”

Pictured - Joseph Barker of Edgerton, Tanhouse, Skelmersdale.