OCG sentenced for supplying cocaine and ketamine in Chester and North Wales

Members of an organised crime group (OCG) responsible for the supply of cocaine and ketamine in Chester and North Wales have been jailed for a combined total of more than 13 years.

The following individuals were sentenced at Chester Crown Court on Monday 28th September 2026 after pleading guilty to conspiracy to supply cocaine and ketamine:

• Lewis Stenhouse, 27, of Chaucer Road, Fleetwood, Lancashire – Five years and six months.
• Jason Bascombe, 34, of Liverpool Road, Huyton, Liverpool – Five years and four months.
• Ciaran Lavelle, 24, of Seller Street, Chester – Three years.
• Georgia Palin, 28, of Glynne Street, Queensferry – Two years suspended for two years.

The following individuals pleaded guilty to participating in the criminal activities of an organised crime group:

• Emily Hetherington, 33, of Bron-y-Wern, Bagillt, Flintshire – 14 months suspended for two years.
• Alice Woodhouse, 35, of Glan-yr-afon, Garden City, Flintshire – 18 months suspended for two years.
• Kim Johnson, 47, of Padeswood Road North, Buckley, Flintshire (She also admitted possession with intent to supply cocaine) – Two years suspended for two years.

Operation Cliffhanger relates to a drug supply investigation by Cheshire Police, targeting an OCG based primarily in Chester and North Wales, with links to Liverpool and Fleetwood, between June 2024 and October 2025.

The group ran a drugs line advertising the sale of cocaine and ketamine via flare text messages, as well as Snapchat. The messages advertised working hours of 11am to 11pm, with drop-offs anywhere in the CH postcode areas of Cheshire and North Wales.

Stenhouse was the controller of the drugs supply line. He also controlled others who were employed to supply drugs to users both in Chester and North Wales.

Lavelle assisted in controlling the drugs line and street dealers, as well as being an active street level supplier himself.

Bascombe was a regular controller of the graft phone number.

Meanwhile, Hetherington was identified as helping the OCG as a street level supplier, alongside Johnson, Woodhouse and Palin.

Operation Cliffhanger began in April 2025 when a bag was located hidden in a bush in Seller Street, Chester, which contained white powder, phones, and drugs paraphernalia.

The phones were analysed by police, which revealed evidence of drugs supply offences.

The drugs recovered included up to £11,860 worth of cocaine and £1,760 worth of ketamine. Stenhouse, Bascombe and Lavelle were linked forensically to the drugs packaging.

One of the documents located was a ‘dealer list’ which had a blood stain on it; this was swabbed and also provided a match to Stenhouse. The names of Hetherington, Woodhouse, Johnson and Palin were found in a notebook, linking them to the offences.

The notebook showed a sophisticated, busy operation, with numerous daily sales of cocaine and ketamine by multiple street-level runners who were being paid wages and petrol money.

It was noted that the location of the bushes where the evidence had been found was within meters of where Lavelle lived. One of the windows in the address looked out directly towards the hedge where the drugs were found.

In June 2025, an initial search warrant was carried out at Lavelle’s address, and he was arrested and bailed pending further enquiries.

Following these, in October 2025, a series of warrants were carried out, resulting in the arrests of Bascombe, Hetherington, Woodhouse and Johnson.

Palin was arrested in the Chester area on the same day, while Stenhouse was arrested after arriving back at Manchester Airport from a holiday.

Lavelle was also arrested when he arrived back at Manchester Airport two weeks later after leaving the country shortly after his first arrest.

All defendants were later charged.

Detective Sergeant Roy Wellings said:

“Operation Cliffhanger is the culmination of a lengthy investigation by our dedicated officers into the supply of drugs in Chester and North Wales.

“Our enquiries clearly linked each defendant to the OCG, either through forensic evidence, phone enquiries, or even through their names being mentioned in drugs-related material which was recovered.

“Thanks to the evidence against them, the defendants were left with no choice but to plead guilty to the offences.

“This investigation has also meant thousands of pounds worth of drugs that would have been destined for the streets has been seized.

“Although this operation has seen a number of individuals sentenced for their crimes, our fight against illegal drugs is never over and we would urge anyone with information about drug-related activity to contact us.”