Crack dealer who attempted to swallow his own supply sentenced to more than three years in prison

On 28 July, Craig Cresswell, 34-years-old of Berkswell Road, Coventry, was sentenced to three years and four months imprisonment for possession with intent to supply heroin and crack cocaine.

Cresswell had attempted to hide the drugs by swallowing them before they were found.

On 19 February 2021, Craig and Justin Somers (33-years-old of Stanley Road, Nuneaton) were spotted by officers from Nuneaton’s Proactive CID on Norman Avenue.

They had parked up in the middle of the road in a grey VW Golf, where they were seen taking part in an exchange with a known drug user.

Two officers exited their vehicle and ran towards the Golf, and the third officer drove round to block Cresswell and Somers’ escape.

Cresswell (in the driver’s seat) and Somers (in the passenger seat) were then both arrested, and a search of both the car and the two persons uncovered over £1,000 cash.

A quantity of cannabis was also found in the car door, and two burner phones were discovered on the driver’s seat.

A number of messages between the dealers and their customers were found on the phone records, including one saying “Be careful drug squad rushed [other known dealers] so be alert”.

In the police car, Cresswell attempted to transfer a bag from his waistband to his mouth. He was spotted by an officer, who managed to grab the package before Cresswell swallowed.

It was found to contain 91 wraps of crack cocaine.

Following a bout of vomiting, Cresswell was taken to George Elliot Hospital for an x-ray, after claiming to have been made ill from swallowing an additional package of drugs passed to him by Somers.

When taken for the X-ray, a second bag was discovered by hospital staff in his bed, which contained 42 wraps of crack cocaine and 44 wraps of heroin. 

All in all, the estimated street value for the seized drugs was around £2,245.

Cresswell’s passenger Justin Somers was sentenced to six months imprisonment on 10 January 2023 for two counts of possession with intent to sell class A drugs and possession of cannabis.

This will be served concurrently with a 45 month sentence Somers is already serving for dealing crack and heroin.

Detective Constable Stanton said “The problem with swallowing crack and heroin is that, should all those wraps rupture in your stomach, what began as a prison sentence from the courts can quickly turn into a self-imposed death sentence.

“Better just to let us know you’ve got them – no matter how well hidden the drugs are, we’ll find them eventually.”