A man who was caught leaving Blackpool North station has been convicted for being in possession of drugs worth almost £5,000.

Adam Chothia from Huddersfield, was arrested by a member of the British Transport Police County Lines taskforce for using the railway to transport class A drugs.

Following his arrest, Chothia pleaded guilty to being in possession of a bladed article, two counts of possession with intent to supply a class A drug (cocaine and heroin), and possession of a class B drug (cannabis).

On Monday, 2nd September at Preston Crown Court, Chothia was found guilty and sentenced to 21 months in prison. suspended for 18 months, and ordered to pay a surcharge of £187.

The court heard that on Monday, 20th May, British Transport Police officers from its County Lines taskforce were on duty at Blackpool North station. As Chothia was leaving the station, they spotted him behaving suspiciously and using two mobile phones, one of them a burner phone.

Officers approached Chothia and identified themselves, but his furtive and evasive behaviour further raised their suspicions.

Chothia was detained for a search after admitting he was carrying a small amount of cannabis. During the search, officers found an eight-inch Rambo-style knife in his waistband, and cocaine and heroin with a street value of almost £5,000.

The British Transport Police County Lines taskforce was set up in 2019, and in its first two years, it made over 1,600 arrests, and seized 1,021 lots of drugs, £610k in cash, and 345 dangerous weapons. The taskforce also works with regional police officers to obstruct County Lines activity by seizing drugs and safeguarding vulnerable people.

“Anyone who uses the railway to transport and trade in illicit drugs should know that it is just a matter of time before we catch them.

“We have eyes everywhere and our highly trained specialist officers know just what to look out for.
“Anyone involved in  criminality on the railway should expect us at every turn. They may not spot us but we’re watching them.

DC Andrew Margerison, British Transport Police investigating officer