OCG sentenced: Chester and North Wales drug gang jailed 2026

Key Points

• Sentences of seven organised crime group (OCG) members were handed down at Chester Crown Court on Monday 28th September 2026 for supplying cocaine and ketamine in Chester and North Wales.
• Lewis Stenhouse aged 27 got five years and six months; Jason Bascombe aged 34 got five years and four months; and Ciaran Lavelle aged 24 got three years.
• Georgia Palin aged 28 was sentenced to two years suspended for two years; Emily Hetherington aged 33 got 14 months suspended for two years; Alice Woodhouse aged 35 got 18 months suspended for two years; and Kim Johnson aged 47 got two years suspended for two years and admitted possession with intent to supply cocaine.
• These individuals had been running a drugs line by using flare texts and Snapchat in which they had advertised their drug selling activities during their working hours, 11am to 11pm and dropping-off CH postcode area in Cheshire and North Wales.
• Operation Cliffhanger, a Cheshire Police investigation from June 2024 to October 2025, confiscated as much as £11,860 worth of cocaine and £1,760 worth of ketamine.

Wales Crime (Wales Times) September 30, 2026 – Members of an organised crime group responsible for supplying cocaine and ketamine across Chester and North Wales have been sentenced following Operation Cliffhanger, a lengthy investigation by Cheshire Police’s Serious and Organised Crime Unit. Four people were jailed or given suspended sentences at Chester Crown Court on Monday 28 September after pleading guilty to conspiracy to supply cocaine and ketamine, while three further defendants pleaded guilty to participating in the criminal activities of an organised crime group.

Who Were the Defendants and What Sentences Were Handed Down?

Lewis Stenhouse, 27, of Chaucer Road in Fleetwood, Lancashire, was sentenced to five years and six months in prison. Jason Bascombe, 34, of Liverpool Road, Huyton, Liverpool, received five years and four months. Ciaran Lavelle, 24, of Seller Street, Chester, was sentenced to three years. Georgia Palin, 28, of Glynne Street in Queensferry, was handed a two-year sentence, suspended for two years.

Three women from Flintshire were sentenced for participating in the criminal activities of the OCG. Emily Hetherington, 33, of Bron-y-Wern, Bagillt, received 14 months suspended for two years. Alice Woodhouse, 35, of Glan-yr-afon, Garden City, received 18 months suspended for two years. Kim Johnson, 47, of Padeswood Road North, Buckley, received two years suspended for two years and also admitted possession with intent to supply cocaine.

How Did the Organised Crime Group Operate Its Drugs Line?

As reported by journalists covering the case for the Chester Standard and Nub News, Cheshire Police said the group ran a drugs line advertising the sale of cocaine and ketamine via flare text messages and 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 identified as the controller of the drugs supply line and also controlled others employed to supply drugs to users 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. Hetherington, Johnson, Woodhouse and Palin were identified as street-level suppliers.

What Evidence Led to Convictions in Operation Cliffhanger?

Operation Cliffhanger began in April 2025 when a bag was located hidden in a bush in Seller Street, Chester, containing white powder, phones and drugs paraphernalia. The phones were analysed by police, revealing 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 document located was a dealer list with a blood stain; this was swabbed and matched 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.

The location of the bushes where evidence was found was within metres of where Lavelle lived, with one window at the address looking 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. In October 2025, a series of warrants led to 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 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.

What Did Cheshire Police Say About the Sentencing?

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.”

He added:

“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,”

Wellings said.

“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.”

Background of the Development: Operation Cliffhanger and Regional Drug Supply Investigations

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 operation forms part of wider regional efforts to disrupt organised drug supply lines using county lines-style tactics, including the use of encrypted messaging apps and social media platforms to advertise and coordinate deliveries. The sentencing follows a pattern of similar operations in the region, including Operation Haunt and Operation Leonardo, which have previously resulted in lengthy prison terms and proceeds of crime recoveries against Chester-based drug networks.

Prediction: How This Sentencing May Affect Local Communities and Drug Markets in Chester and North Wales

The sentencing of seven members of this OCG is likely to have a short-term disruptive effect on local cocaine and ketamine supply in Chester and North Wales, particularly within CH postcode areas where the group advertised drop-offs. However, as Detective Sergeant Wellings noted, drug supply networks often reconfigure quickly, meaning sustained pressure from police and continued public reporting will be required to prevent replacement groups from emerging. For local residents, businesses and community groups, the outcome may reinforce confidence in law enforcement action while underscoring the need for ongoing vigilance and cooperation with Cheshire Police to identify new lines and suppliers.