A CRIMINAL who was a key Carlisle contact for a Liverpool based county lines drugs conspiracy had the job of telling users the heroin was available.

Christopher Cook, 34, who was himself in the grip of an addiction to the Class A drug, routinely sent out “text bomb” messages to fellow drug users in Carlisle, alerting them to the arrival of heroin which they could buy.

He managed the distribution of the drugs, prosecutor Tim Evans told Carlisle Crown Court. The defendant is the last of three people to be sentenced after he admitted being part of the heroin supply conspiracy.

The prosecutor outlined how the defendant, formerly of Briar Bank, Belah, was part of the drugs supply operation between January and April last year.

He represented a key contact for the Liverpool-based county lines heroin business, working with a Liverpool dealer who made numerous trips to the city.

Mr Evans provided the court with several examples of the messages Cook sent, usually to dozens of drug users in the Carlisle area.

He would tell groups of between 30 and almost 50 users that he had “got that strong in again.”

This was a reference to the heroin that was available for sale. His catchphrase, announcing the availability of the drugs, appeared to be “UP N ABOUT”.

The court heard that Cook’s criminal record consisted of 25 previous offences. They included offences of violence, public order crimes, and drugs possession.

Andrew Evans, for Cook, said the defendant had failed to appear at court for his case in August because at the time he was “in the grip of a heroin addiction.”

The barrister said: “He was homeless and shoplifting to feed his habit.

The defendant felt he did not have the “head space” to deal with the court case. The victim of a childhood trauma, he began using drugs heavily when that issue came to a head and person responsible was confronted.

More recently, he had been kicked out of his home in Carlisle because of his drug use and began sofa-surfing. When arrested, he told the police that he sold Subutex to pay for food and heroin to fund his addiction to the same drug.

His daily habit was costing £50 to £60 per day. The barrister added: “He had no income and resorted to becoming involved in this conspiracy.”

Judge Nicholas Barker told the defendant: “You arranged and managed the onward supply of that heroin to users in Carlisle.  You would send out what are colloquially known as text bombs indicating that you were up and about.”

Cook was aware of the scale of the drug supply operation during the three and a half months of the conspiracy, said the judge. But Judge Barker accepted that the defendant’s childhood trauma was an issue that should be considered.

“The court is pleased to hear that you are now finally intent on addressing the root cause of your addiction, and reducing your methadone and intend becoming clean,” continued the judge.

The judge jailed the defendant for 44 months, with 14 days consecutive for his failure to surrender to the court in August.