A man from Warrington has been jailed after Class A drugs worth over £15,000 were found in a hotel room safe.
Robert Dunbavin was jailed for two years and eight months at Liverpool Crown Court on Friday 24 April after pleading guilty to possession with intent to supply Class A drugs.
The court heard that Dunbavin, of Wroxham Road, Warrington, had been wanted for unrelated offences, prompting officers to carry out enquiries to locate him.
At around 9.30am on Tuesday 10 March, officers executed a warrant at a hotel in the Cronton Lane area of Widnes, where Dunbavin was believed to be staying. He was subsequently located at the hotel and arrested.
During a search, officers found a quantity of Class A drugs on Dunbavin’s person, along with a sum of cash and several empty snap bags. As a result, he was further arrested on suspicion of drugs offences.
A subsequent search of the hotel room led officers to discover a small hotel safe concealed inside a carrier bag. Upon accessing it, they found more than 60 snap bags and nine larger bags containing Class A drugs.
The value of the drugs seized was believed to be in excess of £15,000.
Officers also recovered a set of scales and a suspected customer list from the room.
The 45 year old answered no comment to all questions put to him during police interview.
Detective Constable Jordan Munnelly, of the Northern CID Reactive Team, said: “Our officers used their professional curiosity after locating a quantity of snap bags containing smaller amounts of cocaine on Dunbavin’s person, which ultimately led to the seizure of a much larger haul of Class A drugs hidden inside a hotel safe.
“The significant amount of cocaine recovered, along with the substantial quantity of cash and a suspected customer list found in the room, made it clear that Robert Dunbavin was actively involved in the supply of drugs in the local area.
“It was this overwhelming evidence that left him with little option but to plead guilty. I hope that he spends what will be the best part of three years behind bars reflecting on the consequences of his actions.”
