Kidderminster county lines drug dealer jailed for eight years
Zach Pearson kept a gun while he was selling crack cocaine and heroin
A teenager from Kidderminster has been jailed for eight years after being found out as a drug dealer in a county-wide gang.
Zach Pearson, aged 19 and formerly of Washington Street in Kidderminster, was found to be guilty of possession with intent to supply Class A drugs such as heroin and crack cocaine.
He was also found guilty of the possession of an illegal firearm and possession of prohibited ammunition.
The teenager had been involved in the EMZ county drug line, which was later known as the MJ line, that had been advertising crack cocaine and heroin.
West Mercia Police first arrested Pearson on the morning of September 12th, 2024 at a house in the Warndon area of Worcester amid reports he had been selling drugs at the property.
A search warrant was granted for the address the following day, and during the search, officers found a handgun in the kitchen that been wrapped in a plastic bag.
Inspections of the gun proved it to be real and working, together with a magazine of bullets that was linked to Pearson - leading to him being charged with weapons offences.
He was later found a second time trying to evade police during a safeguarding check one week later, but was soon apprehended after being chased on foot by police officers.
During the second search, Pearson was found with nearly £1,500 on his person, as well as items used to take and sell drugs, including a burner phone.
Pearson was then found a third time attempting to dispose of drugs by flushing them down the toilet on October 3rd.
He was also found wearing a black bag which included crack cocaine and heroin which was valued to be around £6,800.
Outside of his drugs charges, Pearson would later be charged with the acquisition or use of criminal property during the investigation, which he received a 12 month sentence that would run concurrently to his other jail terms.
Speaking on the case, Detective Constable Paul Modley, from West Mercia Police, said they were thrilled to see Pearson brought into prison.
"His arrest and conviction not only mean the line is terminated, but also a viable firearm has been taken off the streets further protecting the public from potential danger," he said.
“Criminals like Pearson are rightly pursued and brought to justice by West Mercia Police as the illegal drugs they sell reap misery and harm on the communities we are here to protect and serve.
“We will not cease in our efforts to hunt his kind down, bring them before the courts and disrupt and close their county lines.”