Overview
- A neighbourhood stop on September 19, 2025, after reports of a white Audi driving erratically led officers to pull over the car and find a passenger with almost £1,000 hidden on him and 13 bags of cocaine.
- That arrest prompted a search of a High Street property in Norton where officers seized class A drugs from a bedroom, about £15,000 in cash, multiple mobile phones and drug paraphernalia.
- Steven McDowell, 34, was chased and detained after trying to flee the house and was jailed for 45 months for possession with intent to supply cocaine.
- Co-accused 21-year-old Alby Hunt received a 20-month sentence suspended for two years plus 240 hours of unpaid work and 20 rehabilitation days after pleading guilty to related supply offences.
- Cleveland Police said the quantity of cash, phones and packaging tools pointed to distribution rather than personal use and urged residents to report suspected drug activity so neighbourhood teams can take action.