Two men have been sentenced in connection with the supply of cannabis following a routine a traffic stop in Chester.

Lee Lewis, 31, and Kraig Alyward, 41, appeared at Chester Crown Court on Monday 2 March for sentencing. Lewis, of Shot Tower Close, Chester, was sentenced to 40 months' imprisonment, and Alyward, of Shephard Close, Ellesmere Port, was sentenced to 12 months' imprisonment, suspended for 18 months.

On Tuesday 7 October 2025, the pair were stopped during a routine traffic stop in the Canadian Avenue area of Chester. With a small child in the car, officers noticed a strong smell of cannabis and subsequently searched the vehicle. The pair were arrested after officers found a carrier bag containing cannabis in the boot.

Following the arrests, officers carried out searches at both men's addresses, discovering further bags of cannabis, drug paraphernalia, and nearly £4,000 in cash at Alyward's home. A samurai sword was also recovered from Lewis' property.

Content recovered from devices seized from both men showed they were actively involved in the supply of cannabis, with messages discussing deliveries, cash amounts, and deal sizes. The pair were released on bail while further enquiries continued.

Investigators later discovered the pair were still facilitating the sale of cannabis, crack cocaine and cocaine, using new mobile numbers. Based on this further evidence, two warrants under Section 8 of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act were executed on Friday 12 December 2025, resulting in both Lewis and Alyward being arrested for a second time.

During the warrants, officers recovered the new phones, along with a large amount of cash and cocaine at Lewis' address, and further quantities of cannabis and drug paraphernalia at Alyward's home.

In police interviews, both men denied involvement in the supply of drugs, claiming that any substances found were for personal use only.

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Following sentencing Lewis pleaded guilty to being concerned in the supply of Class B drugs, being concerned in the supply of crack cocaine, being concerned in the supply of cocaine, possession with intent to supply Class B drugs, possession of criminal property, and possession of an offensive weapon.

Alyward also pleaded guilty to being concerned in the supply of Class B drugs, possession with intent to supply Class B drugs, and possession of criminal property.

Constable Jack Ryder said: "Despite catching Lee Lewis and Kraig Alyward bang to rights with a boot full of cannabis in October 2025, it clearly wasn't enough of a wake-up call for them, as they chose to run the risk of continuing to facilitate the sale of cannabis while under investigation.

"However, their gamble did not pay off and resulted in our officers visiting their homes with a number of questions - including how they were sending messages to each other discussing the sizes and prices of cannabis orders when we had their phones.

"Cheshire Police take the sale of illegal drugs extremely seriously, and now that their sentences have been handed down, I hope Lewis and Alyward take a long look at their lives and seriously consider finding more legitimate careers."