A baby-faced dealer is among five people jailed for dealing drugs in Macclesfield.

James John Wellings Barlow, 20, was caught selling heroin and crack cocaine to undercover police officers eight times in May, last year.

He was among dozens of drug dealers arrested during a series of early morning raids in Macclesfield, and across Cheshire, Staffordshire, Merseyside and Manchester in September aimed to clampdown on the supply of drugs into the town.

Barlow, of Augusta Drive, Macclesfield, admitted eight charges of supplying class A drugs at Chester Crown Court.

He was jailed for three years and eight months.

Three other men were also jailed after admitting selling heroin and crack cocaine on the streets of Macclesfield. Paul Roberts, 38, of Erin Close, Toxteth, Liverpool, was jailed for 40 months; Stephen Martin O’Neill, 45, of Levens Street, Manchester, was jailed for 26 months; and Ryan Chadwick, 19, of Swanley Avenue, Manchester, was jailed for 24 months.

An 18-year-old from Liverpool, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was given a youth rehabilitation order with supervision for 12 months and a three month curfew after admitting three counts of dealing heroin and two counts of dealing cocaine.

Mark Canavan, 48, of HMP Liverpool, was jailed for 24 months after admitting dealing heroin.

Prosecuting, Simon Parry, said: “Cheshire Police’s covert operation targeted the supply of class A drugs to Macclesfield and Congleton. It ran from the summer of 2014 to June 2015.

“Two undercover officers identified various teams of dealers, some multi-handed and well organised, some single dealers. Each team supplied drugs through a mobile phone contact called a graft phone.”

The court heard that O’Neill, Chadwick and the 18-year-old were part of a team operating out of Manchester.

Mr Parry said that O’Neill sold drugs to the uncover officer at Masons Avenue near the Flower Pot pub on April 15, while Chadwick was sold drugs on Black Lane on April 23.

The court heard that Roberts and Canavan dealt drugs from a base in Liverpool.

Mr Parry said that Canavan sold heroin in the Waterside area of Macclesfield on October 8, while Roberts sold heroin and cocaine in South Park on November 17, near the steps to Bollin Valley on January 9 and in woodland on Abbey Road on January 12.

Barristers defending O’Neill, Canavan, Chadwick and Roberts said all four had started selling drugs to pay off debts.