A 23-year-old man who lived a flashy lifestyle thanks to his online cannabis business has been jailed.

Sam Brooks, of Buchanan Street, Blackpool was jailed for two years following a British Transport Police County Lines taskforce investigation.

He pleaded guilty to being concerned in the supply of class B drugs and money laundering and was sentenced on Monday, November 18 at Preston Crown Court.

Transport Police officers noticed a strong scent of cannabis from Brooks and another man at Blackpool North Station on Friday, April 22.

Both were stopped and searched with Brooks being found in possession of two bags of cannabis in sealed packaging in his rucksack and around £13k in cash in a separate bag.

He was subsequently arrested for money laundering and possession of cannabis.

Due to the nature of the offence, a search was carried out at Brook’s address where a further £2k was found along with more cannabis, drug paraphernalia, burner phones and sim cards.

During his interview, Brooks was asked to account for the cash but refused to explain.

Conversations retrieved from his device and sim cards revealed he was operating a postal cannabis system in the UK, using Instagram and telegram accounts as well as cryptocurrency and bank transfers.

On October 11 officers obtained a warrant and again raided the same Blackpool address and caught Brooks in the act of attempting to dispose of a red crate which was found to contain several bags of herbal cannabis, blocks of cannabis resin, THC canister, more cash and drug paraphernalia.

In total both arrests amounted to £19,000 in cash being seized as well as an estimated £72,235 to £141,835 if broken into 1g deals.

The cash from both arrests and a Rolex watch found on Brooks at the initial arrest were seized under the Proceeds of Crime Act.

Investigating officer PC Beth Friend said: “Despite appearances crime really does not pay – Brooks was living a flashy lifestyle far beyond his means given he was unemployed at the time. All his ill-gotten gains have now been seized and have landed him with a two year prison sentence.
 
“Our mission continues to dismantle and disrupt criminal enterprises and to identify and safeguard those who are being exploited and relentlessly pursue those who have targeted them.
 
“We urge anyone using the rail network to report any concerns to us through our discreet text number 61016 or by calling 0800 40 50 40 and to be aware that victims of exploitation may not always be obvious nor aware they are indeed victims.”