THE friend of a major convicted North-west drug dealer has been jailed for four years for his part in laundering almost £70,000 in "dirty cash".

Liverpool Crown Court was told Paul McCracken, 28, of Longworth Drive, Lowton, was an old school pal of Mark Lilley, who was sentenced to 23 years imprisonment last April.

Lilley was a large-scale dealer in heroin, cocaine, cannabis, amphetamine and ecstasy during 1997 and 1998 in south Lancashire and north Cheshire, turning over £3m a year.

Also in the dock at Liverpool was Lilley's long-term girlfriend and mother of his 21-month-old son, Nicola Crowther.

McCracken and 30-year-old Crowther of Brook Hey Drive, Great Sankey, denied assisting in the the retention of the proceeds of drug trafficking, but were each found guilty following a week-long trial during which neither gave evidence.

Judge Mark Brown told them: "Over a period of about 16 months you were involved in a money laundering operation in which some of Mark Lilley's drugs money was concealed by being directed into innocent assets. The charges reflect the fact that drugs money was changed from being dirty cash into clean assets."

Crowther, formerly of Heath Lane, Lowton, was his partner, having started going out with him in 1993, and began to live with him in December 1993.

The judge continued: "It is suggested on your behalf that you fell under his spell but I'm satisfied you are an intelligent adult and this was not a short-term relationship. You went into that relationship with your eyes fully open."

Charles Garside, QC, prosecuting, said drug dealing such as Lilley's involved large sums of cash, some of which represented the dealer's profits, which was concealed by using the money to invest in property and business.

Crowther and McCracken were directors of Covercab Ltd which was run by McCracken on a day-to-day basis providing temporary replacement vehicles to people, particularly taxi drivers, whose own cars had been damaged in accidents, he said.

Police investigations revealed that between February 1997 and September 1997 eight deposits totalling £12,855 were made into Covercab Ltd from Lilley's drug dealing.

They were also partners in P&M Properties which owned a lodging house in Wargrave Road, Newton-le-Willows, which had been bought with £31,000 from Lilley's profits, he said.

Mr Garside said he would be asking for confiscation orders in the sum of £21,777 in respect of McCracken and £46,777 from Crowther, in whose case frozen assets of more than £40,000 from the sale of the Heath Lane house were available.

Confiscation proceedings were adjourned until July 6.