A BARROW drug dealer operated a ‘management function’ in a sophisticated Class A county lines operation, a court heard.

Coultan Riglar, 29, was involved in an Organised Crime Group (OCG) that supplied cocaine from the Rochdale area of Greater Manchester to Barrow and North Wales between October 16 2021 and March 16 2022.

Describing the evidence in a trial of issue hearing at Bolton Crown Court, prosecutor Jamie Baxter said Riglar facilitated the transport and receipt of Class A drugs from Greater Manchester through trusted couriers.

In total 1.25kgs of nearly 80 per cent pure cocaine was seized by police as part of Operation Holly during four separate drug exchanges, the court heard.

Mr Baxter told the court a total of 15 trips were made - in addition to the seizures - to re-stock Class A drugs, collect cash - or both.

Mr Baxter said it was the Crown’s submission that ‘comfortably’ in the region of 5kgs of Class A drugs were supplied.

He said around three/four kilograms of which were destined for Cumbria with around quarter kilos of cocaine taken over 12 trips.

Riglar pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply Class A drugs on January 20 this year after originally entering a not guilty plea on August 9 2022.

He is due to be sentenced next Friday (April 12) on the prosecution’s view that he played a ‘significant role’ in the operation.

Riglar will be sentenced alongside co-defendants Craig Riley, 34, and Jonathan Felstead, 38.

The court heard the prosecution took the view that Riley played a ‘leading role’ - whereby he arranged the exchange and supply of wholesale quantities of cocaine.

Mr Baxter said Riley would source the drugs from an OCG in Middleton and facilitate the onward supply across the country.

Felstead was a courier for Riley, who made a number of trips to Barrow and North Wales on behalf of the OCG, the court heard.

He was stopped by police driving on the M6 on February 27 and found to have a knotted plastic package containing 248gs of cocaine at 78 per ent purity.

Riglar will also be sentenced for possession with intent to supply cannabis, possession with intent to supply cocaine and breaching a stalking order.

The prosecution outlined how police attended an address on Liverpool Street in Barrow on May 25 2021 to arrest Riglar on suspicion of stalking and breach of bail for an unrelated domestic incident.

It was during a search that they discovered a vacuum bag with a combined weight of 2,588gs of cannabis, which also had co-defendant Adam Jacques’ fingerprints on, the court was told.

Mr Baxter said the cannabis had a potential street value of £26,000.

Police also discovered a white powder of cocaine at 55.2 grams (80% purity) wrapped in a plastic bag located in the top of Jacques’ duvet cover, as well as another package located elsewhere containing 16 grams of cocaine (82% purity).

If sold these Class A drugs would have a combined potential street value of £5,760, the court heard.

Further drugs including 288 grams of cannabis were found at the address, which if sold had a potential street value of £2,980.

In total, £34,960 worth of drugs was seized from the address.

Jacques, 22, of Schooner Street in Barrow, is awaiting sentence on May 1 this year at Preston Crown Court after pleading guilty to possession with intent to supply cannabis and being concerned in the supply of cocaine.