A man from Widnes has been jailed and 20kgs of cocaine has been seized following a successful stop check on the M6 in Cheshire.

Peter Jensen appeared at Chester Crown Court on Thursday 31 July where he was sentenced to 10 years and six months in prison.

The 37-year-old of Parbold Court, Widnes, had earlier pleaded guilty to possession with intent to supply class A drugs (cocaine).

The case against Jensen began on Friday 6 June, when officers patrolling the M6 spotted Jensen committing a minor traffic offence between junctions 16 and 17.

Police stopped the car at Sandbach Services, and questioned Jensen, who became visibly nervous.

Due to his behaviour, officers searched the car, where they discovered a cardboard box containing 20 individually wrapped packages of cocaine, with an estimated value of between £340,000-£600,000. Jensen was subsequently arrested at the scene.

Following the sentencing PC Jemma Bingham said: "Thanks to a simple stop check for a minor traffic offence, we've recovered up to £600,000 worth of Class A drugs and another drug dealer is now behind bars.

"The impact that illegal drugs have on our communities cannot be underestimated which is why we will not stop with our efforts to make Cheshire a hostile environment for criminals.

"We take this kind of criminality very seriously here in Cheshire, so let this result be a warning to anyone who thinks they can get away with drug dealing in our county without any repercussions."

Anyone with information about illegal drug activity in their area can report it to Cheshire Police here or report it to Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.