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A mum has been spared jail after she and her partner were caught out by police on the M6. Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court heard that Chloe Rhodes, 27, was in a relationship with Ricky Williams and helped him in his drug operation. She was involved in the distribution of cocaine and cannabis, even conducting some drug deals herself when Williams was unavailable. Additionally, she allowed payments for drugs to be deposited into her bank account. But the pair were caught out on the M6 when police pulled Rhodes' vehicle over at junction 15 on October 8, 2024, and Williams confessed to have cocaine in his underwear. Join our Court and Crime WhatsApp group HERE Prosecutor Matthew Ness said that after searching him, nearly a quarter of a kilogram of cocaine with a 96 percent purity level, valued at £25,000, was discovered. Rhodes' mobile phone was seized and her residence on Oldfield Street, Fenton, was searched, resulting in the recovery of three packages of cannabis hidden behind her television in her bedroom, reports Stoke on Trent Live . The cannabis weighed 132 grams and was valued at £1,300. Mr Ness said Rhodes' child was living at the address at the time. Her phone contained messages linking her to the supply of drugs. Mr Ness said: "She told a customer she was available to provide them with cannabis. She actively dealt cocaine to a customer when Williams was away on a fishing trip. She would allow her bank account to be used to receive payment for drugs." Rhodes, of Louise Drive, Blurton, pleaded guilty to being concerned in the supply of a class A drug between July 22, 2024 and October 9, 2024 and being concerned in the supply of a class B drug between Mary 27, 2024 and October 9, 2024. Catherine O'Reilly, mitigating, said Rhodes was not 'street savvy'. Miss O'Reilly said: "She got into a relationship and in a misplaced sense of loyalty she assisted him. "Her nature is she needs to assist. She has significant caring responsibilities. Her father has Parkinson's Disease. She is the main carer for him on a daily basis. Up to 2020 she was in full-time employment. She gave up that to care for him. She assists him with everything. "Her son is autistic. He struggles if his routine is broken. She is a problem-solver who tries to assist those around her. When she saw her partner low, struggling with his mental health, she was trying to assist him. "She is a low risk of re-offending. She is the sole carer for her son and is the main carer for a dependent relative." Earlier this year, Williams received a 45-month prison sentence. Now, Rhodes has been handed a two-year suspended sentence, along with a requirement to complete 30 days of rehabilitation activities. Recorder Robert Smith said Rhodes would have known she was driving to Coventry to collect a package of cocaine on October 8, 2024. Recorder Smith said: "A full forensic examination of your phone showed a clear pattern of contact between customers. Customers would use you as a source of drugs when Williams was busy. Messages show you dealt cocaine to a customer when Williams was away. You would also allow your bank account to be used to receive payment for drugs. "It is suggested you are naïve. I do not think you are. But I do find you are probably under the spell of Mr Williams. You still profess to love a man serving a 45-month sentence. "I find you were selling cocaine and cannabis as a street level dealer. You did receive some profit from that. You were concerned in the supply of a quarter of a kilo of high purity cocaine. That is a serious aggravating feature as is the fact you kept drugs in a house where a child was present. "I consider you were not an equal partner in this business. You played a significant role because you were operating for profit. But I accept he took the lion's share of it and you probably made very little. "Cocaine is a highly addictive drug that ruins lives. Lives are ruined, communities are blighted, families are left broken-hearted. Drugs cause untold damage and misery. None of that would happen without people like you who are prepared to sell that nasty, vile poison to vulnerable people. "You knew full well the consequences of being concerned in the supply of a class A drug. I think you are a good and decent person who fell in with the wrong man. "You find yourself in the dock because of your relationship with that man. Wake up, wake up. I will give you a chance. I will suspend that sentence. "It is extremely rare I give someone in your position a chance like this. If there is any hint you have gone within a country mile of drugs your feet won't touch the ground. Grow up, prioritise your son, prioritise your dad, and stop having anything to do with the people who will lead you back in that direction."
