A man and a woman have been jailed for a combined total of more than 20 years after police stopped a car that contained more than £250,000 of ecstasy tablets.

Emily Philips, 33, from Swanley, and Robert Dalton, 40, from Gravesend were stopped by officers from Cheshire Constabulary’s Roads and Crime Unit on the M6 following a stop check near Knutsford.

The pair were in the pink Ford Mustang when it was pulled over by officers at around 1am on Thursday, October 21, 2021.

The car contained thousands of ecstasy tablets.

Phillips, of St Georges Road, Swanley, pleaded guilty to being concerned in the supply of class A drugs and dangerous driving.

She was jailed for 14 years and four months.

Dalton of Old Road West, Gravesend, Kent, pleaded guilty to possession with intent to supply class A drugs.

He was imprisoned for five years and 10 months.

Another man, Michael Smyth, was also arrested and charged after his DNA was found on some of the class A drug packages.

A further quantity of ecstasy tablets were found in the 29-year-old’s home when he was subsequently arrested by officers.

Smyth, of Compton Road, Liverpool, also pleaded guilty to possession with intent to supply class A drugs.

He was jailed for seven-and-a-half years.

Philips was sentenced at Chester Crown Court on Thursday, December 22, 2022 whilst Smyth and Dalton were sentenced at Chester Crown Court on Wednesday, July 26, 2022.

Their downfall came as a result of officers patrolling the M6 southbound spotting the pink Ford Mustang being driven in a suspicious manner.

The car was travelling at between 30 and 40mph and was erratically moving between lanes without indicating, narrowly avoiding a number of collisions.

Additional officers were called to the scene and the vehicle was stopped near to Junction 18 in the Holmes Chapel area.

Phillips, who was driving the car, was arrested at the scene on suspicion of dangerous driving.

She was taken to police custody in Middlewich, along with her Ford Mustang.

Dalton, who was a passenger in the car, was initially taken to Sandbach Services and released by officers.

However, he was arrested a short time later, after officers had searched the Ford Mustang and discovered the ecstasy tablets valued at between £250,000 and £500,000.

The drugs were inside a bag.

An investigation was subsequently launched by Crewe Proactive CID.

Once they got a DNA match for Smyth from the drugs packaging, officers arrested him at his home on Wednesday, January 26, 2022.

They searched the property and discovered a quantity of ecstasy tablets valued at between £660 and £1,320.

The officers also found drug paraphernalia at the address.

Police Constable Mark Jones, who oversaw the investigation at Crewe Proactive CID, said: “With the strength of the evidence we were able to gather against Emily Phillips, Michael Smyth and Robert Dalton, they had little choice other than to plead guilty to the class A drug dealing offences they were charged with.

“Their convictions and the significant custodial sentences they have been handed by Chester Crown Court are the results of great work by all the officers involved in the case, which shows the value of police stop checks.

“What started as a basic stop check resulted in the seizure of a substantial amount of class A drugs.

“On top of that, Phillips, Smyth and Dalton are all now behind bars facing the consequences of their actions.

“I hope that the sentences they have been handed act as a warning to others and sends out a clear message that if you come to Cheshire to commit crime, you will be caught and you will be brought to justice.”