Crime lab technicians unlocked a Chessington drug dealer’s phone to find crucial evidence in securing his conviction.

Charlie Magee, 22, from Tiverton Way, Chessington, was jailed for four and a half years after pleading guilty to various drug charges.

He was arrested in November, after police executed a search warrant for Magee, and found him with cocaine, cash, electronic scales, and two mobile phones.

Magee refused to give officers from Kingston Police the code for his phone, so crime lab technicians unlocked it – finding thousands of messages relating to drug-dealing.

The 22-year-old may have been dealing in Chessington for years, police believe.

He had initially denied possessing a class-A drug with the intention of supplying it, and three other charges of being concerned in drug-dealing, but halfway through his trial he changed his plea to guilty.

He was sentenced to four years and six months in prison at Kingston Crown Court on February 8.

After Magee’s sentencing, PC Mike Deans said: “Please let this be a clear message to dealers in Kingston, we will not leave any stone unturned in our investigations and will do our upmost to ensure convictions.

“Those that buy drugs sometimes fund their habits by theft and burglary - which is one of the reasons why we have a zero tolerance stance towards dealing drugs in Kingston.”