A TEENAGER swallowed crack cocaine before he was arrested in a Crewe alleyway with £2,073 in cash, a court heard.

Jordan Alja was rushed to hospital after telling undercover police officers, who found his cash and two "graft" phones, that he'd ingested "two rocks".

He appeared at South Cheshire Magistrates' Court today (Thursday) as a serving prisoner at the young offenders section at HM Prison Altcourse after receiving a three-year sentence for a separate drug dealing conviction last December.

Five months before he was apprehended by a Cheshire Police Proactive Policing Team on duty in the Hammond Street and Derrington Avenue area.

Prosecutor Deborah Byrne said the plainclothes officers spotted a number of known local drug users entering an alleyway off Hammond Street.

"They appeared to be waiting in that area, they were making phone calls and were on the lookout for someone to arrive. They were there to 'score' drugs," said the prosecutor.

"The defendant left the front door of a house in Derrington Avenue and went into the alleyway. Then the men were seen leaving one by one. Alja was again seen to go into the alleyway.

"When he was stopped by the officers he was found to have £2,073 cash on him and two graft-type mobile phones."

She said Alja admitted to police he had swallowed drugs before he was arrested. The residue was later analysed in hospital and found to be 0.26g of crack cocaine.

Alja, 19, pleaded guilty to possession of crack cocaine and being in possession of criminal property on July 3 last year.

He gave a no comment interview to police.

The court was told the defendant had been convicted of possession of cocaine and heroin with intent to supply on December 7 last year.

Solicitor Tim Edgeley said Alja had no previous convictions before the offences in Crewe and asked the magistrates to bear that in mind, as well as his young age, when sentencing him.

"Had these offences been charged before the other matters arose there might have been some intervention which would have prevented him from committing further crimes," he said.

Magistrates passed four-week concurrent sentences for both offences. But they will not make any difference to Alja's overall time in custody as they run concurrently to his three-year sentence.

He was also ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £128 and a destruction order was made for the Class A drugs, while Cheshire Police are pursuing a seizure of the cash under the Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA).