In one container, they also discovered police clothing and bulletproof vests. He also pooled together with a group of other suppliers to source a mega-shipment of 100kg of cocaine through Hamburg in Germany. UK law enforcement has made a massive breakthrough in the fight against serious and organised crime after the takedown of a bespoke encrypted global communication service used exclusively by criminals. Investigators were able to access his contacts via an Encrochat phone. You can also sign up to our court newsletter here and get a twice weekly roundup of court cases sent your email inbox for free. Six men have been arrested in the Netherlands following the discovery of seven shipping containers converted into cells and torture chambers. Adam Lonergan, 30, of Rydal Avenue in Prescot, was sentenced to 11 years and eight months for conspiracy to supply cocaine, heroin and cannabis between March 29 and June 5 and possession with intent to supply amphetamine. A group of lawyers representing defendants in EncroChat related cases recently published an open letter in which they said their clients have not received fair trials due to the intense secrecy around how French military police carried out the technical operation against EncroChat. Strachan was convicted of a conspiracy to supply Class A and Class B drugs. Underworld banker Kevin Allan moved 1m of dirty cash for cocaine and cannabis bosses. Then last year, U.S. authorities also charged Jean-Francois Eap, the CEO of the largest encrypted phone company called Sky Global, with similar offenses. George Marsh - SneakyStem and WackySilver. . Two drug dealers involved in a huge cocaine plot were arrested as they tried to board a flight to Spain at Liverpool John Lennon Airport. Operation Eternal has been called 'the most significant operation the Met has ever launched against serious and organised crime', Stories from court and the latest breaking crime news sent right to your inbox. Dillon used the EncroChat codename "WaspLawn", while Keating used the handles "DullTuna" and "WealthyMace", and Garforth called himself "DiorIce". The UK has arrested more than 1,500 suspects since European detectives cracked an encrypted messaging service 10 months ago used by criminals to organise major drug smuggling operations and gangland hits. Police intercepted millions of messages including that of one of the suspects, a 40-year-old man from The Hague. Texts showed he discussed the sale of cocaine and heroin with an estimated wholesale value of 521,000, plus 193 kilos of cannabis, worth around 1m. Auckland, New Zealand +64-021-567-212 elephant rhyme to remember planets His EncroChat handle was LaughingStorm. Liverpool's courts are some of the busiest in the UK, with a huge variety of cases being heard each week. READ MORE: 27m drug boss caught fleeing to Spain in BMW with girlfriend after spending spree, 56 - 58: Alexander Keating - DullTuna and WealthyMace, Paul Dillon - WaspLawn, and Dylan Garforth - DiorIce. It is not clear what charges Paul Krusky faces in his role with EncroChat. Peter Heron, 48, of Grosvenor Road in Wavertree. Last modified on Thu 2 Jul 2020 15.45 EDT. For reasons unknown he was then released. Dean Deary, 39, of Pinehurst Avenue, Anfield, was sentenced to 12 years and eight months in prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy to supply cocaine, heroin, ketamine and cannabis. Krusky appears to have a background working with internet service providers, according to forum posts and archived webpages. ", Liverpool transfer news LIVE - Jude Bellingham boost, Goncalo Inacio scouted, Moises Caicedo decision. They are just choosing to spend it more cautiously. July 2, 2020. Alan, formerly of Regency Park, Widnes, was sentenced to a further eight years for conspiracies to cause GBH with intent to both Liam Byrne Jnr and Liam Byrne Snr. Steven Strachan, 49, of School Lane, Bidston, was sentenced to six years in prisoners. The 43-year-old used the clandestine phone network to trade at least 12 kilos of cocaine and five kilos of heroin in just 10 weeks. The Tobin brothers Alan Tobin, 52, (left) and John Tobin, 40, (right). More than two tonnes of drugs, several dozen guns and 54m in suspect cash . He delivered at least 44 kilos of cocaine and stored hundreds of thousands of pounds of cash in his family home in Linkside Road. Police believe he was a key player in setting up and running EncroChat. Transform any Android device or Windows Laptop into an Unbreakable Encrypti. The court heard how Roberts' involvement in the supply of class A drugs, totalled 11kg of cocaine worth 385,000, and 3kg of heroin worth 54,000. READ MORE: EncroChat drug boss panicked after cocaine market 'stood still' during lockdown. Baker was arrested on 22 April 2021. Arrested 133 people Charged 101 people Seized 4 loaded firearms and ammunition Seized 72 kgs of cocaine and heroine Seen 31 people convicted to a total of 366 years in prison 1.6M in cash And this is just the beginning, with more activity and arrests to come in the coming months. 2) Put your email in the box where indicated. French investigators managed to access Encrochat, an encrypted platform . Drugs linked to EncroChat dealer Michael Devine, from West Derby. Jordan Hughes traded cocaine and heroin with crooks using names of Liverpool FC stars on EncroChat. He was jailed for eight years and 10 months. EncroChat drug dealer David Holgate was busted when he was caught with 176kg of caffeine in the back of his car. Kevin Daniels handled 1.5m of dirty cash for a drug boss who used the name of Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson Becker on EncroChat. Some of the evidence has been obtained by French police, who have intercepted many messages on the encrypted EncroChat programme used by criminal networks across the continent in recent months after breaching its . The 40-year-old, of Watergate Way, Woolton, acted as a gangland accountant and oversaw the counting or "flicking" of ill-gotten gains. 1) Go to our dedicated newsletter page at this link. READ MORE: 'Bro we be multimillionaires in three months haha' boasted dealer. Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right. Michael Devine had shared details of his membership on the EncroChat encrypted messaging platform. Liam Garvey - ChopperReid and ButterflyJuice. Latest London news, business, sport, showbiz and entertainment from the London Evening Standard. Ahead of his big trip Talbot went on a two-week spending spree, buying himself more than 40,000 of Rolex watches. READ MORE: EncroChat dealer's empire crushed after he told contacts when his birthday was. EncroChat phones are among the most secure mobiles in the world Credit: YouTube Marketed as the "world's most secure handset", the device is popular among hitmen, drug lords and other major criminals. The 34-year-old, who also interchanged the spelling of his surname to "Badibango", was detained by detectives after a series of raids in Formby and another in Whiston, which led to him being taken into custody. An EncroChat cocaine boss joked in texts about the hack that would later see him locked up. The 38-year-old, from Bury, used the EncroChat encrypted phone network to bring 'at the very least' 84.5 kilos of cocaine and 59 kilos of heroin. British authorities have arrested 746 suspects, seized tens of millions in cash, dozens of firearms and high-value cars, 2 tonnes of drugs, and even grenades in the country's "biggest ever law enforcement operation". Do you know anything else about Encrochat or its owners? EncroChat messages showed 10 weeks of multi kilo trading between April 1 and June 13, 2020 but notes on Talbot and DampHedge's EncroChat devices showed the "full scale" of the scheme, dating back . READ MORE: Dad moved 4.5m of cocaine and heroin for international drug lord. READ MORE: EncroChat drug boss boasted he made 20K before 8pm. The insight into his life allowed detectives to match the messages of EncroChat codenames "SneakyStem" and "WackySilver" to the 33-year-old. Carlton had been involved in transporting 20kg of Class A drugs from May 1, 2020 for five or six weeks. READ MORE: Dad who became Encrochat's 'go-to man' for drugs and guns, 49. Several Scots household names are said to have been rounded up after a major crackdown on the EncroChat phone encryption network, leading to multiple arrests. Lenehan had connections to Dubai and exchanged messages suggesting his influence may have stretched to India and Iran. After the brothers were arrested, the police conducted a number of searches. The containers were located in Wouwse Plantage, south of Rotterdam, after French police cracked encrypted phones used by criminals. He was brought down by an investigation that led to police storming his home on Park Road North in Birkenhead, as well as two container units in the town, in June, when they seized a Rolex watch and 82,000 in cash. Now he has been arrested in . Alexander Keating, 30, of Lunts Heath Road, Widnes. More than two tonnes of drugs, several dozen guns and 54m in suspect cash . 2023 BBC. H. undreds of suspected criminals have been arrested worldwide after being tricked into using an FBI encrypted messaging service. Liam Garvey, 28, was arrested at his home on The Boulevard, Thatto Heath, St Helens on May 13 this year as part of the police operation targeting criminals who used the encrypted network. As always you can unsubscribe at any time. Gabriel meanwhile, aged 29 and of Bolam Close in Manchester, was given a jail sentence of 13 years and six . Harding then used a new handle called "LesserHedge", to continue carrying out his criminal activity. He pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply each of the drugs and was jailed for 16 years. He was caught when police recovered text messages from the EncroChat network. Holgate admitted conspiring to supply ketamine, possessing criminal property and possessing amphetamine with intent to supply. Signing up is free and it only takes a minute for you to get the biggest stories, sent straight to your inbox. French and Dutch detectives were able to secretly monitor communications between criminals for weeks on the EncroChat service before its . Earlier this month Paul K's wife was also arrested, as were six other people suspected of being involved in the running of EncroChat, three in Spain and three in Dubai, the report adds. Roberts, 57, appeared at Liverpool Crown Court for sentencing after he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply cocaine and heroin. A "top level controller" of a 27m drug gang was caught as he tried to flee with his girlfriend in a BMW to Spain. When you've made your choice, press the Save Changes button at the bottom. Can Nigeria's election result be overturned? Amphetamine marked up with pictures of The Beano character Billy Whizz traded by an EncroChat drug gang based in St Helens, Christopher Dooley, 35, of no fixed address but from St Helens, James Ward, 32, of no fixed address but from Kirkby, Jamie Carlton, 40, of Church Road, Waterloo. The 57-year-old had worked with others to order the massive haul, 8kgs of which was his. Peter Heron was caught supplying cocaine and cannabis as part of the EncroChat hack. He supplied large quantities of cocaine, heroin, cannabis and amphetamines around the country and was arrested in September last year. There are other newsletters available too if you want them as well. His Encrochat handle was ToffeeForce and he was identified after sharing an image on his Encro device of a block of cheese in the palm of his hand, from which his fingerprints were analysed. READ MORE: 'Bagbangboomboom' Encrochat dealer raided by police, 41. Image purporting to show drugs seized by police in a series of raids in SE London, Kent and Sussex yesterday (September 22). READ MORE: Secret gang messages of SnowEmu, SacredMask and MancJoey that brought them down, Jordan Alvis, 35, of Trent Close, West Derby, was sentenced to nine years after pleading guilty to conspiracy to supply ketamine and heroin and conspiracy to conceal criminal property. EncroChat, which offered a secure mobile phone instant messaging service, was a "criminal marketplace" used by 60,000 people worldwide for coordinating the distribution of illicit goods, money . What has emerged is a deliberate strategy in which law enforcement agencies not only target users of the devices, sometimes with highly technical operations that obtain the content of their messages, but also those who run the encrypted phone companies themselves. The 48-year-old, of Grosvenor Road in Wavertree, used the handle "TameWelder" on the secret phone network. Begin . READ MORE: EncroChat dealers 'Wealthymace' and 'Dior Ice' caught at Liverpool airport before Spain flight, 59 - 60. Garvey, who used the EncroChat handles "ChopperReid" and "ButterflyJuice" admitted conspiring to supply cocaine, cannabis and ketamine, conspiring to produce cannabis, and possessing cannabis. Photo: Sebastian Kahnert/picture alliance via Getty Images. The data from EncroChat has been a real boon to law enforcementorganized crime arrests in Germany soared by 17 percent following the police busts, and at least 2,800 people have been arrested . The BBC's Tom Symonds is shown how a customised Android phone with EncroChat installed works, Hundreds arrested as crime chat network cracked, Dutch police start true crime podcast to catch killer, Street fighting in Bakhmut but Russia not in control, Saving Private Ryan actor Tom Sizemore dies at 61, The children left behind in Cuba's mass exodus, Xi Jinping's power grab - and why it matters, Snow, Fire and Lights: Photos of the Week. He was arrested in April at Stansted Airport as he returned from Spain, where he had stayed for a few weeks. Harrison Laite used an Encrochat phone to supply multiple kilos of cannabis on the streets on Merseyside. Investigators had been monitoring Keating, of Lunts Heath Road, Widnes, Garforth, of no fixed address, and Dillon, of Norlands Park, Widnes, for three months via the hacked EncroChat network. Devine, of Pete Best Drive, West Derby, was jailed for 17 years and three months after admitting conspiracy to import cocaine and conspiracies to supply cocaine, heroin, amphetamines and ketamine. That strategy of targeting owners morphed in 2018, when the FBI shuttered Phantom Secure, a popular provider of these phones, and arrested its CEO Vincent Ramos. Police forces first became aware of the EncroChat network in 2016. Jack Stanley Jones, 27, of Hey Park in Huyton, was sentenced to 16-and-a-half years after pleading guilty to conspiracy to supply cocaine, heroin, MDMA, cannabis and methamphetamine. Major crime figures were among over 800 Europe-wide arrests after messages on EncroChat were intercepted and decoded. Detectives discovered Dillon and Keating had used EncroChat to discuss the transfer of a "viable firearm" - referring to a pistol and revolver - and conspired with Garforth over the supply of Class A and B drugs. James Duckworth, 42, of Langdale Close, Kirkby, was sentenced to 16-and-a-half years after pleading guilty to conspiracy to supply heroin and cocaine. A judge said it was an "extremely grave offence" as he jailed Talbot for 21 years and nine months. Paul Dillon, 32, of Norlands Park, Widnes. READ MORE: EncroChat dealer bragged he'd use cocaine and heroin to fund house extension, 42. The major international sting involved a system . EncroChat - a network infiltrated by law enforcement to investigate organized crime in Europe; Ennetcom - a network seized by Dutch authorities, . When he finally pulled over, police searched the vehicle, revealing the huge quantity of caffeine, set to be used to adulterate ketamine, and 1,030 in cash. "Money man" Allan, who used the EncroChat handle "MessyZebra", was previously jailed for two years for dealing cannabis in 2005. Jack Pritchard, 29, of Mavis Drive, Coppull, Lancashire, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply Class A Drugs cocaine, and was sentenced to 10 years. Coordinated by Europol and specialist French investigators, the string of arrests comes two years after French police hacked into the encrypted messaging network, used by thousands of high end criminals to discuss drug deals, money laundering and violence. Daniel Wilson, 33, of Silverbeech Road, Wallasey, was sentenced to seven years and eight months after pleading guilty to supply cocaine, heroin and cannabis and conspiracy to convert criminal property in relation to the proceeds of his crimes. The eight arrests are thought to be the first arrests of people involved in the setting up and running of EncroChat. Many have been through Liverpool Crown Court this year after their crimes were exposed. Stephen Taylor, 33 years, of Norlands Park, Widnes, was jailed at Liverpool Crown Court for 12 years eight months for conspiracy to supply Class A and B drugs and conspiracy to conceal criminal property. But Europe Is Still Awash With Drugs. His Encrochat handle was Sacredmask. Thousands of officers from the NCA, regional crime squads and every police force in the UK were involved in the international operation, which was launched in April. EncroChat dealer George Marsh 's international crime network was destroyed by personal messages he sent to his contacts. His Encrochat handle was Milliondolla. READ MORE: Underworld banker 'MessyZebra' 'flicked' 1m of dirty cash for drug bosses. Isaac Rasmussen, 28, from Heath Road Widnes, previously from the Huyton area was sentenced to 10 years after pleading guilty to conspiracy to supply cocaine, conspiring to fraudulently evade prohibition on the import of Class A drugs and conspiring to fraudulently evade a prohibition on the import of Class B drugs. 08 June 2021. Alan Tobin was sentenced to 20 years in jail and John received a 19 year and eight month sentence following a Cheshire Police probe linked to the seizure of 186kg of cocaine. . READ MORE: EncroChat dealer 'butterflyjuice' jailed for almost a decade. O'Hare was jailed for six and a half years. The organised crime group based in St Helens traded almost 50kg of amphetamine, but also flogged cocaine across the UK. Major crime figures were among over 800 Europe-wide arrests after messages on EncroChat were intercepted and decoded. The National Crime Agency (NCA) claims a total of 746 arrests and the seizure of two tonnes of drugs, 77 assorted firearms and 54m in cash - so far - as a result of the EncroChat intelligence. Dentith, 29, of College View, Huyton, was sentenced to 17 years three months after pleading guilty to supply cocaine and ecstasy. At the time, Motherboard did not name this EncroChat member due to the risk they faced being deeply involved in an encrypted phone company that ultimately led to the arrests of thousands of alleged organised criminals. It operated on customised Android phones and, according to its website, provided "worry-free secure communications". Lenehan, of Scarisbrick Road in Walton, but who lived in Dubai until recently, admitted conspiracy to supply cocaine and making a false statement to gain a passport. They revealed how the firm used a shell company in Panama and included an EncroChat member sharing the details of a bank account in Luxembourg with an associate for conducting EncroChat business. Read about our approach to external linking. Talbot, of Elson Road, Formby, was locked up alongside James Ward, 32, of no fixed address but from Kirkby, and Jamie Carlton, 40, of Church Road, Waterloo. However, according to a cache of emails previously obtained by VICEs Motherboard and information from a source who interacted with EncroChat this name likely refers to Paul Krusky, a Canadian tech expert who Motherboard has found was integral to the early development and running of EncroChat. Sean Skinner, 41, of Nightingale Vale, Greenwich SE18, was arrested on June 19, 2020. Officers searched his home in St Ambrose Close, Anfield and found an EncroChat phone box, containing the password to the device, written on a piece of paper. Police have arrested eight people suspected of being behind the secretive global phone network EncroChat during an operation in Spain, Dubai, and the Dominican Republic, VICE World News has learned. Dozens of criminals embedded in Merseyside's underworld have been jailed after an international operation brought down EncroChat. Sometimes called the criminal's WhatsApp, it advertised its service as being 'the electronic equivalent of a conversation . Dooley, 35, of no fixed address but from St Helens, was jailed for nine years after admitting conspiring to supply Class A and B drugs. The 25-year-old, of Moss Way, Croxteth, sent text messages under the handle "LoadedSun" discussing the sale of 136,000 of cannabis. The 34-year-old kept his two EncroChat phones until March the following year, when police raided his house and exposed his multi-kilo cocaine business. But when EncroChat was hacked last year, his use of his own children's initials as passwords helped lead detectives to his door. The 49-year-old was stopped after officers became suspicious of his taxi credentials when they spotted his vehicle on the M62 in June. Heron was arrested at his home in July this year and admitted conspiring to supply Class A and B drugs and possession of criminal property. Last month the CEO of a drug trafficking organisation known by his underworld alias Piet Costa, was jailed for 17 years for drug importation, money laundering and setting up torture chambers inside shipping containers found by Dutch police in July 2020. The major drug boss, who used the code name 'Bigmninee', was also known within the criminal underworld as a 'go-to man' for crooks who wanted guns. Now that Krusky has been arrested, Motherboard can add that the EncroChat member who sent the emails was Krusky. Talbot, Carlton and Ward all admitted conspiring to supply Class A drugs and possessing criminal property. Amphetamine is commonly nicknamed speed, whizz and Billy Whizz - the latter after the famous character in the children's comic. The hacking of the network was compared to cracking the enigma code by Nikki Holland, then director of investigations at the NCA. At conservative gathering, Trump is still the favourite. Sean Moore - TrustPilot and PrawnPilot. To get a behind the scenes look at how they work and the moments that don't make our stories, subscribe to our free weekly Echo Court Files newsletter, written by court reporter Neil Docking. READ MORE: 'Billy Whizz' EncroChat gang moved nearly 500,000 of speed, 52 -55. Why Alex Murdaugh was spared the death penalty, Why Trudeau is facing calls for a public inquiry, The shocking legacy of the Dutch 'Hunger Winter'.