Peter Heron, 48, of Grosvenor Road in Wavertree. C (along with co-defendants A, B and D) took his fight to the Court of Appeal (Criminal Division) following upon a judgment in the Crowns favour at Liverpool Crown Court (see A, B, D & C v R [2021] EWCA Crim 128). 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. EncroChat - the latest news about Operation Venetic - liverpoolecho Jordan Hughes, 30, of Huyton, was sentenced to 12 years after pleading guilty to conspiring to supplying multi-kilos of heroin and cocaine. EncroChat: Appeal court finds 'digital phone tapping' admissible in READ MORE: Taxi driver's secret life as 'NuttyLeopard' EncroChat drug dealer. Police say many of the network's customers used the service to plot illicit schemes linked to drug dealing and, in some cases violence. David Pinnington, 39, was arrested at his home in Rushey Hey Road, Kirkby after being identified as the user of the "LoftyHail" handle on the secret phone network. Nathan Harding - MagicCider and LesserHedge and 36. Police were able to prove he had supplied six kilos of cocaine and approximately four kilos of cannabis. 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. That helped detectives link Holgate to an EncroChat profile with the handle LoftyWizard and the supply of more than 50kg of ketamine, to five different contacts. Anthony Lenehan, 57 and of Scarisbrick Road in Walton, was jailed for drugs and passport offences. Blackburn was jailed for 11 years. A judge said it was an "extremely grave offence" as he jailed Talbot for 21 years and nine months. In the courts: | News, Sports, Jobs - The Review The approach of those facing charges based on Encrochat devices has been varied. Bradley Luxton laughed with a fellow drug dealer that they would need 'loads of Skys' - an alternative platform to EncroChat. A drug dealer who used two EncroChat handles was brought to justice. North West Regional Organised Crime Unit (NWROCU) detectives launched an undercover surveillance operation in February 2020. 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. David Pinnington, 39 at the time, was arrested at his home in Rushey Hey Road, Kirkby after being identified as the user of the "LoftyHail" handle on the secret phone network. 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. Steven Strachan, 49 at the time, of School Lane, Bidston, was sentenced to six years in prisoners. He was jailed for 15 years and nine months. He was jailed for 12 years. However, at a Liverpool Crown Court hearing all 11 defendants denied the . His EncroChat names were MajorFox and FanaticFirm. One of the lead cases in the EncroChat criminal litigation has, after a ruling by Mr Justice Dove following a 14 day preparatory hearing, gone to the Court of Appeal after leave to appeal was granted by the Judge due to the issues of public importance that the case raised.. Ian Whitehurst was part of the defence team, instructed by Paolo . He was jailed for 14 years four months. 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. His EncroChat names were SneakyStem and WackySilver. EncroChat drug dealer Sean Moore also sold Covid 19 testing kits as a sideline during lockdown. This would involve deciding whether, at the point when they were intercepted, the. 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. The 25-year-old, of Moss Way, Croxteth, sent text messages under the handle "LoadedSun" discussing the sale of 136,000 of cannabis. French Supreme Court rejects EncroChat verdict after lawyers question Jack Stanley Jones, 27 at the time, 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. Their EncroChat names were CapeRocket and SlightDrake. McMahon was jailed for 12 years seven months. Shaun Harrison, 33 at the time, of South Street, Thatto Heath, was sentenced to 10 years eight months in prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy to supply cocaine and cannabis. READ MORE: EncroChat drug boss boasted he made 20K before 8pm. Amphetamine is commonly nicknamed speed, whizz and Billy Whizz - the latter after the famous character in the children's comic. READ MORE: EncroChat dealer 'Tamewelder' caught with ten kilos of cocaine and weed. The then 57-year-old had worked with others to order the massive haul, 8kgs of which was his. The insight into his life allowed detectives to match the messages of EncroChat codenames "SneakyStem" and "WackySilver" to the 33-year-old. 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Police were able to prove he had supplied six kilos of cocaine and approximately four kilos of cannabis. Harding was jailed for 18 years and five months. READ MORE: 'Bro we be multimillionaires in three months haha' boasted dealer. O'Hare, 33 at the time, of Fairfield Avenue, Roby, transported drugs for Harding and supplied up to three kilos of Class A drugs and 10 kilos of cannabis. North West Regional Organised Crime Unit (NWROCU) detectives launched an undercover surveillance operation in February 2020. Thomas Brabbins, 28 at the time, of Cherry Tree Road, Huyton, was sentenced to seven years six months after pleading guilty to conspiracy to supply cocaine, conspiracy to supply cannabis, possession of cannabis with intent to supply and two counts of possession of criminal property and possession of cannabis. Ward was involved in transporting about 48kg of Class A drugs, from March 31, 2020 for about two and a half months. Since the launch of the operation, over one thousand people have been charged with crimes due to their link to the EncroChat network. The judge asked the court to. He supplied large quantities of cocaine, heroin, cannabis and amphetamines around the country and was arrested in September last year. Shaun Harrison, 33, of South Street, Thatto Heath, was sentenced to 10 years eight months in prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy to supply cocaine and cannabis. Reid, of Ackers Road, Woodchurch, pleaded guilty to three conspiracies involving the supply of cocaine, heroin and cannabis between March 23 and June 5, 2020. Michael Devine - LawfulArbor and MixedTree. Quinn used the EncroChat handle WiredFork. Steven Strachan, 49, of School Lane, Bidston, was sentenced to six years in prisoners. Brian Heffey - Activegamer and Lemonisland. Luxton, of Birch Avenue, Upton, was jailed for 16 years. An overview of the cases linked to the major investigation into the use of communications network EncroChat by the region's underworld, Get the latest crime reports and stories from Liverpool Echo straight to your inbox. Their capture followed a raid at the home of Paul Dillon, 32, a few months earlier on Tuesday, June 30, when police seized almost 30,000 in cash. READ MORE: Dad moved 4.5m of cocaine and heroin for international drug lord. The prosecution case heard that "messages show that the Defendant was involved in receiving, transporting and distributing vast commercial scale quantities of cocaine. Harrison Laite used an Encrochat phone to supply multiple kilos of cannabis on the streets on Merseyside. So far, 2,631 people have been arrested in the UK as part of Operation Venetic; 1,384 have been charged, 260 convicted and 5,646 kilos of class A drugs, 165 weapons and 75m in criminal cash has. "Money man" Allan, who used the EncroChat handle "MessyZebra", was previously jailed for two years for dealing cannabis in 2005. Keiren McMahon, 24, of Titchfield Street, Kirkdale, Bryan Stephen Heffey, 46, of Woodend Avenue, Maghull. 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. Liverpool Crown Court heard messages from his Encrochat handle included mention of seven kilos of heroin costing 20,000 as well as talking about five kilos of cocaine costing 41,000 and the use of adulterants. He was jailed for 10 years and eight months. The then 30-year-old used the handles Specialivy and Customcab to sell a variety of class A and class B drugs including ecstasy tablets, cocaine and cannabis. READ MORE: Brothers' 20m drug empire came crashing down after M6 cocaine swoop. Stephen Taylor, 33 at the time, 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. Mark Dumbell, 30, of Warrington Road, Prescot, was sentenced to 16 years in prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy to supply cocaine, cannabis and ketamine. The then 49-year-old was stopped after officers became suspicious of his taxi credentials when they spotted his vehicle on the M62 in June. He used an EncroChat phone to update the drug bosses on their income, dealing with hundreds of thousands of pounds at a time. He was working under the direction of poundcake. Sam Lewis, 30 at the time, of Mardale Road, Huyton, was sentenced to 12 years after pleading guilty to conspiracy to supply cocaine, ketamine and cannabis between March 20 and June 3 last year.. READ MORE: EncroChat boss 'KeySilver' stockpiled drugs over lockdown fears. Michael Devine had shared details of his membership on the EncroChat encrypted messaging platform. Pinnington was jailed for nine years and four months. READ MORE: EncroChat dealer nicknamed 'coastalsummer' tried to flee naked through window in raid, 30-31 David Pinnington - LoftyHail and David Blackburn - SuperBiking. EncroChat dealer moaned South American cartels were 'greedy' He was jailed for six years and eight months. Skillen, 35, of Long Lane, Orford, Warrington, was found to be an EncroChat user, using the handle "SavageArrow". READ MORE: EncroChat drug boss caused his own downfall after his joke texts. The then 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. The mum became involved in the underworld when her business ventures began to falter due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. He was jailed for 10 years. EncroChat conversations between Simon Roberts, who used the names 'MajorFox' and 'FanaticFirm' and other members of the conspiracy revealed that on one occasion he was entrusted with 8kg of cocaine and 485,000 in cash. The EncroChat devices have dual operating systems, one being the EncroChat operating system itself and the second being a standard Android system with no functionality. READ MORE: Encrochat dealer 'Magiccider' busted after posing for photo with cannabis, 36. EncroChat drug dealer Anthony Lenehan was the man behind the codename 'JetHawk'. Nine men have been sentenced for . But it was EncroChat messages, recovered in April 2020, which gave officers the additional evidence to blow the lid on the network. Garvey, who used the EncroChat handles "ChopperReid" and "ButterflyJuice" admitted conspiring to supply cocaine, cannabis and ketamine, conspiring to produce cannabis, and possessing cannabis. The 49-year-old was stopped after officers became suspicious of his taxi credentials when they spotted his vehicle on the M62 in June. John liverpoolecho.co.uk - Gemma Bradley 16h The then 40-year-old, of Watergate Way, Woolton, acted as a gangland accountant and oversaw the counting or "flicking" of ill-gotten gains. READ MORE: EncroChat dealers 'Laughingstorm', 'Kindtailor' and 'Wiredfork' see empires crumble after hack. Lenehan had connections to Dubai and exchanged messages suggesting his influence may have stretched to India and Iran. READ MORE: Gang threatened to 'chop off ears' and hold iron to chest of pensioner, 38. READ MORE: EncroChat dealer's empire crushed after he told contacts when his birthday was. ABL Wholesale Distributors Inc., state . Merseyside brothers jailed for drug dealing via an Encrochat phone A "top level controller" of a 27m drug gang was caught as he tried to flee with his girlfriend in a BMW to Spain. Roberts, 57, appeared at Liverpool Crown Court for sentencing after he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply cocaine and heroin. The material was STORED when it was intercepted. It's free, easy and takes no time at all. 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. EncroChat drug dealer David Holgate was busted when he was caught with 176kg of caffeine in the back of his car. But 40-year-old Woolton roofer Daniels worked as a drug and cash courier for him, under the handle "ExoticApe", in 2020. He was jailed for eight years and 10 months. A drug dealer who was the "money man" in a major EncroChat gang counted and stored up to 800,000 in cash. The EncroChat servers have now been shut down. He operated on EncroChat as Jethawk. 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. Garry Reid, then 54, who used the handle 'Lockstar', supplied huge quantities of heroin, cocaine and cannabis across Wirral. Two brothers who used encrypted phones to deal in massive amounts of heroin, amphetamines and cannabis have been jailed. We use your sign-up to provide content in the ways you've consented to and improve our understanding of you. Holgate admitted conspiring to supply ketamine, possessing criminal property and possessing amphetamine with intent to supply. An EncroChat drug gang moved nearly 500,000 of amphetamine branded with pictures of The Beano character Billy Whizz. Moore, whose four previous convictions include a money laundering conspiracy, admitted conspiring to supply cocaine and heroin, from April to June last year.