Four men who planned to flood Liverpool with heroin have been jailed following the penetration of the EncroChat phone network.
Stephen Hunt, 60, Dylan Sanger, 34, Tyrone Holbrook-Harris, 27 and Darren Barrett, 41 planned to import more than 90 kilos of Class A drugs a week.
Hunt, of Main Street, Great Oxenden, Northamptonshire, used an EncroChat phone to liaise with criminal contacts and used the handle 'Nobleblood.'
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His Encrochat phone messages revealed the gang's heroin would be forwarded to Liverpool where he planned to set up a new office.
The EncroChat network was hacked through a joint operation between French and Dutch investigators 15 months ago.
It’s believed the heroin was also being sold along the North Wales coast.
Other EncroChat conversations indicated the gang was importing at least 24 kilos of Class A drugs per week with plans to import more than 90 kilos per week.
The heroin came into the UK from Spain and the Netherlands.
One of the gang's messages on the EncroChat network read: "Just heard, there will be a round of applause between 4 and 5 tomorrow for all the drug dealers going out there and meeting people risking their lives to keep people happy&high #please share # nine bar."
Hunt, who lived in Spain between 2001 and 2014 , was jailed for 10 years and nine months today at Caernarfon Crown Court, after admitting conspiring to supply class A drugs.
Sanger, 34, of Bailey Avenue, Ellesmere Port, used the EncroChat handles Syruproad and Swankyboar.
Sanger secured individuals and premises to receive the drugs, and organised cash payments to those involved.
When Sanger was arrested in August last year officers found around £9,000 hidden behind his car’s dashboard and £1,300 in his house.
He was jailed for nine years.
Also jailed were Tyrone Holbrook-Harris, 27, of Hillside Crescent, Buckley, Flintshire, who took his orders from Sanger. And Darren Barrett, 41, of Village Road, Northop Hall in Mold, who took his orders from Holbrook-Harris. Holbrook-Harris and Barrett were sentenced to six years and five years three months respectively.
All the men admitted conspiring to supply class A drugs.
Piers Phillips, NCA operations manager, speaking after today's court hearing, said: “These men were central to the violence and exploitation that UK crime groups deal in when it comes to supplying heroin through County Lines.
“Class A drugs cause misery and bring chaos to our communities.
“We’re pleased to have taken this OCG out of action and we’ll continue to do our utmost to protect the public from this threat.”
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