A Liverpool man sent pictures of his own daughter on an encrypted phone while allegedly discussing an international drug deal.
The pictures are said to have been sent during a sequence of messages about the importation of large amounts of Class A drugs into the UK.
The messages were recovered as part of the penetration of the EncroChat network, which was used by criminals to distribute drugs and plan serious crimes.
READ MORE: 'Selfie' pictures led to downfall of EncroChat dealers jailed for more than 60 years
The ECHO has seen a restricted document which revealed that a Liverpool man sent photographs of his own daughter to an associate.
The photographs show his daughter at home, surrounded by toys. The man, who has a long criminal record, is now a suspect in a major drug conspiracy.
The photographs were sent during a series of alleged exchanges about the importation of Class A drugs from Europe into the UK.
The ECHO cannot identify the man who sent the message for legal reasons.
The messages also reveal that cocaine was valued at around £28,000 per kg.
A leading member of the conspiracy was suspected of sourcing cocaine from Colombia and other South American countries.
He is described in the same document as being one of the UK's leading importers of Class A drugs.
A court date has not yet been set for the group of men, who have been charged with drug offences.
Dozens of men from Merseyside have been jailed after being linked to texts and photos shared via the EncroChat communications platform.
The ECHO has recently reported on criminals who posted selfie type pictures on the encrypted phone network.
George Marsh, Carl Stewart, Gary Mitchell and Nathan Harding were all jailed after photos of their hands were retrieved from their accounts and analysed for fingerprints.
Marsh, of Park Road North in Birkenhead, was jailed for 16 years after he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply each of the drugs.
Mitchell was sentenced to 15 years after he admitted conspiracy to supply heroin, cocaine, ecstasy and cannabis.
Stewart, 39, of Gem Street, Vauxhall, was jailed for 13 years and six months after he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply cocaine, conspiracy to supply heroin, conspiracy to supply MDMA, conspiracy to supply ketamine and transferring criminal property.
The National Crime Agency (NCA) recently announced that Operation Venetic has so far led to 2,631 arrests, 1,384 charges and 260 convictions.
The NCA also said that they had seized 5,646kg of Class A drugs, 165 firearms and £75m of criminal cash.
The NCA declined to comment on this story.
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