An EncroChat dealer’s operation came crashing down after he posed for a selfie.
Jon Hassall organised cocaine and cannabis deals while using the codename TrustedBat.
But his secret identity was exposed when police linked that account to a photo the 23-year-old had taken of himself and sent to an associate.
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Hassall is the latest of dozens of men from Merseyside to be jailed following an international investigation into the use of EncroChat phones.
The encrypted software was hacked in a joint French and Dutch operation in 2020, exposing the messages of its users to detectives across Europe.
Police believe the system was used almost exclusively by criminals and have set about linking the usernames - known as handles - to the people behind them.
In Hassall’s case, the discovery of the selfie helped Merseyside Police to link him to the TrustedBat account and to the dealing of 3kgs of cocaine and 40kg of cannabis - given a combined value of £225,000.
Hassall, of Witley Close in Moreton, was sentenced to seven years in prison when he appeared at Liverpool Crown Court on Wednesday.
He had pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply Class A and B drugs.
Following his sentencing, Detective Inspector Mike Dalton said: “This latest conviction is after another guilty plea which just cements the strength of evidence we have in these type cases.
“At Merseyside Polic e we are making good progress in exposing criminals who think they have evaded detection by utilising encrypted devices.
“Our operation doesn’t just affect serious organised crime taking place at the higher end, but it is also reaching down to street level drug deals and county lines operations.
“Ultimately people in our communities are seeing a positive difference in their neighbourhood and making it a safer place to live.
“I think this sends a clear message to criminals that we’ll continue to be relentless in our pursuit of them.”
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