A drug gang member using the moniker "Lucky Penny" in encrypted underworld communications ran out of luck when police infiltrated secret chats.
Christopher Finlay was a trusted courier and warehouser who was paid £47,000 for delivering multiple kilos of cocaine and heroin. He was caught after police gained access to EncroChat, which criminals believed they could talk to each other securely on until police gained access in 2020.
When Finlay was pulled over by police, he was found with two kilos of cocaine in a secret compartment of specially adapted vehicle. Police also found a tick list hidden in a curtain pole and deployed a handwriting expert to show he was responsible for that. The list showed he had been involved in the supply, warehousing and delivery of 18 kilos of heroin and 114 kilos of cocaine.
