A cocaine dealing kickboxer supplied a semi-automatic firearm as part of a secret plot to shoot two brothers.
Liam Chung also directed the trafficking of huge, multi-kilo quantities of heroin, cannabis and amphetamine in the Merseyside area from his base hundreds of miles away in Spain. The thug who planned the shooting claimed that he "wouldn't stop" until his target had been shot.
Liverpool Crown Court heard today, Friday, the amateur fighter "operated at the head of an organised criminal group" involved in the supply of class A and B drugs. Alex Leach KC, prosecuting, described how Chung - of no fixed address, but formerly of Sullington Drive in Netherley - "relied upon a close network, whom he trusted to carry out his instructions".
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Using the handle "CastleWinter" on encrypted communications platform EncroChat, the 37-year-old was involved in the supply of at least 12kg of cocaine, 1.25kg of heroin, 20kg of cannabis and 4kg of amphetamine - continuing his dealings remotely after moving abroad, where he was later arrested. He also arranged for a semi-automatic firearm to be supplied to another underworld figure who was hoping to gun down a "rival".
On May 25 2020, Chung used the service - which was infiltrated by law enforcement during the early part of that year - to message a fellow user known only as "FullBat", "indicating that if Full Bat's situation was serious and he needed something, he could assist". His associate "took the offer up" and replied by saying: "Some thing about to kick off by rs."
Mr Leach said that this was a "reference to an emerging conflict with others". Later the same night, Chung stated he would arrange for one of his men to "pull it out (of the) stash (in the) morn for you". Full Bat would then message a third party to say: "Yo bro, just got this on now - we do this tomorrow."
Chung arranged for a handover to take place in the L27 area the following day, and messages revealed that the "transaction appeared to have been completed" by the early evening. A message sent to his partner in crime shortly before 6.30pm described the gun as a "semi" and "a fully auto gear box edition as well, rev and rip" - "revealing the particularly sophisticated nature of the firearm".
In a conversation between Full Bat and another Encro user on June 4, the former "made it clear that he still intended to carry out an attack". He wrote in one message: "Am not stopping till he gets shot, them am gonna shoot his brother."
It is not clear whether any such shooting was subsequently carried out, but nearly £20,000 in cash was discovered when police raided Chung's home in May last year. He was previously imprisoned for six months for affray in 2020, having been extradited back to the UK from Spain in order to face justice after a shocking mass brawl erupted during a kickboxing match at a Liverpool city centre nightclub.
Timothy Kray KC, defending, told the court: "The points in mitigation, really, are his guilty pleas and the fact that his convictions are not further aggravated by earlier serious offending. He has to do some hard time.
"Mr Chung is someone who is a man with certain things about him. When he is released, he is going to be in his middle age.
"He has got a four-year-old daughter. His partner is standing by him.
"The hope for some leniency at this stage as some incentive to him that, when all of that is done, he seeks rehabilitation and that process at the end has made things worthwhile, that he can truly rehabilitate and that he is out seeing his daughter when she is still a child."
Chung admitted conspiracy to supply heroin, cocaine, amphetamine and cannabis, conspiracy to transfer a prohibited weapon and possession of criminal property. Wearing a white shirt and a sky blue shirt in the dock, he nodded as he was jailed for 20 years.
Sentencing, Judge Stuart Driver KC said: "EncroChat evidence is very strong evidence. Yesterday, you pleaded guilty to most of the counts on the indictment.
"You made a very sensible decision. If a jury had convicted you on that strong evidence on every count on the indictment, the sentence would have been much longer then it will be.
"You supplied a semi-automatic firearm, intending the recipient use it in a connection with serious organised crime. It is clear that he wanted to shoot a rival with it."
Chung will be brought back before the same court at a later date, when he could be handed a serious crime prevention order and told to repay his ill-gotten gains under the Proceeds of Crime Act. Further counts of conspiracy to possess explosives for an unlawful purpose and conspiracy to commit grievous bodily harm were ordered to lie on the file.
