An EncroChat dealer was stopped by police at an airport as he carried £5k in his suitcase.
Erion Nakdi, 38, who used the EncroChat handle 'Taboocrow', was caught was he tried to flea the UK with £5,000 in a suitcase.
Nakdi ran a drug supply network on the encrypted platform and exchanged more than 4,000 messages detailing his plans to flood Liverpool, Manchester, London, Kent and Norwich with Class A drugs.
READ MORE: Switch Island live updates as road closed for police investigation
Messages showed Nakdi had contacts in South America, and claimed he was able to bring over 50 kilos of cocaine in a week.
On one occasion Nakdi said he managed to sell ‘four pieces for £35,000’ – four pieces being equivalent to four kilos.
The messages showed his leading role in the criminal network, with multiple runners and drivers who would collect and drop off drugs and cash. In other instances, he would arrange to buy drugs from one organised crime group and sell onto another for profit.
Nakdi, from Surbiton, Surrey, was arrested while travelling to Luton Airport by officers from the OCP – a joint partnership between the National Crime Agency and the Metropolitan Police Service – on November 12, 2020.
Upon his arrest, £5,000 was seized after being found in his suitcase. Following a search of his home, officers recovered a further £5,000.
On Friday, February 18 Nakdi was sentenced after pleading guilty to conspiracy to supply Class A drugs (cocaine), possessing criminal property and money laundering offences.
Nakdi was jailed for 16 years and three months.
OCP Operations Manager, Andrew Tickner said: “Nakdi played the role of a broker, acting as a middle man in various drug deals. He failed in his attempt to conceal his criminal activity by using an encrypted phone.
“He sought to make profit and supply multiple regions in the UK without considering the violence and exploitation Class A drugs cause.
“I hope his lengthy sentence will serve as a reminder to those involved in the drugs trade that we’re committed to disrupting the supply chain at all levels.”
Receive newsletters with the latest news, sport and what's on updates from the Liverpool ECHO by signing up here
