A former professional footballer who was ensnared at Manchester Airport as part of a million pound drugs operation now faces losing her property empire. Businesswoman Faye Dunn played a 'leading role' in an international drugs ring.
But the operation was rumbled by police and the 38-year-old was detained at Manchester Airport before being prosecuted. Now, prosecutors want to seize properties both in the UK and abroad which are linked to Dunn's criminal activities.
A court heard how Dunn became involved in the underworld when her business ventures began to falter due to the impact of covid, the Liverpool Echo reports. She was convicted alongside her dad, 66-year-old Michael Dunn, following the infiltration of the EncroChat network.
Detectives working on Operation Venetic, the UK's response to the hack, subsequently identified Faye Dunn had been using the handle 'StiffNinja' and was in close contact with a user called 'LedZeppelin'. Meanwhile, her convicted drug smuggler dad went under the name 'ZincBat'.
Faye Dunn was found to have been in close contact with a user known as LedZeppelin with messages revealing she had 'involvement in the supply and production of cannabis'. On Friday (February 3) there was a brief hearing at Liverpool Crown Court relating to efforts to seize the illicit profits made by the pair under the Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA).
Nicola Daley, prosecuting, said that the CPS and lawyers for Michael Dunn had come to an agreement that he had no recoverable assets to his name despite profiting to the tune of £50,000 during the course of the conspiracy. During his sentencing hearing in June last year, the court had been told the pensioner was suffering considerable health problems and had been in a 'desperate place financially' at the time of his offending.
Yesterday Ms Daley asked the court to order payment of a nominal sum of £1 and to treat it as paid. However she revealed the situation was different in relation to Faye Dunn. She told the court: "There are more by way of discussions likely between the parties."
Matthew Buckland, representing both Dunns for the hearing, asked the judge, Recorder Eric Lamb, KC, for more time to resolve the case. He said: "There are a number of properties involved in this case, many of them overseas, some of them cash, that needs to be resolved."
Judge Lamb agreed and set a further hearing date for March 10. Last June, the mum-of-two was described as an 'accountant for an organised criminal enterprise', while she had smuggled ill-gotten cash abroad.
Ms Daley said at the time: "She played an operational role within the drugs supply chain but appeared to have significant influence upon others in the chain, facilitating meetings between criminal associates in relation to the supply of controlled drugs, and also instructed others to undertake tasks such as the collection and movement of packages of both drugs and cash.
"Significantly, she appears to have acted as the accountant for the organised criminal enterprise and has concealed not only her EncroChat device but also cash when travelling abroad in order to evade detection by the authorities."
The court heard on April 2, 2020, Dunn sent a 'tick-list' to her then partner, Stephen Canty, showing an income of £1,155,548, and details of expenditure worth £431,700. Ms Daley said that the list included £100,000 spent on a house, £25,000 on cars and £21,500 on a watch.
Michael Dunn meanwhile handled and supplied drugs on his daughter's behalf and arranged meetings to transfer cash. Ms Daley added: "It is the prosecution's case that Michael Dunn willingly carried out the handling, movement and supply of cannabis for his daughter Faye. He also met up with other handles and arranged meetings in order to transfer money."
In total, Faye Dunn is estimated to have been involved in the supply of at least 24kg of cannabis and was said to have 'played a leading role within the criminal organisation'. She also laundered £654,800 of dirty money from December 2019 onwards.
Meanwhile, Michael Dunn was described as having a 'significant' role. He was directly involved in the supply of 5kg of drugs in just over five weeks before ceasing his involvement.
Faye Dunn was arrested at Manchester Airport on June 13, 2022, and remained silent throughout her interview with officers. Michael Dunn was held on July 11 and also gave no comment.
Both defendants, of Walpole Avenue in Whiston, Merseyside, admitted conspiracy to supply cannabis and money laundering. Dunn cried in the dock as she was jailed for three years and nine months.
She began wailing as she was taken down the cells and said: "I can't believe it." Judge David Potter, sentencing, said of Faye Dunn: "I accept that you are a woman of effectively good character - a highly intelligent, successful, motivated sportswoman, entrepreneur and mother of high-achieving children.
"You came to this trade as a result of the failure of your businesses due to the coronavirus pandemic. You took your considerable management skills into the trade of drugs.
"It is a tragedy to see a young woman facing a sentence of imprisonment after leading a life full of past and continuing achievements. You should have been thinking about your two young children when you became involved in serious organised crime."
The court heard Michael Dunn was jailed in the Netherlands in 1986 in connection with burglaries and was later deported. He was then jailed for nine years in Portugal in 2009 for drug importation charges.
This came after he was stopped in a van while transporting 2.5kg of cannabis into Spain. William England, representing him during sentencing, told the court that his client was in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease and also suffers from cardiovascular and mobility issues.
Mr England added: "He is no longer a young man, in fact quite the opposite." Judge Potter handed Michael Dunn two years in prison, suspended for two years, 'as a measure of mercy'.
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