A family man who was leading a double life as a drug ‘broker’ months after being released from prison had his secret uncovered when police cracked encrypted messages. Joseph McCormick, 41, acting under the username ‘Butternoon’ organised the buying and selling of 16 kilos of class A drugs.
In encrypted messages with other users, he was in charge of organising payments and the moving of ‘wholesale quantities’ heroin and cocaine between safe houses. His offending was brought to light following a Europe-wide police hack into the Encrochat system, which was used exclusively by members of organised crime groups to plan criminal acts.
McCormick, of Openshaw, pleaded guilty to two offences of conspiracy to supply class A drugs, failure to comply with a Serious Crime Prevention Order and possession of criminal property.
