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.
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Prosecuting, Brian Berlyne told Manchester Crown Court that following the penetration of the system by French authorities, around 9,000 people in the UK have been arrested, and 15,000 arrested worldwide.
Messages were uncovered between ‘Butternoon’ and others, and police later identified the account as McCormick. In one exchange with a user called “Royalchunk”, they said they had obtained heroin, and McCormick asked for half a kilo of the drug on behalf of an ‘associate’.
“He arranged meetings between their mutual associates and a debtors list was handed over,” Mr Berlyne said.
“In another exchange on March 31, messages from the defendant presented the arranging of purchasing at least one-and-a-half kilos of a drug believed to be cocaine in exchange for £40,000.”
In further exchanges with ‘Royalchunk’, McCormick arranged for the buying of a small amount of high quality cocaine for an associate. They also discussed drug debts, referencing someone who owed £35,750 for heroin.
Other messages showed an agreement between the two for the purchase of two kilos of heroin for £79,000.
In April, McCormick sent a message to ‘Royalchunk’ saying he had the money to pay for nine ounces of an unknown drug, and they confirmed they had received £11,000.
In a later conversation, it was said that McCormick owed £76,495, but had already paid off £72,825. He then offered to pay the outstanding debt and requested two further kilos of cocaine.
In May, he asked about available cocaine, and an agreement was made for two-and-a-half kilos of cocaine for £91,000. And in a further exchange of messages, McCormick requested drugs stating: “I want as many as I can have”.
On May 11, police searched his family home in Openshaw and found £13,610 in cash, as well as a Rolex watch. They later searched his home address on Stockport Road and found further cash.
The total amount of drugs referenced was ‘at least’ 16 kilos, and was said to be worth an estimated street value of between £1.5million and £2 million.
At the time, McCormick was also subject to a Serious Crime Prevention Order, after being jailed for similar offences in 2016. The other banned him from using encrypted devices for five years following his release in 2019.
Defending, Richard Simons said his client accepted he was acting as a broker and he made around £1,000 per kilo. He also said he paid £4,500 for the Rolex watch.
Addressing Mr Simons, the Recorder of Manchester, Judge Nicholas Dean KC said: “The reality is, he has come out of prison and returned to what he had done before. It’s a lucrative business and he had contacts and could easily fall back into it.”
Jailing him for 11 years and four months, Judge Dean KC said: “You knew what you faced today. The sadness of this case lies in what I have referred to in the letter from your father and partner’s parents.
“They tell of someone who is a family man, a good son and a good son-in-law. This is not mitigation that can have a good impact in this type of case.
“You knew the effect this would have on your family when you offended.”
McCormick, of Bob Massey Close, was jailed for 11 years and four months.
Speaking after the hearing, Detective Constable Chris Cotton of Challenger south city of Manchester team said: “McCormick played a leading role by using encrypted communications within an organised network of criminals and I hope that the sentencing yesterday will reassure the public that we are committed to making our communities a safer place by disrupting this type of serious criminality.
"We understand the scourge that drug dealing and the supply of class A drugs brings to our communities, and we are committed in our mission to keep drugs from the streets of Greater Manchester.
“Our team worked meticulously with other agencies to piece together a timeline of McCormick’s actions to bring about charges and then a conviction for his crimes, the severity of his offences should not be underestimated. The supply of drugs in our area fuels further criminality and violence across Manchester and we are committed to disrupting their networks.
"Another important aspect in these investigations is the intelligence that is passed to us by members of the public which often plays a crucial part in our investigations.”
“As always, we welcome any information or concerns you may have about drug supply in your area. If you have information that could aid our investigations into the trade of drugs across Greater Manchester then please get in touch with us on the numbers provided below.”
If you have any concerns or see anything suspicious contact GMP directly on 101 or gmp.police.uk or Crimestoppers, anonymously on 0800 555 111.
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