A pair of drug dealers were brought down by a ham sandwich and a can of Stella Artois.
Richard Wylie and Richard Whiteside were the owners of EncroChat handles Somesnail and Peppershirt respectively. EncroChat was one of the largest providers of encrypted communications and offered a secure mobile phone instant messaging service often used by criminals.
The EncroChat servers were taken down in 2020 following an investigation led by the National Crime Agency. Since then, many dealers who used the platform have been snared.
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Lancashire Police's Serious and Organised Crime Team were able to prove Wylie and Whiteside's handles. Then, pictures of a can of Stella Artois and a ham sandwich shared on the EncroChat phones helped trap the pair after they were matched to Whiteside’s address in Blackpool.
Richard Wylie, 36, formerly of The Stables, Thornton Cleveleys, was jailed for six years after pleading guilty to conspiracy to supply a controlled drug of class A cocaine, conspiracy to supply a controlled drug of class A cocaine, conspiracy to transfer and conceal criminal property and being concerned in supplying a controlled drug of class A to others.
Richard Whiteside, 55, formerly of Mickledon Road, Blackpool was jailed for four years after admitting conspiracy to transfer and conceal criminal property and possessing criminal property.
Police still want to speak to two other men, Daniel Hindley, 40, and Jamie Finney, 37, as part of the same investigation. Both men are currently believed to be abroad and officers are asking for anyone with information about them to get in touch.
Detective Chief Insp James Edmonds said: “Like many other users of EncroChat, the criminals operating in Lancashire will have mistakenly thought that they could traffic drugs with impunity, under the radar of the police – our successes as part of Op Venetic show how wrong they are.
“We continue to work both with the NCA and other forces across the region and the UK to take the fight to criminals and ensure there are no safe spaces in Lancashire for serious and organised criminals, including those who seek to profit from a class A drugs trade which fuels violence and exploitation in our communities.”
“This sort of activity is just one aspect of our continued fight to tackle serious and organised crime. I hope this sends a clear message to the public of our determination to rid communities of this sort of criminalisation and to make our streets safer.”
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