A "middle man" in the supply of heroin and cocaine was caught after sending pictures of his girlfriend's dog to other drug dealers.
Police discovered the "Little Book of Dennis", a photo album containing countless shots of the pet dachshund, in Bobby Allen's bedroom when they raided his grandmother's home. This ultimately identified the 27-year-old as the EncroChat user "AcidGlove", who had secretly been trading in huge quantities of class A and B illicit substances.
Liverpool Crown Court heard this afternoon, Tuesday, that messages on the encrypted communications platform evidenced that he had been involved in trafficking at least 14kg of heroin, 10kg of cocaine, 13kg of cannabis, 5kg of ketamine and 5,000 ecstasy tablets. Henry Riding, prosecuting, described how Allen was linked to the handle after others he had been in communication referred to him as "Bobby, young Bobby, twinny and baby twin" - the defendant having a twin brother, whom he had named during his own texts.
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He also made reference to "our lad in Kirkham", having had a relative serving a sentence for drug offences in HMP Kirkham in Lancashire, while another contact sought out the qualified electrician's services as a "spark". The Encro phone's lock screen password meanwhile was "FC Garston 19", a football team for which the "keen sportsman" was a registered player.
When Merseyside Police executed a search warrant at his nan's home in Roby on July 19 last year, officers recovered "The Little Book of Dennis" - a collection of pictures of the dog - from his room, while he told them that a dachshund called Dennis in the property was his girlfriend's. He had sent numerous to pictures of the hound to his underworld contacts via EncroChat.
In total, Allen - of no fixed address, but "born and bred" in Garston - had 76 other handles stored on his device and had been in contact with 47 of them. He was described as a "middle man through whom other EncroChat users were able to source drugs".
Stuart Mills, defending, told the court that his client had acted as a carer to his elderly grandmother and volunteered as a kids' boxing coach. Allen, who has no previous convictions, was also an "active part" of a food bank during lockdown.
He was left unable to work for nearly a year after falling seriously ill and being told he had "days to live" in April 2021, later requiring a kidney transplant from his twin. While in custody, the defendant has completed a welding course and has acted as a "mentor" to other prisoners.
Mr Mills added: "He is from an extremely loving and supporting family. He is devastated at the shame, embarrassment, hurt and upset that he has brought upon them.
"He is upset that he has let them down badly, and they will suffer the sentence as much as he will. Everybody speaks very highly of Bobby Allen and is very shocked that he has got himself involved in something like this.
"He wants to publicly apologise to the court, to the whole of his family and the wider community for what he has done and for the pain and suffering he has brought upon them. He clearly wants to use as best he can his time in custody so he can make a better life for himself."
Allen admitted conspiracy to supply heroin, cocaine, ecstasy, ketamine and cannabis during an earlier hearing. Appearing via video link to HMP Liverpool, he was jailed for 13 years.
Sentencing, Judge Denis Watson KC said: "By involving yourself in these offences, you have involved yourself in a trade of desperation and destitution. Quite simply, drugs wreak havoc on people's lives.
"Those who need drugs will often resort to crime to fund their addictions. You cared nothing for the harm you were causing, you cared only for your own profit.
"Those who trade in misery to seek profit have to expect long prison sentences. You probably thought you were invincible, protected by your phone - but of course, your phone has proved to be your downfall.
"It is now clear precisely what you were up to. You were coordinating, sourcing and supplying class A and B drugs in substantial quantities."
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