A notorious career criminal was caught out by secret Encrochat messages whilst brokering the sale of guns and heroin. Arron Corkovic, 35, was previously jailed in 2013 for his part in a violent robbery in Whitefield, but was released after eight years and bound by strict conditions through a Serious Crime Prevention Order.
But, within a year, he turned to a new venture, prosecutor Laura Barbour told Manchester Crown Court.
Using the handle ‘Stealthy’ on an Encrochat phone, he sent messages to various criminals about supplying a kilo of heroin as well as supplying highly dangerous firearms and lethal ammunition. His crimes were rumbled following a Europe-wide hack in 2020 by authorities into the Encrochat system, used exclusively by members of organised crime groups to plan criminal activities.
