Two men who used EncroChat devices to supply class A drugs have been sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court.
Clifford McNamee, 47, of Rusland Road, Kirkby and Nathan Sweeney, 46, of Fern Close, Kirkby, were involved in a large-scale conspiracy to supply class A drugs around Liverpool.
Both men pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to supply cocaine and one count of conspiracy to supply heroin. Mr Henry Riding, prosecuting, described how “abroad forces” infiltrated the encrypted devices and found the data from the end of March 2020, some of which was then decoded and sent to police forces in the UK.
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Operation Venetic began in 2016, during which time the National Crime Agency has worked with international law enforcement agencies to target EncroChat platforms and share decoded information. Sweeney, with the EncroChat handle RigidForce, and McNamee, who went by CliffsHard, each owned one encrypted device and were identified based on images and messages sent.
McNamee’s device was found to be pinging off phone masts in the L33 area near his home, and he also sent an image of a letter from his employer with his name and address on it. Similarly, Sweeney sent images of a quad bike that was owned by him, including a picture of the bike in front of his home and in a garage that he also homed, and his phone pinged off masts near his home.
The offences took place between January 2020 and October 2021 when they were arrested, but data capture as part of Operation Venetic could only be taken from March 2020. Though the exact amount of drugs supplied by the men could not be accurately determined due to encrypted devices being used, it was established that Sweeney was in discussions to supply around 10kg, but the actual amount he obtained was somewhere between 5-10kg.
McNamee was involved in the lesser amount of 5kg of class A drugs, but was deemed to be play a lesser role in the crimes, and acted as a subordinate to Sweeney to some extent.
Mr Matthew Buckland, defending Sweeney, described him as a “resourceful, dedicated family man”, and said he was “man enough to accept that he will face significant punishment for what he has done”.
Both men were described by their defence as playing an integral role within the prison system, acting as mentors and offering advice other inmates.
Mr Paul Becker, defending McNamee, detailed how he had recently saved an inmate's life who was found hanging in his cell, and has received education for his mental health in jail.
Sweeney was sentenced to ten years and one month imprisonment, and McNamee was sentenced to nine years and one month.
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