Man jailed for encro drug dealing

Today (Friday 9 February) at Liverpool Crown Court, a man responsible for selling multi-kilos of Class A drugs has been jailed as part of Operation Venetic.

Anthony Ross, 34, of Ruislip Close, Halewood was sentenced to 15 years imprisonment. He pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply Class A and B drugs, conspiracy to produce a controlled drug and conspiracy to sell or transfer prohibited weapons.

Ross used the Encrochat handles 'DIORNOTE' and 'EASYJAGUAR' which he used to supply cocaine to customers across the Merseyside area. He was also involved in the cultivation of cannabis plants.

Detective Inspector Dave Worthington from the NWROCU Operations Team said: 

"Today we've seen another person put behind bars as part of Operation Venetic - an international operation targeting criminals who used a mobile encryption device to try and evade detection.

"They mistakenly thought that by using Encrochat they could evade police but our successes as part of Op Venetic show how wrong they were. 

"Messages proved that Ross was responsible for supplying Class A and B drugs across the Merseyside area, damaging people’s lives and the communities we serve. The evidence was so overwhelming against him that he had no choice but to plead guilty to his crimes."