Two gangsters went from "blood brothers" who broke out of a prison van together to sworn enemies as their underworld bond disintegrated.
22.06.2024 - 15:45 / manchestereveningnews.co.uk
A drug dealer who used a Breaking Bad-themed nickname led a sophisticated plot to produce millions of pounds worth of amphetamine at a secluded cottage. The gang used encrypted phones to communicate and establish a complex network of supply chains across the country.
However, their illegal enterprise was exposed following the European authorities' hacking of EncroChat in April 2020. The gang members have since been jailed for a staggering combined total of more than 200 years in prison.
But before then, the operation was extremely lucrative, making the gang millions as they transported their amphetamine across the UK, the Liverpool ECHO reports.
READ MORE: One was the 'poor relation', the other 'up and coming'... until now
The gang's encrypted phones gave the conspirators a sense of invincibility due to their assurances that what they were doing was completely clandestine. However, they ultimately proved to be their downfalls. Following the hack, UK law authorities including the National Crime Agency (NCA), Merseyside Police and North Wales Police were handed the evidence which showed the extent of the conspiracy.
A series of messages alluded to a laboratory on the outskirts of Chester being used to produce amphetamine. Police officers later discovered the factory on Deeside Lane in the Sealand area of the city. A court previously heard the North Wales probe was codenamed Operation Bluesword and work began to carry out surveillance on the cottage.
However, on or about May 1, some of the gang, who were "undoubtedly paranoid about being detected by the police, identified the presence of North Wales surveillance vehicles/officers who had recently begun surveillance around Wood Cottage". The site was "abruptly shut down".
Two gangsters went from "blood brothers" who broke out of a prison van together to sworn enemies as their underworld bond disintegrated.
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