logo
Encrochat: Newtownabbey cocaine dealer jailed for eight years

Encrochat: Newtownabbey cocaine dealer jailed for eight years

BBC News2 days ago
A drug dealer who used the encrypted communications platform EncroChat to smuggle large quantities of cocaine into Northern Ireland has been jailed for eight years.Daryl Patton, 40, from Dorchester Avenue in Newtownabbey, County Antrim, admitted offences, including conspiring to possess cocaine, fraudulently importing the drug and having cocaine with intent to supply it.He also admitted a charge of possessing criminal property, namely £250,000 in cash.Sentencing at Londonderry Crown Court on Wednesday, a judge said Patton had been operating on a "commercial scale".
Judge Neil Rafferty added: "The defendant in this case was centrally involved in the organisation, supervision and control of the importation of significant commercial quantities of cocaine."The court in Derry was told he had committed the offences on dates March and April 2020.The judge said the Encrochat mobile network was advertised as a highly-encrypted and secure platform, providing a secure means of communication between individuals using the network.French and Dutch police penetrated the Encrochat network and shared with international police forces in 2020.A number of cases are currently being progressed through the courts.Last year, a self-confessed drug dealer from County Antrim was one of the first to be sentenced in Northern Ireland for offences linked with EncroChat.
'Significant number of people worldwide'
Judge Rafferty added: "French police gained access to the network and thereby access to the communications between a very significant number of people worldwide. "Thereafter, the information captured was geolocated and provided to law enforcement bodies."The judge said that, in the UK, the National Crime Agency had been the central agency which received the material. "Each Encrochat user had a different username," he said."In this case the username attributed to the defendant is 'massive-movers'." Patton is currently serving a a 32-month, handed down in March last year at Belfast Crown Court, after he admitted possessing cocaine with intent to supply.
'Buy a cash counting machine'
Patton, the court was told, had contacts in Panama, Columbia, Spain, the Netherlands, Ecuador and Venezuela.One message exchanged between Patton and another Encrochat user referred to the delivery of fifteen bits or tops of cocaine at £45,000 each.The exchange also referred to the bits and tops being collected at junction 17, M1 in the Dundalk area in the Republic of Ireland.In another exchange a user told Patton that he should buy a cash-counting machine.
Judge Rafferty said a pre-sentence report compiled by a probation officer stated that Patton "has struggled to come to terms" with the harm his offending has caused to others.Judge Rafferty said the messages showed Patton "fulfilled a command and control capacity to move multi-kilo consignments of cocaine."I am satisfied that in this case the defendant's use of the Encrochat network was to facilitate and conceal commercial scale drugs criminality."
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Man arrested on suspicion of arson following attacks on 5G masts
Man arrested on suspicion of arson following attacks on 5G masts

BreakingNews.ie

time30 minutes ago

  • BreakingNews.ie

Man arrested on suspicion of arson following attacks on 5G masts

A man has been arrested on suspicion of arson following attacks on 5G masts in west Belfast. It comes after multiple communication towers were damaged after being deliberately set alight in the region. Advertisement On Thursday, police said they had arrested a 42-year-old man on suspicion of a number of counts of arson. However, police do not currently believe the attacks were the work of a single individual. Detective Inspector McAnee said: 'We continue to keep an open mind and are actively pursuing a number of lines of inquiry. 'It is therefore important to reiterate our appeal for the public's assistance. Advertisement 'We remain of the belief that there are individuals out there who will have knowledge that could assist us in identifying those responsible and stopping these attacks. 'The public should continue to see increased police visibility around the affected areas.' The PSNI said it would continue to engage with stakeholders to protect this 'critical infrastructure and prevent future incidents'. It said officers can be contacted on 101, quoting reference number 467 of 03/07/25. Advertisement A spokeswoman said: 'Alternatively, you can submit a report online using our non-emergency reporting form via 'You can also contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or online at

Ulster Unionist MLA Colin Crawford quit after 'row over Ballymena riots'
Ulster Unionist MLA Colin Crawford quit after 'row over Ballymena riots'

BBC News

timean hour ago

  • BBC News

Ulster Unionist MLA Colin Crawford quit after 'row over Ballymena riots'

An Ulster Unionist assembly member decided to quit Stormont after a dispute over a party statement on rioting in Ballymena, BBC News NI Crawford, an assembly member for North Antrim, announced last month on Facebook he was stepping down after less than a year in the followed a disagreement over the wording of a press release issued by the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) condemning the street disorder, according to several was due to resign at the end of June, but it is understood the party has asked him to remain in post for the summer - giving them more time to find a replacement. BBC News NI has approached both the UUP and Crawford for comment. Families fled their homes and dozens of police officers were injured last month during several nights of rioting in the County Antrim described the violence, which targeted ethnic minorities, as "racist thuggery". The disorder began following a peaceful protest over an alleged sexual is a former UUP councillor for the Ballymena announced he was stepping down as a member of the legislative assembly (MLA) at Stormont several days after the disorder broke out in the town. In a post on Facebook, Crawford said he was stepping away from politics after "much soul-searching" and it was "the right decision for me and my family".A day earlier, the UUP had issued a press statement in Crawford's name condemning the disorder in was quoted saying that "peaceful protest is a right, but violence, disorder and racism are not".A senior source told BBC News NI that Crawford agreed the release, but was subsequently uncomfortable with some of the wording."It was the final straw, the nail in the coffin," the source added, saying that Crawford had found it difficult settling into his MLA role and being at his decision to resign, UUP leader Mike Nesbitt described Crawford as a "valued colleague" and wished him well for the replaced Robin Swann as a UUP assembly member in July last year after he became the MP for South Antrim in the general selection of Crawford sparked an internal party row which led to Doug Beattie resigning as Ulster Unionist leader, after he had supported another candidate for the told BBC News NI's Red Lines podcast the row had left him "bruised" after three years in charge.

EXCLUSIVE Convicted coke dealer fires back at the gunmen who shot up his home with a furious message for the wannabe gangsters
EXCLUSIVE Convicted coke dealer fires back at the gunmen who shot up his home with a furious message for the wannabe gangsters

Daily Mail​

time2 hours ago

  • Daily Mail​

EXCLUSIVE Convicted coke dealer fires back at the gunmen who shot up his home with a furious message for the wannabe gangsters

Convicted cocaine dealer Joe Frangieh has hit back at the 'cowards' who sprayed his mother's home with bullets in a drive-by shooting. Police were called to the matriarch's home on Davidson Avenue in Concord in Sydney 's inner-west shortly after 1am on June 256, amid reports 'five or six shots' had been fired. The home belongs to Hasna Frangieh, mother of Joe and Ray Frangieh, who were jailed for cocaine supply in 2002. It was bought by Ms Frangieh for $1.5million in 2015. Joe Frangieh told Daily Mail Australia he was overseas at the time of the shooting and had 'no idea' if it was specifically targeted at his family home. 'I think only cowards shoot houses - why is the point (sic),' he said. 'What if my mother or kids were hit. How does that make you strong. 'It's [a] bunch of cowards and the Australian Police would have to be the most embarrassing force on the planet - they should step up and let the streets sort themselves out or step away.' Police were called to the property on Davidson Avenue in Concord in Sydney's inner-west shortly after 1am on Thursday (pictured) Mr Frangieh added: 'And as for these idiots that are just doing these hits not knowing what they're doing, I feel sorry for them, as if they knew the consequences of their actions they would think twice. 'And that's [where] the problem lies, young idiots looking to make a quick earn ending up in jail for a very long time all for a little bit of money.' A short time after responding to the shooting, emergency services were called to nearby car fire at Stuart Street in Burwood. A stolen white 2021 Genesis was found rolling down the street while on fire. It's understood the three occupants failed to put the handbrake on as they fled the scene in another white vehicle. The Frangieh family has been targeted several times in the past. In September 2003, shortly after the Frangieh brothers had been released from prison, their home in Bristol Street, Merrylands, was sprayed a dozen bullets. Three months later, Mr Frangieh's father Sayed was fatally shot in the chest during another attack on the home. It was later revealed the intended target of the shooting was Ray Frangieh. Ray had become embroiled in a dispute with another crime figure, Ken Tan, who had reportedly failed to pay him $50,000 after buying his luxury BMW. Earlier that day, Ray had run Tan off the road in an altercation over the unpaid sum. Tan was jailed for manslaughter after it emerged he had sent associates to carry out the botched hit.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store