An army veteran who won medals for his service was among three men locked up for their part in a huge cocaine dealing operation foiled by cops who hacked into their Encrochat messages.
The men were involved in discussions over the buying, selling and movement of at least 13 kilos of the drug, valued at between £30,000 and £33,000-a-kilo, during a seven-week period during the first Covid lockdown.
They also discussed criminal cash assets of over £1.1million police said. The operation was 'orchestrated' jointly by Jake Meade, 33, and Dale Reid, 31, who had previously served prison terms for dealing.
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However, a court heard their 'trusted courier and storeman' was Liam McGrath, 34, who served in the military for nine years, rising to the rank of Corporal.
He earned the Queen's Jubilee Medal and the Iraq Medal during his near-decade of service. However post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) triggered by his dad's suicide and his experiences in the field saw him turn to drug use and he became involved in a bid to pay off his debts, a judge was told.
Meade, from north Manchester, and Reid, from Middleton, were jailed for almost 14 and a half years with McGrath, from Oldham, being handed a seven-year sentence at Manchester Crown Court on Monday.
The operation was rumbled as part of Operation Venetic, the country's biggest ever law enforcement operation which infiltrated the Encrochat network, where criminals contacted each other they believed securely, using expensive encrypted mobile phone handsets.
Meade, who went by the name ‘Cookietender’ on the service, and who the court heard had 'close links to the source of the drugs', 'orchestrated' the operation with the help of Reid, who went under the handles 'Navalhound' and' Usualbee' and was more involved in their distribution.
The pair hoped to make 'substantial financial gain' and 'make themselves rich' the court was told. McGrath, who used the Encrochat handle 'Stoicrider' was not just a courier but also a 'custodian' who was entrusted to store some the drugs. He acted under the direction of the two above him and took a wage 'more akin to a paid employee.'
The first uncovered messages involved discussions about their possessions of two kilos of cocaine, the supply of 13.5 ounces, and of them 'holding' a total of £179,000 in either cash or more likely drugs the court was told.
Meade discussed his involvement in an attempted importation from Colombia and said he owed a total of £194,000 to others. They also discussed the 'price fluctuation of the drug due to the pandemic Helena Williams, prosecuting said.
The messages between the trio provided only a 'snapshot' of the operation a judge, said, with the amounts of drugs and cash involved likely to be higher.
McGrath was stopped by police on Ninth Avenue in Oldham in April 2020 and Meade and Reid discussed deleting messages between them and placing their devices on lockdown and arranging for McGrath's device to be remotely wiped. However, he later comes back into the conversations and is asked to collect two kilos of cocaine.
By the sixth week of messages monitored by law enforcement, the messages between the trio showed they were in possession of one kilo of cocaine, and there were discussions about the importation of 10 more kilos. They also discussed their ability to obtain it more at cost price, and buying a van with a built-in 'hide' in order to transport their drugs and cash.
The operation ceased when officers swooped in the summer of 2020. Meade was arrested at his then home in Chadderton on July 30 of 2020 with officers finding £4,000 in cash and a large quantity of designer goods.
Reid was arrested the same day at his then home in Blackley where a small cannabis farm was found along with £40,000 in cash and a Cartier watch.
McGrath was arrested in December 2021 at an address in Ashton, Tameside, where police recovered four snap bags of cannabis, empty snap bags and two sets of scales. All three gave no comment in interview.
Meade, of Dean Brook Close, Moston, Reid, of Latrigg Crescent, Middleton, and McGrath, of Lonsdale Road, Oldham, all pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply cocaine at earlier hearings.
Meade was previously handed a five-year sentence for being concerned in the supply of heroin in 2011 whilst Reid was sentenced to four years in a young offender's institution for being concerned in the supply of heroin and cocaine in 2009.
Richard Simons, representing Meade, admitted his previous conviction 'aggravated' his position but said he had been asked to convey his client's 'genuine apologies and remorse.'
Dale Reid had, since his first conviction maintained a 'working life and a family life' and trained and been working as a gas fitter Nicholas Clarke, defending him said.
However, he said that 'behind that family life was the 'shadow of gambling.' "That's perhaps one of the reasons he became involved in drug dealing of this kind.'
However, he said that continued working and that his involvement was a 'sideline' and was 'not something that was taking over his entire life.'
When he was just 15, McGrath found the body of his father who had taken his own life, the court heard. And that combined with his experiences in the army meant he had been confirmed as suffering from PTSD, Claire Brocklebank, representing him said.
"Unfortunately that has led him to drug use and criminality," she said. She said it was a 'vicious circle' and that by the time of his arrest he was homeless and was sofa surfing.
She said McGrath was not involved in the discussions over the importation and 'followed the instructions of others throughout'.
Passing sentence, Judge Timothy Smith said the drugs trade was "an evil and scourge on communities".
"The dealing of drugs is a trade that brings with it misery to those who use them, and also associated crime by those who use them and those who deal them," he said.
He said the operation involved the buying and selling of the cocaine on a 'commercial scale.' "It's clear you are heavily involved in the dealing of cocaine at the very point the communication is detected" he said.
"You Mr Meade and you Mr Reid effectively orchestrated this enterprise together. You each, together, hoped to make money and in your own words Mr Meade, make yourselves rich.
"There are significant sums of money which are talked about. And it's highly likely the amounts are more than suggested." He said the suggestion by McGrath in a basis of plea that he was under pressure to perform his role by others he refused to name 'carries little weight.'
Meade and Reid were sentenced to 14 years, five months with McGrath jailed for seven years. They will serve half of their sentence before being considered for parole.
Following the hearing, Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said since the launch of Operation Venetic - the nationwide crackdown on EncroChat led by the National Crime Agency (NCA) -two years ago 200 arrests had been made in the region.
Detective Sergeant Paul Halliwell, from GMP's Organised Crime Coordination Unit, said: "This was a sophisticated and organised drugs operation which led to multiple kilos of cocaine being distributed across the region.
"They attempted to hide their operation by using the sophisticated and expensive Encrochat technology but were caught out by us and we were able to see the extent in which they used the phones to run their operation.
"A huge quantity of drugs have been taken off the streets as a result and three more drug dealers have been put behind bars for a considerable number of years, putting an end to their drug dealing days which they attempted to cover up.
"GMP is dedicated to relentless pursuing and disrupting those flooding the region with drugs and will do all we can to bring those involved to justice. Drugs not only pose a risk to those who take them, but they are also often one of the biggest factors that lead to serious violence on our streets.
"Anyone with information about drugs in their area can report it online or by using our LiveChat service at www.gmp.police.uk. Alternatively, contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111."
