An EncroChat drugs boss handed out orders to his underlings as he oversaw a major UK drugs plot from Spain.
Claire and Amy McGlone had admitted their role in a conspiracy which saw them move 17kgs of Class A drugs across the UK in a six week period in 2020 along with cannabis and tens of thousands in cash. The pair were jailed for their roles in the plot this morning - but Liverpool Crown Court heard they were taking orders from a remote boss in Spain.
The McGlones used their Encrochat-enabled phone, with the handle “MoodyAlpha” to communicate with their boss, who used the handle “secretgold”. Nicola Daley, prosecuting, said it was agreed the McGlone sisters were not earning huge sums of money from their role in the scheme and were not leading players in the wider conspiracy.
READ MORE: Sisters used Encrochat handle 'MoodyAlpha' to ferry kilos of drugs across UK
Instead, they acted on the instructions of “secretgold”, though prosecutors say the sisters were aware of the wider plot they were involved in. Judge David Swinnerton, sentencing the pair, said people like the McGlones proved particularly useful to people like “secretgold” and other dealers because of their lack of convictions and the appearance they were far removed from criminality.
As a result, their boss sent them across the country. In one of the exchanges heard in court, “secretgold” sent the sisters to Newport, where they collected just under £30,000 in cash and exchanged drugs. In another, Amy McGlone was sent alone to a number of destinations while her sister was ill. Her Encrochat messages to “secretgold” read: “Hiya mate its Amy I’ve just got the phone off r Claire she’s in bed with her face pain to if anything needs doing let me no”.
Secretgold responds: “OK mate be on you soon need to grab things for Cardiff tomorrow”. He then asked her to take 3kgs of heroin and 1kg of cocaine and pick up a further 4kg of cocaine and move that to another address. Police analysis indicates the sisters earned around £1,000 for those jobs, with others fetching into the low hundreds. Nevertheless, the court heard they were both happy with the work and faced "no overt pressure" from "secretgold".
Brenda Campbell, QC, defending Claire McGlone, and Rebecca Filletti, defending Amy McGlone, said that while the sisters were aware of what they were doing they were operating in an unsophisticated way and using the cash to try to support their families. Ms Campbell said one message, which saw the McGlones refer to “secretgold” as a “sick boss” came after he gave them an Amazon Fire TV stick showed they were not earning large sums from the enterprise and were instead far lower down the chain.
Though the McGlone sisters were arrested by police in South Wales on May 20, 2020, and later charged, further analysis and investigation has so far not identified “secretgold”. Ms Daley said the available evidence indicated to police the person behind the handle was operating out of Spain at the time of the conspiracy. However, so far he has not been located.
Receive newsletters with the latest news, sport and what's on updates from the Liverpool ECHO by signing up here
