A ‘greedy and selfish’ grandad has been jailed for eight years after he was caught supplying cocaine and cannabis through the Encrochat network.
James Fox, 45, had accumulated a drugs debt of £50,000 and ended up having to put his house on the market due to his cocaine habit.
Following the Europe-wide hack into the Encrochat network, a system used exclusively by members of organised crime groups to plan criminal activities, Fox was found to be organising the supply of cocaine and production of cannabis on a commercial scale between January 1 2020 and July 30 2020.
READ MORE:
Minshull Street Crown Court heard that in one message on April 2 he offered a kilo of cocaine for between £40,000 and £41,500.
In another message he was trying to flog a kilo for £39,500.
Fox was unable to shift the kilo, and instead supplied a quarter of cocaine for £10,500, prosecutor Alex Langhorn said.
“In another message he says: “I’ve got a box of green for £5,000 if you know anyone", he said.
“He then said he could get to two cannabis farms with a net profit of £25,000 for five to six kilos.
“He also said he had obtained £25,000 through the COVID bounce back loans and was using that to pay off the drug debt.”
On June 1 he was discussing with another about a kilo of cocaine and said he had a ‘couple of kids’ who were ‘doing half a kilo a week’.
It was suggested that this meant either those supplying half a kilo to users or for onward sale.
Fox was said to have 16 previous convictions for 27 offences for dissimilar matters.
Mitigating, barrister Rick Holland said that his client was in a ‘desperate state’ and found himself having to put his family home on the market to meet the debts.
“He became involved in the use of cocaine on a recreational basis and appropriated money from people in the region of £50,000,” he said.
“This debt was passed to others even more indisposed from the person he originally borrowed from.
“If you run with wolves you can expect the worst, and that was the position he found himself in.
“He was not involved in recruiting anybody - he was somebody doing somebody else’s bidding.
“When he was arrested it was a weight off his shoulders.”
Sentencing, Judge John Potter said: “You are the author of your own misfortune. Your actions were, bluntly, inspired by greed and selfishness.
“As you recognise, a large part of your life you sought to place your own wishes to be involved in taking drugs well above the care of those closest to you.
“People who involve themselves in dealing industrial quantities of cannabis and significant quantities of cocaine will receive custodial sentences. The offending is so serious only immediate sentences are appropriate because dealing, particularly in class A drugs, causes untold harm to communities.
“Those involved in dealing these drugs cause harm to themselves and often harm to others as they seek to steal from others in an attempt to fund their habits. Your activity fuels that harm in our community.”
Fox, of North Road, Audenshaw, was jailed for eight years. A Proceeds of Crime Act hearing was set for July 29.
See the latest court and crime news in your area by receiving email updates
