Three members of a prolific organised crime group who brought heroin and cocaine into Bristol have been jailed. The defendants used the encrypted messaging platform Encrocha - a now defunct network once used by organised crime gangs - to distribute class A drugs and cannabis across the South West region.
Jai Stephens, David Antill, and Hannah Jordan were sentenced at Bristol Crown Court on Thursday (April 14) to a total of 25 years and three months.
Each defendant admitted offences following a lengthy investigation by Avon and Somerset Police's Complex Crime Unit. The probe commenced in June 2020 after intelligence was supplied to the force by the National Crime Agency.
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Stephens, 35, of Southmead, was sentenced to 12 years and nine months for six offences. These include two counts of being concerned in the supply of class A drugs - heroin and cocaine, two counts of being concerned in the supply of the class B drug cannabis, as well as transferring and possessing illegal cash.
Antil, 56, of Sea Mills, was sentenced to eight years for one count of being concerned in the supply of heroin. While Jordan, 44, of Telford in Shropshire, has been sentenced to four years and six months for four offences. Her offences included one count of being concerned in the supply of cocaine, one count of being concerned in the supply of cannabis, one count of converting criminal property (cash) and one count of transferring criminal property (cash).
The police investigation in June 2020 found that Stephens used the encrypted network to arrange for seven kilos of heroin to be delivered to a street in the Shirehampton area of Bristol. This haul, which had an estimated street value of £700,000, was then collected by Antil.
Five months later, Jordan attended the home of Stephens and left with several carrier bags. She was stopped by officers while driving along the M5 and more than £121,000 in cash was seized from her vehicle.
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Further enquiries found she was regularly acting as a courier to supply drugs and collect money from people also involved in criminality organised through the encrypted network. When Stephens was arrested in June 2021, more than £30,000 in cash was seized along with a mobile phone providing further evidence of an ongoing wholesale supply of cannabis.
Speaking on the inquiry, Detective Inspector Tim Seaman said: “This was a lengthy and complex investigation which identified these defendants who had believed they could remain undetected by using an encrypted network to organise and arrange for the supply of class A and B drugs across our force area.
“Thanks to partnership working with the National Crime Agency and the dedication of the officers and staff involved in the investigation, we were able to uncover the extent of the criminality, which continued after the encrypted network was taken down, and bring them to justice.”
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