Man intercepted with kilo of drugs meant for city streets

CRIMINALS’ ENCRYPTED PHONES WERE HACKED INTO BY POLICE

A MAN who was caught driving a £38,500 consignment of cocaine to Leicester has been found guilty of conspiracy to supply the class A drug.

Fizan Khan was convicted by a jury at Luton Crown Court, which heard how Khan had bought a kilogram of cocaine in Luton on May 3 last year and within hours had driven with it to Leicester.

The jury was told Khan, 25, was part of a conspiracy to supply the drug and he and his associates had used encrypted EncroChat phones.

They believed the messages and communications that passed between them would never be seen by the authorities.

It was why such phones, which used an encrypted messaging system, were favoured at the time by the criminal fraternity, the court was told.

They were regarded by criminals worldwide as totally secure.

However, that all changed last year when French police were able to hack into the network and retrieve thousands of messages that had been sent between criminals worldwide.

The court heard data relating to criminal activities in the UK was passed to the National Crime Agency, which then passed it on to a number of police forces.

Prosecutor James Norman told the jury this week the breakthrough by the French authorities meant that Bedfordshire detectives were able to gather evidence that Khan was the user of an EncroChat phone that had the username of “trustylord”.

Bedfordshire detectives could see that in April of last year, “trustylord” was discussing – through the encrypted messaging system – the purchase of a kilo of cocaine.

In messages with other EncroChat users, he said he had previously paid out “38.5” for a kilo of the drug which, said Mr Norman, meant £38,500.

The prosecutor said the messages also showed “trustylord” discussing when the payment for the cocaine would have to be made and how he planned to take the drug to Leicester.

That evening, Mr Norman said, both Khan’s EncroChat phone and his conventional mobile could be plotted moving northwards up the M1 heading towards Leicester.

The car he was using that evening was also captured on automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras – which scan registration plates - in Leicester.

The jury then heard how, on June 18 last year, police went to the defendant’s home in Beechwood Road, Luton, where he was arrested and the property searched.

Mr Norman said police found cash totalling £1,240 and, in a safe, they recovered 3.36 grams of cocaine and a single wrap of the drug.

Also found was a white powder in a sealed bag which turned out to be benzocaine.

The prosecutor said the substance was used by those involved in drug dealing as a cutting agent to maximise the profitability of their stock.

Mr Norman said in the defendant’s car officers discovered a set of digital scales which, when examined, were found to have traces of cocaine on it.

Khan was found guilty of conspiring with others to supply a class A drug between April 1 and June 30 last year.

Sentencing was adjourned for the preparation of reports and the 25-year-old was remanded in custody. He will be sentenced on a later date.