22 August 2024 , 18:35
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Chester Crown Court sentenced Robert Duff, identified as a major figure in the criminal underworld, after he confessed to conspiring to supply Class A and B drugs and transfer prohibited weapons, Cheshire Constabulary stated Monday.
Under the alias ‘Tommybooth,’ Duff is said to have tapped into EncroChat—a covert network once exclusive to serious organized criminals, until it was taken down by international law enforcement in May 2020—to orchestrate a large-scale drug conspiracy.
Police uncovered that Duff played a central role in facilitating the supply of 7.5 kilos of cocaine, acting as a broker between sellers and buyers. At the same time, he ran a substantial cannabis operation in the Chester area, moving 27.5 kilos of cannabis while EncroChat was under the watchful eye of law enforcement.
“Duff acted as a broker, negotiating prices for a multi kilo drug supply, on behalf of a number of well-established organized criminals via the EncroChat network,” according to Detective Chief Inspector Nick Henderson of the Serious and Organised Crime Unit.
He added that Duff sought out potential buyers for significant quantities of cocaine and deadly firearms, all to make a quick profit.
Emphasizing Duff’s local cannabis operation in Chester, Henderson revealed that Duff was driven by a desire to join the ranks of his associates as a major player, while also conspiring to establish a significant cocaine supply network across northern England.
Duff also orchestrated the sale of firearms, including AK-47s and submachine guns, by circulating a ‘shopping list’ and weapon images among his EncroChat contacts, actively pushing these arms deals.
According to Henderson, Duff ran his conspiracy through a platform he thought would shield him from detection, but once EncroChat was infiltrated, officers sifted through his messages under a codename, amassing a comprehensive trove of evidence against him.