Cocaine gang caught with £9,000 Rolex watch, bundles of cash and vans with secret hiding spots after Encrochat hack

manchestereveningnews.co.uk:

Three cocaine and cannabis dealers were busted after police hacked into the Encrochat system.

Messages between the men showed they were in contact with the head of the group, known only by his code names, ‘FirstSandman’ and ‘Sandman.com’.

Jordan Dobbie, also known as ‘Freerolextwo’, acted underneath him, with Tony Mendes, also known as ‘Cactusone’, and Stuart Anderson, known as ‘Reebokone’, acting as employees.

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Both Mendes, 33, and Anderson, 40, were in regular contact with ‘FirstSandman’, and would meet up with customers to drop off and receive cash and drugs, Minshull Street Crown Court heard.

Dobbie, 31, and another man known as ‘PrizeFire’ were in charge of organising and arranging the collections and deliveries of the drugs.

Between March 20 and June 30, 2020, messages were uncovered following the Europe-wide hack into Encrochat, a system used exclusively by members of organised crime groups to plan criminal activities.

From these messages, Greater Manchester Police were able to track down the men and executed search warrants at each of their homes.

They found designer clothing, expensive jewellery, tens of thousands in cash and vans with secret hiding spots that allowed them to move the drugs and cash without detection.

Mendes' house in Burnley was first searched on June 16, during which he told officers: “I am not a drug supply person”.

Neil Fryman, prosecuting, said: “A grey Citroen van was discovered, which was empty but had a hidden compartment specially made beneath the floor.

“From the messages from ‘Cactusone’, he was known to have had a hidden ‘stash’ in his van.

“Various items of paraphernalia