Three men have today been jailed for over 51 years after they flooded the streets with millions of pounds worth of cocaine
A fourth member of the gang is still on the run
Local men Jonathan Cassidy and Nasar Ahmed established themselves in the criminal underworld back in 2020.
Detectives determined that Ahmed arranged for the transfer of funds, and Cassidy would import the drugs.
In total, it’s believed that they imported close to £26 million worth of cocaine into the UK. The cash they made was moved and transferred via various means to launder it, which subsequently funded their extravagant lifestyles.
This illicit enterprise was all facilitated and concealed by the use of encrypted mobile devices, which for a time, led the gang to believe they were untouchable and their messages untraceable.
In 2020 French law enforcement accessed the data from these encrypted devices, and for the first time, police could see these once encrypted messages, giving police across the globe insight into the nefarious dealings of many high-profile individuals. This was shared with the National Crime Agency, who then shared this data with police forces across the UK.
But criminals did not use their own names, they went by anonymous handles. In turn, Greater Manchester Police had to trawl through hundreds and thousands of messages and attribute them to local nominals. In this case, they attributed ‘whiskywasp’ to Jonathan Cassidy, ‘dottedjaw’ to Nasar Ahmed, ‘nucleardog’ to Jamie Cassidy, and ‘octo-jungle’ to Joshua Avis.
As the conspiracy unravelled, detectives could see that each of the individuals had their own role to play. At the top, Jonathan Cassidy and Nasar Ahmed orchestrated the deals with their established international criminal contacts. Beneath them, Jamie Cassidy and Joshua Avis would then sell to customers across the UK.
Messages revealed that Jonathan Cassidy compared himself and his criminal enterprise to that of El Chapo. Whilst watching an episode of Narcos, he sent an image to a friend joking that him and the drug lord shared the same birthday. His friend responding, ‘coincidence I think f***ing not’.
As officers trawled through these messages, it was clear to see just how comfortable this group were, trusting these devices were completely secure. They weren’t just used as ‘dirty’ phones to conduct business on, they blurred the lines and began to use them for everyday conversations, sharing photos of their families and special occasions.
On one occasion, Jonathan Cassidy sent a photo of something as inconsequential as a box of Panadol. However, the picture was sufficient quality that experts could obtain the fingerprint of the person holding the box. It matched Jonathan Cassidy.
In one exchange on 18 May 2020, Jonathan Cassidy referred to plain clothed officers as ‘quick scruffy c**** with rucksacks’, the timing of this message coincided with an associate of his being arrested by plain clothed officers.
Messages and images sent between the men, paired with cell site analysis, created a detailed timeline for detectives. Coincidentally, this all aligned with arrests and police activity, further consolidating it was these individuals behind the anonymous handles.
In July 2020, shortly after the news broke that police were making arrests in connection with the recent interception of EncroChat, Jonathan Cassidy fled to Dubai. Upon his return on 17 October 2020, Cassidy was arrested at Manchester Airport.
A trial was set for February, but the defendants pleaded guilty prior to this beginning. Today three of the defendants were sentenced at Manchester Crown Court.
Jonathan Cassidy aged 50 of Whitewood Park, Liverpool, was jailed for 21 years and nine months for conspiracy to import cocaine, conspiracy to supply cocaine, conspiracy to conceal, transfer and disguise criminal proceeds.
Nasar Ahmed aged 48 of Moreton Drive, Bury, was jailed for 21 years and nine months for conspiracy to import cocaine, conspiracy to supply cocaine, conspiracy to conceal, transfer and disguise criminal proceeds.
Jamie Cassidy aged 45 of Knowsley Lane, Knowsley, was jailed for 13 years and three months years for conspiracy to supply cocaine, conspiracy to conceal, transfer, disguise criminal proceeds.
Joshua Avis is wanted by Greater Manchester Police.
