A dad's collection of Rolexes and designer clothing was seized from him - as his true identity as part of a large scale drugs operation was exposed.
Anthony Duncan trafficked hundreds of thousands of pounds of cocaine and cannabis, under the username "MossyJade" on EncroChat. Then he tried to find a safehouse so he could order a 20kg stash of the class A drug on one occasion, the Liverpool Echo reports. However, he was revealed as the secret user after sharing details about his family life with his contacts. Yesterday afternoon, Liverpool Crown Court heard how the 32-year-old's associates were discovered to have saved the handle under the name "Dunc, Little Ant and Dunc Scotty" on their devices.
In addition, Duncan, from Westmoreland Place in Vauxhall used the encrypted communication platform to send a photo to his daughter, whose name he had saved as his password, to a criminal ally and discussed details concerning other relatives. Prosecutor Matthew Conway said he had "clearly had an extensive criminal network", with 45 handles being stored in his own contact list. He had been in touch with sixteen of these users over a three-month period, including speaking about the arrival of a consignment of cannabis with "EarthAle" on March 31 2020.
Then, on April 6, Duncan sent the same user what was described as a "stocktaking message", which read: "Lad Salah wants 2 mick wants2 Aron 1 an jock taking half cash, weeds near gone." He and "LovelyGiant" discussed the purchase of a kilogram of the class A drug on April 4, before he asked "TownPepper" to store 20kg of cocaine over the course of a weekend on April 9. The latter username was operated by his "friend" Shaun Doyle - with the 31-year-old, of Snowdon Lane in Vauxhall, having received 14 years and eight months in December 2023 after pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply heroin, cocaine and cannabis.
A tick list was also found in the notes section of Duncan's Encro phone, detailing sales in the tens of thousands of pounds. Overall, his messages revealed discussions to supply 25kg of cocaine and 88kg of cannabis "on a commercial scale", having "held substantial influence on others in the chain" and boasted a "thriving wide network of associates". Police attended his home on January 8 this year and, after knocking on his door, spotted him inside running towards the rear of the address and into the kitchen before placing a blue plastic bag in the sink. This was subsequently found to contain around £20,000 in cash, with a further £10,000 discovered around the property.
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Liverpool Crown Court (Liverpool Echo)Officers also seized a Tudor watch, three Rolex watches, designer clothing and "an assortment of weapons" from him. Duncan has one previous conviction for three offences, being handed a 12-month imprisonment suspended for two years in December 2023 for possession of cannabis with intent to supply and money laundering.
This concerned an incident in March last year, when he was seen riding his bike along Scotland Road before being followed onto Boundary Street by PCs. The defendant threw away snap bags of cannabis before he was arrested and in possession of a small quantity of cash, with larger amounts of drugs and money being discovered when his house was searched. Oliver Cook, defending, told the court: "What the facts show is someone principally involved as a cannabis dealer.
"They do not seem to reveal someone at the same level of seniority in a cocaine conspiracy. This was Mr Duncan asking somebody on behalf of somebody else to look after 20kg of cocaine. What the messages do not show is a proprietary interest on behalf of Mr Duncan in that 20kg of cocaine. What we can see is somebody who is trusted to do something for somebody else on their behalf. Mr Duncan is the father to a young child and one of the principle carers for his very unwell mother."
Duncan admitted two counts of conspiracy to supply cocaine, conspiracy to supply cannabis, possession of criminal property and breaching a suspended sentence order. He was jailed for 12 years and eight months. Sentencing, the Honorary Recorder of Liverpool Judge Andrew Menary KC said: "You had been acting, at least to a limited extent, as a broker, putting potential buyers in touch with suppliers of cocaine and, on at least one occasion, arranging for the storage of a substantial quantity of cocaine.
"As you well know, sales of this type of commodity cause abject misery to individuals, their families and communities - especially in a city like this, which is plagued by the distribution of class A drugs in particular. You were sufficiently well connected and trusted to arrange the storage of a huge quantity of cocaine, which would have had a very substantial value of something like £100,000 pounds or more in terms of wholesale value. Mr Cook tells me on your behalf that you are someone who has family responsibilities.
"You also have responsibilities in relation to your mother, who does not enjoy good health. You are a father, and your period in custody is likely to have a significant impact on you and the wider family. Your term in prison will plainly be harder on you and them because of the responsibilities you have. But there must be a substantial term of imprisonment for this offending."
Following the sentencing, Merseyside Police's Detective Chief Inspector Phil Atkinson said: "Our work continues under Operation Venetic to detect and arrest those involved in the sale and distribution of class A and B drugs. We are committed to proactively investigating serious organised crime, and we remain relentless in pursuing offenders. I am pleased that the evidence we secured against Duncan was sufficient to put him in jail for a number of years. Our work to prevent criminals from targeting the vulnerable people in our communities with illicit drugs goes on, and we would always encourage members of the public to contact us if they have any information which could assist with our enquiries."
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