Three men have been jailed for a combined total of 55 years after French authorities cracked the encrypted EncroChat messaging service in 2020, exposing a multi-million pound cocaine ring.
Jamie Cassidy, a former Liverpool FC youth player, was the distribution man for the operation, which shipped industrial amounts of cocaine from South America into Europe. His older brother Jonathan and business partner Nasar Ahmed led the gang, believed to be one of the largest drug rackets in the UK.
Operation details
The gang imported up to 356 kilos of the class A drug, with an estimated street value of £26 million, in hidden modified vehicles. Once the cocaine landed in the UK, Jamie Cassidy distributed it across the country through his network of trusted couriers.
The men used encrypted EncroChat devices to arrange the 'purchase, importation, sale, and distribution' of multi-kilo quantities across the North of England, according to prosecutor Richard Wright KC. They also moved up to £10 million in cash in the space of three months by way of money laundering.
Jamie Cassidy's football past
Jamie Cassidy previously played alongside Jamie Carragher and Michael Owen, and won the FA Youth Cup in 1996 while playing for Liverpool's youth team. Liverpool beat a West Ham team which included future England stars Rio Ferdinand and Frank Lampard. But Jamie, a midfielder, was released without making a first team appearance after a series of injuries. He later signed for Cambridge United before playing for non-league sides.
In his 2008 autobiography, Carragher said Cassidy 'would have been a certain Liverpool regular if he hadn't suffered so much with injuries'.
Court proceedings
Jonathan Cassidy, of Warren Road, Crosby, was jailed for 21 years and nine months. Ahmed, of Moreton Drive, Bury, was jailed for 21 years and nine months. Jamie Cassidy, of Knowsley Lane, Knowsley, was jailed for 13 years and three months.
They each pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply class A drugs and conspiracy to transfer criminal property. Jonathan Cassidy and Nasar Ahmed also pleaded guilty to conspiracy to fraudulently evade the prohibition on the importation of class A drugs.
A Proceeds of Crime Act hearing was set for December 12, when prosecutors will attempt to claw back some of their ill-gotten gains.
