Vincent Coggins, a leader of the Huyton Firm organised crime group, has been jailed for 28 years after police cracked encrypted messages that revealed plans for murder and a violent feud over stolen drugs. The 32 serious criminals linked to the group have now been convicted following a series of trials at Manchester Crown Court.
The Huyton Firm, named after the Merseyside area where it is based, was run for 30 years by brothers Vincent and Francis Coggins. They used the EncroChat messaging system, believing their conversations were secure, but French police cracked the encryption and shared messages with the National Crime Agency (NCA) in 2020.
Messages obtained by BBC Panorama show Vincent Coggins ordering violent attacks, including a hand-grenade assault, and boasting about slashing a businessman with a knife. The group also discussed deals for half a tonne of cocaine worth about £16m and referenced a corrupt police insider they called 'piggy'.
Matt Horne, former deputy director of investigations at the NCA, said the gang's 'industrial-scale trafficking of drugs' and willingness to use severe violence placed them 'in the upper tiers of organised crime in the UK'. Merseyside Police stated that no officers were identified in relation to misuse of police systems.
Francis Coggins remains on the run and is believed to be abroad. Other jailed members include enforcer Paul Woodford (24 years and six months), drug dealer Michael Earle (11 years), and money man Paul Fitzsimmons (12 years and six months). Edward Robert Jarvis, another major player, was found guilty of drug trafficking and blackmail on Thursday.
