Police hail convictions in landmark EncroChat case

Police said EncroChat was well hidden on phones, appearing only after users triggered a special reboot

A police force has said it is the first in the country to secure convictions against people who sold encrypted devices to supply drugs and firearms.

Bedfordshire Police said three men from Luton had been sentenced after they were found to have equipped organised crime groups across the country with the EncroChat messaging system.

The system was widely used by criminals to smuggle drugs and guns into and around the UK, and was taken down by police in 2020.

Det Insp Simon Mullan said it was a "landmark case" which had set a "real precedent".

Jason Russo, 33, was sentenced at Luton Crown Court to five years in jail

Jason Russo, 33, Jamil Ahmed, 26, and Mohammed Miah, 32, all from Luton, were sentenced at Luton Crown Court after they were found to have equipped organised crime groups (OCGs) across the country with EncroChat devices.

Russo was jailed for five years and Ahmed and Miah were given 18-month community orders.

Det Insp Mullan said: "This is a landmark case which has seen us become the first force nationally to convict people in accordance with legislation [against those] that enable drug offences.

"This has set a real precedent and our fight against professional enablers is only just getting started."

The men had worked "behind the guise of an established telecommunications business", the force said.

Officers from the organised crime team Operation Costello found the men had conspired together, supplying encrypted devices to OCGs involved in drugs and firearms, it added.

Correction 30 April: This article originally reported that Russo, Ahmed and Miah were also sentenced for conspiracy to supply class A drugs and has been amended to make clear that these charges were allowed to lie on file.

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