Manchester drug dealer ordered to pay back £460k

Wayne Marcus's Encrochat handle was Big Red Devil, say police

A drug dealer who trafficked £1.3m of cannabis, cocaine and ketamine has been ordered to pay back almost £460,000.

Wayne Marcus, of Manchester, was jailed for 10 and a half years in March after admitting conspiring to supply drugs.

He has three months to pay the money back or he will have another four years added to his sentence, Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court heard.

Marcus was caught by detectives hacking into encrypted messaging service, EncroChat, which was used by gangs.

The 56-year-old whose handle was Big Red Devil has to pay the cash back under the Proceeds of Crime Act.

Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said Marcus was caught in an operation between law enforcement agencies overseas and the National Crime Agency, which hacked into the EncroChat network.

A team from GMP's Stockport district then investigated.

Mark Chesters, of GMP, said the force had "zero tolerance to drug dealing".

He added that "if you make the decision to go down that road, you will put both your liberty and assets at risk".

"A proportion of this money will now be used for the benefit of local communities, and good causes in the Stockport area," he added.

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