Man from Crosby jailed for 17 years and nine months for large scale drugs supply

A man from Crosby has been sentenced to 17 years and nine months in prison after he used an Encrochat handle to peddle large quantities of Class A drugs.

Paul Agnew, 37, of Moor Drive, in Crosby, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply Class A drugs (cocaine, heroin and MDMA) and was jailed today, Friday 27 September, at Liverpool Crown Court.

Using the Enrochat handle, ‘destructivetailor’, Agnew conspired to supply over 46 kilos of cocaine, 23 kilos of heroin and 18 kilos of MDMA.

Detectives carried out a lengthy and complex investigation which involved the analysis of messages and images sent by the handle’s user between March and June 2020.

They were able to prove that Agnew was behind the device after he sent another Encrochat user an image of a parking ticket he was given, which included his name and address.

He would also regularly reference his close family members and mentioned businesses that were linked back to him.

On top of this, Agnew would also refer to himself as ‘Ag’, ‘Aggy’ and ‘Ags’.

Agnew was arrested and charged in July 2021, but the court proceedings were delayed due to legal challenges with regards to certain pieces of evidence.

These challenges proved to be futile and Agnew eventually pleaded guilty to the offences.

The investigation forms a further part of Merseyside Police’s ongoing response to Operation Venetic: an international operation targeting criminals who used a mobile encryption service, commonly referred to as Encrochat, in an attempt to evade detection.

Constable Kevin Mitchell said: “Agnew clearly thought he could hide behind an encrypted phone in order to supply large quantities of drugs. Sadly for him this wasn’t the case and officers were able to piece together the evidence to show he was behind the ‘destructivetailor’ handle.

"The process of gathering evidence in cases like this is incredibly thorough. We were able to prove without a doubt that Agnew was behind this drugs conspiracy and this was only possible due to the strength of the evidence.

“We know the devastation that drugs cause and Merseyside Police remains relentless in our pursuit of these criminals and ending their drugs trade.

“I hope this result shows that our officers are committed in our pursuit of these people who think they are above the law and believe they can evade justice.

“We will continue to target criminals like Agnew by thoroughly examining any evidence and carrying out any necessary searches across Merseyside.”

Anyone with information on drug dealing is asked to contact @MerPolCC, or Crimestoppers, anonymously on 0800 555 111.