Corby cocaine network jailed for total of 67 years after Encrochat messages uncover cross-country conspiracy

Eleven men involved in the conspiracy, which spread across several major cities, have been sentenced to a total of 67 years and three months in prison as part of the investigation.

Their wholesale network was blown apart when French police cracked the Encrochat encryption code needed to see messages sent by criminal gangs in real time during summer 2020.

From November 2019 to February 2021, Scott Bruce Stirling, Stefan James Gerd Lindner, Abdelilah Hilali, Robert Ian Beaton, John Joseph Doyle, Liam Patrick Preston, Patrick Anthony McCusker, William Stuart Mathew, Christopher Carl Graham, Anthony James Barrett and Liam Rogers all played their part in the criminal enterprise. Another man, Liam Meenan, was cleared by a jury last summer.

Many of them were already known to police for their previous long criminal histories.

Stirling, who was the final gang member to be imprisoned yesterday, was the head of the gang, taking receipt of substantial amounts of cocaine from suppliers including Barrett, Hilali and Rogers often via one of his ‘employees’ who would act as couriers and then distribute them on through his dealers.

During the 15-month period, Stirling used eight phone numbers to control the operation and took delivery of up to 15 kilos of cocaine.

Lindner, Beaton, Preston, McCusker and Mathew all worked for Stirling, helping him to move the Class A drugs around for onward sale to customers across Northamptonshire. While Doyle supplied cannabis to family and friends.

The plot spread to Liverpool, Peterborough, London and Coventry.

However, the police were onto the gang and an investigation into the conspiracy of drugs was launched by East Midlands Special Operations Unit, which led to a vehicle being stopped on the M6 motorway in Staffordshire in July 2020 and two kilos of cocaine with a street value of approximately £160,000 recovered.

During the investigation, transactions worth hundreds of thousands of pounds were made to purchase the drugs and following a painstaking review of all the evidence, all 11 men were charged with various offences.

The defendants appeared at various crown courts within Northampton, Liverpool and London as sentences and pleas were taken during the whole criminal justice process. This resulted in the following sentences:

• Stirling, aged 45, previously of Eastbrook, Corby, and Main Street, Caldecott, convicted of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs and sentenced to 12 years imprisonment. Stirling was previously imprisoned in 2012 for running The Shop from Eastbrook in the town.

• Lindner, aged 39, previously of Mackintosh Court, Corby, sentenced to three years and 10 months in prison after being convicted of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs. Lindner is Stirling’s cousin.

• Hilali, aged 46, previously of North Circular, Stonebridge, Brent, London, convicted of money laundering and conspiracy to supply Class A drugs and sentenced to three years and eight months imprisonment. Back in 2012 Hilali helped import drugs via plane into Deenethorpe Airfield alongside a Corby gang.

• Beaton, aged 43, previously of Eastbrook, Corby, sentenced to six years in prison after being convicted of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs. Beaton was also part of Stirling’s 2012 Eastbrook enterprise.

• Doyle, aged 48, of Murdoch Close, Corby, handed a four-month community order after being convicted of supplying Class B drugs – cannabis.

• Preston, aged 41, previously of Thoresby Court, Corby, convicted of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs and sentenced to four years imprisonment. In 2019 Preston hit national headlines after was jailed following a drunken rampage on an aeroplane.

• McCusker, aged 41, of Pytchley Court, Corby, received a 13-month custodial sentence, suspended for 12 months after he was convicted of possession with intent to supply a Class B drug – cannabis.

• Mathew, aged 51, previously of Sturton Walk, Corby, convicted of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs and two counts of possession with intent to supply amphetamine and sentenced to seven years imprisonment.

• Graham, aged 26, previously of Farmstead Road, Corby pleaded guilty conspiracy to supply Class A drugs and sentenced to four years and six months imprisonment.

• Barrett, aged 58, previously of Holkham Close, Corby, sentenced to five years and three months after pleading guilty to conspiracy/concerned in the supply of Class A drugs

• Rogers, aged 35, previously of Oleander Way, Liverpool, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply Class A drugs and sentenced to nine years in prison. He was previously jailed for his role in a second Corby plot involving businessman Alex McConnell.

Detective Sergeant Remo Fiorini from the East Midlands Special Operations Unit said: “This was a complex investigation involving the meticulous collection and review of hundreds of pieces of evidence.

“Throughout, it was clear that Scott Stirling had put a lot of effort into concealing his crimes and trying to evade detection, so I am really pleased that our work broke through these efforts and led to his conviction and that of the others too.

“I hope they all reflect on the choices they have made which led to these convictions and that they decide to redirect their efforts into something more positive when released from prison.

“Finally, I would like to thank my colleague Hazel Score for her work on this case. With her excellent case preparation and diligent investigation, this resulted in early guilty pleas and managed to secure 67 years of jail time.”

Detective Chief Inspector Darren Brown said: “Tackling drug harm is a matter of priority for us and we will continue working hard to take down more gangs like this one.

“We are relentless in our pursuit of people like Scott Stirling, and I hope the conclusion of this investigation reassures our communities that our determination to make Northamptonshire a nicer place will not let up.”

If anyone has concerns about drug dealing or any other illegal activities, please report it to us on 101, online at www.northants.police.uk/ro or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.

- A previous version of this story wrongly attributed previous offences to Christopher Graham. We are happy to confirm he did not commit those offences. The custody picture has also been corrected.

- Please note that custody images are only released by Northamptonshire Police if the defendant is given more than a year in prison.