'F*****g rat' messages of EncroChat dealer 'HuntedElf's'

An EncroChat dealer named "HuntedElf" threatened to burn down a gym over an "unpaid debt". Seven EncroChat drugs gang members who supplied nearly 200kg of cocaine across the north of England have been jailed for more than 90 years on Thursday, September 26.

The gang was led by dad-of-three John Porter, known as HuntedElf, who at one point travelled to Dubai to attend a "high level criminal meeting". He was assisted by James Cook, who used the EncroChat handle ScorpionBar, and Paul Cook, SappyFlicker, who were engaged in the day-to-day management of the drugs operation.

Brothers Matthew and Daniel O’Keefe, SpicySalad and StaleCake, acted as couriers for drugs and money, acting on instructions which included vehicle descriptions, passwords, and postcodes where transactions were to be carried out. A third brother, John O’Keefe, who was not an EncroChat user, also acted as a courier on four occasions when his brothers were not available.

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Money obtained in the massive operation was taken to Marco Riley, GrumpyRhino, who used serviced offices in Fazakerley to count, bundle, vacuum pack and store the cash for onward distribution. He reported his work directly to James and Paul Cook.

Prosecutor Alexander Leech told Liverpool Crown Court how Porter played the leading role in the conspiracy, organising the purchase of large quantities of cocaine from a supplier. In messages read out to the the court, Porter threatened another EncroChat user's family and also plotted to burn down a rival's gym over a £90,000 drugs debt.

Threatening messages were sent by Porter to EncroChat user QuietBell, and another user, MaddMaxx, later offered to set fire to the user's gym. Porter agreed and provided the user's name and address - however, no arson attack ever took place.

The first set of messages were sent on April 21, 2020, with Porter saying: "Wat u on about. Stop lying u been saying for weeks he's collecting till but can't because of virus. Ur f******* lying c***.

"Then u said he was getting 10k in. U think am a d******d. Am gonna put the 30 odd k you owe on ye families head. F*** u now ye f****** rat."

QuiteBell then replies: "No he's sold [so] many of them which [he] need to grab doe in for but his custom want them in packets." To this Porter said: "F*** off ye lying c***. You have brought it on yeself u only have yeself to blame now. For wat goes on."

Another user called MaddMaxx messaged Porter on May 19, 2020 and said: "Hiya mate hope ya well, you wanting this gym torching, I'm scunny?"

On the May 31, 2020, the user of MaddMaxx contacted John Porter again, asking for the address details to be sent to him urgently. Despite Porter agreeing that the arson attack should take place and providing the details to MaddMaxx, at a time when he was together with those who he said had agreed to carry out the attack, there is no evidence of any such arson having taken place, the prosecution told the court.

All of the seven men appeared in Liverpool Crown Court on Thursday, September 26, having pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply class A drugs (cocaine) between August 1 2018 and June 30 2020. James Cook, Paul Cook, Marco Riley, and the O'Keefe brothers also pleaded guilty to money laundering, in connection with the conspiracy. Porter, 44, from Formby, also pleaded guilty for conspiracy to commit arson between April 20 2020 and June 1 2020.

Prosecutor Mr Leech said the men had been involved in "the wholesale supply of cocaine on an enormous scale", and their conspiracy had been discovered after French authorities cracked the encrypted EncroChat network in 2020.

The sentences each of the men received were:

• John Porter, 44, of Dobbs Drive, Formby, was sentenced to a total of 20 years in prison

• James Cook, 42, of Mereview Crescent, West Derby, was sentenced to 14 years and three months

• Paul Cook, 39, of Marford Road, West Derby, was sentenced to 14 years and three months

• Marco Riley, 47, of Sonning Avenue, Litherland, was sentenced to 13 years and six months

• Matthew O’Keefe, 47, of Kings Road, Bootle, was sentenced to 12 years

• Daniel O’Keefe, 44, of no fixed abode, was sentenced to nine years and five months

• John O'Keefe, 34, of Oxford Avenue, Bootle, was sentenced to seven years