Man who thought he was 'invincible' arrested at airport as he tried to flee to Malaga

An EncroChat drug dealer was arrested while carrying £8,000 in cash as he tried to board a flight to Malaga.

Gary Cain, 45, a drug dealer operating under the encrypted handle "StableWorld", was arrested at John Lennon Airport on July 12, 2023 while attempting to travel under a false name.

During proceedings at Liverpool Crown Court on Wednesday, June 19, prosecutor Holly Menary disclosed the extent of Cain's involvement in the EncroChat conspiracy. He was caught as part of Merseyside Police's enforcement action tied to Operation Venetic - a global endeavour aimed at exposing criminal elements using the encrypted messaging service, the Liverpool Echo reports.

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In Cain's possession at the time of his arrest were £8,000 in cash, €200 and a high-end Rolex wristwatch. This was despite previous claims by Cain, formerly of Bold Street, Liverpool, that he was struggling financially back in 2020 and even took loans from associates to purchase a car.

An examination of the confiscated EncroChat handle, available due to a network breach in April 2020, revealed that Cain was implicated in the trafficking of cocaine across several dates, most notably on April 4, 8 and 26.

He was also involved in the circulation of heroin - specifically on April 25 and 27- and moved large volumes of amphetamine, including through dealings with another EncroChat user "RoyalCleaner" - later identified as Philip Glennon - earlier this year. Following Cain's arrest last July, he maintained silence during questioning, replying 'no comment' to all inquiries.

Detectives managed to establish several connections between Cain and the "StableWorld" alias. Evidence presented in court included contacts saving "StableWorld" as "Gary Cain" and "GC" in their phones, and the password for his device being his son's full name.

The EncroChat breach provided authorities with a glimpse into the operation, which lasted six weeks in 2020. The prosecution portrayed Cain as a key player, frequently acting as an intermediary and profiting from the transactions.

His criminal history includes a drug offence conviction in 1997 and a 42-month sentence for robbery in 2014. Cain pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy to supply cocaine and heroin during his plea and trial preparation hearing, and to supplying amphetamine at a subsequent case management hearing.

A later trial of issue concluded that he was responsible for distributing 7.5kg of cocaine, 0.5kg of heroin, and 48kg of amphetamine. In a short defence statement, Julian Nutter highlighted that other EncroChat-related cases involved significantly larger quantities of drugs, suggesting Cain's involvement was minor by comparison.

Mr Nutter described his client as "a minnow, not a large con" and requested a justified sentence, acknowledging that imprisonment was unavoidable. Sentencing, Her Honour Judge Charlotte Crangle said Cain "traded in desperation and destitution because of his own greed".

She added: "Drugs wreak havoc and destroy lives, and cause drug addicts to resort to crime to feed their addictions."

Addressing Cain directly, Judge Crangle remarked on his role within the drug conspiracy, noting that he was "seeking to establish a round of drug dealing that you previously had done".

Judge Crangle told Cain: "You thought you were invincible holding an EncroChat phone thinking you were safe and sound. There would be no hiding for your dealing."

Acknowledging his guilty pleas and considering the impact of his sentence on his family, but also highlighting that Cain had chosen his criminal path, Judge Crangle handed down a sentence of 10 years, six months in prison. Appearing via video link and dressed in an Under Armour tech t-shirt, Cain showed no emotion upon hearing his sentence.

Detective Inspector Peter McCullough of Merseyside Police stated: "Cain, like many criminals before him, thought he could evade detection by using encrypted devices. But thanks to those networks being compromised, and some useful information provided by Cain himself, he will now serve a long prison sentence."

He added: "We work relentlessly to prevent criminals from targeting the vulnerable people in our communities with illicit drugs. Key to this can be information from those communities who most feel the harm and I would encourage members of the public to contact us if they have any information which could assist."