He spent years under the radar running a crime empire but could have been stopped decades earlier

A gang boss whose EncroChat messages revealed his chilling plans to kill people he thought had robbed his drugs was previously accused of threatening to cut off a man's penis with a chainsaw.

Vincent Coggins was finally unveiled as the violent gang leader of the notorious Huyton Firm - a Merseyside organised crime group who flooded the UK with drugs for 30 years - after four years of extensive reporting restrictions were lifted yesterday. Coggins and his brother Francis, brought up in Knowsley’s Cantril Farm in the 1970s and 80s, built their powerful drug gang from nothing into a bona fide cartel that rivalled criminal factions from Ireland, Eastern Europe and South America.

On May 23 2020, a violent robbery was carried out on the gang's stash house that saw a man slashed with a machete and £1m of cocaine stolen. Vincent Coggins deployed his foot soldiers to get back his illicit assets, delivering his orders via EncroChat. But little did he or his associates know that police were monitoring their every move after the encrypted messaging service was hacked by European authorities in April 2020.

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Vincent Coggins' chilling messages showed his violent plans to get back his drugs and kill a number of men that he, falsely, believed were behind the raid. Until the EncroChat hack, Vincent Coggins had largely gone under the radar. However, it wasn't the first time he had come to the attention of the authorities.

Media reports from June 1990 showed the then 24-year-old appeared before the magistrates' court in Glasgow, charged with abducting and attempting to murder a man called Thomas Martin. Vincent Coggins was accused of shooting Mr Martin the leg, before allegedly threatening to cut off the man's penis with a chainsaw.

The ECHO can not find further reporting of the alleged incident on a number of newspaper archives, so understands the charges were dropped against the Huyton man. Soon after, in the early 1990s, Vincent Coggins moved to Europe and started his international firm.

During his 2020 hunt for his missing drugs, Vincent Coggins' messages showed his ruthlessness, while his associates in response showed their respect, but also their fear, for their boss. After first hearing about the raid, at the stash house where Paul Glynn lived with his son Kenny, Vincent Coggins' immediate suspicions fell on the younger man.

Vincent Coggins messaged right hand man Edward Jarvis, his eyes and ears on the investigation, “Got to be the son, f*** it, I kill him.” In the following days Vincent Coggins directed his troops to find those responsible. After obtaining a CCTV video, he directed Jarvis and Paul Fitzsimmons to distribute it across the underworld for help. And when he had a name, he started to put in place a plan of action.

He messaged Michael Earle “M8 can you sort pineapple tonight” - a term used to refer to a hand grenade, while Paul Woodford offered to buy a firearm and ammunition on Vincent Coggins’ behalf. His target was Brian Maxwell, a professional drug dealer who later used the EncroChat phone network to source weapons including semi-automatic AR-15 rifles and an AK47 to protect himself from attack.

Even when presented with potential evidence that Maxwell Jr could not have been involved in the robbery because he had CCTV of him at home all day and advised to leave it until the following day, Vincent Coggins refused. He messaged Earle “No m8 tonight now got to be done we don’t mess round”. It was only the failure in delivering the grenade to the attacker that halted the proceeding for another day.

Vincent Coggins reported to Earle his intention at approaching Brian Maxwell’s dad, Brian Maxwell Sr, with an ultimatum. Return the drugs or the money, or he would pay. Having monitored the messages, the police took their first steps to disrupt Vincent Coggins’ plans. On May 27 they visited Brian Maxwell Jr’s home and issued him with a threat to life notice, also known as an Osman warning.

Armed police also visited an address linked to Vincent Coggins to issue a disruption notice - a warning not to engage in any criminal activity. Undeterred, he continued to set in motion plans to kill Brian Maxwell Jr, as well as two other men he believed were involved - Michael Eves and Iyobosa ‘Bosa’ Igbinovia. On May 28 Jarvis messaged Vincent Coggins alleged evidence that the pair considered incriminating the three men even further in the robbery.

An EncroChat message at around 2.30pm that day said: “..he told me they were all out together Maxwell boser eves Saturday afternoon til Sunday for anniversary drink…so Maxwell saying he got CCTV of himself not leaving house on Saturday is a f***ing lie”. Later that day Coggins messaged Fitzsimmons saying “they all getting it”.

The Maxwells communicated with Vincent Coggins, Earle and Jarvis through a third party, a man who is still due to appear before the courts so can’t be identified. Fearing an attack on his son was imminent, Maxwell Sr sent a proposal to the gang.

He knew his son had not committed the robbery but understanding the threat said “me solution involves me and me alone paying the bill and then its me that’s been robbed, I’d rather have him than the money…and it wont be in grip coz I haven’t got it any more than he has…then its down to me to find out who done it…any money I’ve got means f*** all if he dead”.

Maxwell Sr offered around £1,360,000 to Vincent Coggins, split into cash and the sale of land and a house. Vincent Coggins accepted the offer. But a chilling message to Earle later the same day showed it was just a temporary peace. “F*** me still going to kill them all but can take time now leave dad alone”, he wrote.

Police disruption continued despite the movements of the gang. Police attended Maxwell Sr’s home and gave him an Osman warning, while Earle was issued a disruption notice. Unnerved by the police attention, Earle appeared to back out. However, Vincent Coggins was undeterred. He wrote back: “Am staying till I’ve got every penny an at least done of one of the c****”. On June 3, Maxwell Sr signed over the money, the land and the house.

On June 13 2020, EncroChat administrators sent all users the message that the domain had been compromised and they could no longer guarantee the security of the devices. They advised users to power off and to physically dispose of their devices.

Three days later, Vincent Coggins, Woodford, Earle and Jarvis were all arrested by the police. Backed into a corner, and with the weight of the EncroChat evidence against him, Vincent Coggins pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply class A drugs and conspiracy to commit blackmail and was jailed for 28 years.

Paul Woodford, of Marl Road in Kirkby and 48-year-old Michael Earle, of Wallace Drive in Huyton pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply class A drugs and conspiracy to commit blackmail. They were 24-and-a-half years and 11 years respectively.

Dean Borrows, aged 39 and of Ledson Grove in Aughton, 46-year-old Darren Tierney, of Chatham Street in Stockport, and 60-year-old Paul Fitzsimmons, of Birch Tree Court in West Derby, admitted conspiracy to supply cocaine and heroin. They were handed respective terms 14 years and three months, 12 years and nine months and 12-and-a-half years.

Kevin Rimmer, of Blacklow Brow in Huyton, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply heroin. The 57-year-old was locked up for 16 years. Paul Glynn, of Croxdale Road West in West Derby, admitted conspiracy to supply cocaine. The 59-year-old was given 11 years and two months.

Edward Jarvis, of Breckside Park in Anfield, was found guilty of conspiracy to supply class A drugs and conspiracy to commit blackmail. The 59-year-old will be sentenced at a later date.

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