Runcorn drug dealer who fled UK after being exposed on Encrochat imprisoned

A man who ran away to the Netherlands after police found out he was a drug dealer through a secret messaging app has been put in jail.

The police in Cheshire discovered that Andrew Phillips was using Encrochat, a communication platform, to sell drugs.

The police said that the 38-year-old man ran away from his house in Abbey Hey, Runcorn, but was found at a house in Haarlem.

He admitted planning to sell very dangerous drugs and was given a punishment of 14 years in jail at Liverpool Crown Court.

A police spokesperson said that after investigating Phillips‘s messages, they found out that from March 27th to June 2nd, 2020, he organized numerous deliveries of cocaine and cannabis, and also distributed the drugs to other people.

They said he gave out at least 26 pounds (12 kilograms) of cocaine and 75 pounds (34 kilograms) of cannabis during that time.
The police went to his house on October 26, 2021 to arrest him, but he had already left the country.

Teaming up with the National Crime Agency and Dutch officials, he was discovered and taken into custody while leaving a home in Haarlem on March 30, 2022.

Detective Inspector Nick Henderson said that Cheshire Police had been very determined in their efforts to catch the people who were found to be using EncroChat.

He said that criminals like Phillips thought the service would always be safe and secure, so they could talk freely without getting caught. But while Phillips benefited from his criminal activities. It was bound to happen to him eventually.