A dad was arrested at an airport as he returned from a family holiday after his dog linked him to a heroin and cocaine trafficking operation.
Anthony Fisher traded in kilo amounts of the class A drugs while using the handle "SkiBat" on encrypted communications platform EncroChat. He and his fellow users secretly discussed debts that could "cause murders" and arranged illicit meetups in a Co-op car park before the service was infiltrated by law enforcement authorities during 2020.
Liverpool Crown Court heard yesterday, Monday, that the 38-year-old was identified as the user of this account after he sent selfies and pictures of the back garden and living room of his home to his contacts. The North West Regional Organised Crime Unit were also able to link Fisher, of Moss Lane in Bickerstaffe, to the profile as he had set his password as his dog Reggie's name, while the handle had been stored under the name "Fishy" by others.
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Matthew Conway, prosecuting, described how his messages showed that he had been involved in the supply of at least 7kg of heroin and 6kg of heroin during the two-month data capture period. He was said to have worked closely with 48-year-old John Barton, formerly of Green Street in Vauxhall, who was locked up for 16 years and four months after being unmasked as the man behind the "CityHawk" moniker.
On one occasion, on March 31 2020, Fisher received an image of a block of cocaine branded with the word "Omar", which he then forwarded on to "SimpleCreek" – whom he then arranged to meet in the car park of a Co-op store. A few days later on April 4, the two arranged a handover at a location in Bootle.
On May 2, Barton arranged for him to attend a meeting with a third party and instructed him to "get up and have a shower". Fisher responded by sending a picture of himself in a dressing gown, followed by a photo of a bacon butty, before he stated that he was leaving in order to attend the rendezvous.
Then, on May 30, Barton "instructed him to recover monies owed" from Simple Creek amounting to £10,000. At this, Fisher told him he "needs f***ing off".
City Hawk then replied: "Mate, u r messing rnt u. Gunna cause murders this u no."
Fisher has a total of three previous convictions for five offences, including receiving a nine-month imprisonment suspended for two years in 2014. He was then handed 33 months in November 2020 for possession of cocaine with intent supply, which came after his vehicle was stopped by police in November 2019 before a quantity of drugs was discovered during a strip search.
Saleema Mahmood, defending, told the court that the father-of-three felt "deep regret" over his involvement, having been arrested when arriving back at Manchester Airport following a trip away with his family. She also outlined how Fisher, who suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder after being attacked while walking his dog in 2016, had owed debts in relation to his prior offending and was "clearly being directed".
Ms Mahmood added: "His hope, when he was released from custody, was that he would put these matters behind him and return to family life and being a financial provider to his family. While in custody, he has spent his time well."
Fisher admitted conspiracy to supply heroin and cocaine. He was jailed for 11 years and three months.
Sentencing, Judge David Potter said: "The misuse of cocaine and heroin causes devastation to the people who take them and to the families that try their best to support them. Crack cocaine and heroin blight communities in which addicts live and dealers operate.
"Drug addiction fuels crime, and addicts themselves often become street deals in order to fund their own habits. Society must pick up the cost of this trade.
"Victims include your family, who will be without your support for a considerable period. I am certain that you now feel deep regret for your involvement in serious drug trafficking.
"You have used the time you have spent on remand constructively. This sentence will have a significant impact on your family."
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