Three men from Luton have been found guilty of selling encrypted phones to criminals across the country.
Jason Russo, 33, Jamil Ahmed, 26, and Mohammed Miah, 32, all from Luton, were sentenced last week after equipping organised crime groups across the country with Enchrochat devices.
To disguise themselves as a reputable telecom company, they appeared to be in the business of selling gadgets.
Mohammed Miah of Sarum Road and Jamil Ahmed of Leyhill Drive received 18-month community orders, while Jason Russo of Colwell Rise received a term of two years and six months in prison. The other two guys were not provided by Bedfordshire Police; only a custody photo of Russo was.
“This is a landmark case that has seen us become the first force nationally to convict people in accordance with legislation that enables drug offences,” stated Detective Inspector Simon Mullan of the Bedfordshire Police’s Operation Costello squad. We’re only getting started in our battle against professional enablers, but this has truly set a precedent.
Professional facilitators support illegal activities and profit financially from it. It is unacceptable to turn a blind eye to the things you are allowing, whether you are renting space to drug dealers, doing electrical work at a cannabis factory, giving burner phones or offering any other kind of equipment or service used to perpetrate crime.
“You should take this as a clear warning that you will be looked into and judged as though you had committed the crime you made possible.”
Until 2020, Encrochat served as an illicit platform for international communication utilised by drug dealers and other lawbreakers. However, as part of Operation Venetic, law enforcement authorities were able to bring down the system four years ago.
