A high-ranking member of an organised crime group that was directly involved with trafficking heroin and cocaine has been convicted.
Stephen Earle, originally from Crosby, had been living in Faro since July 2020 until he was arrested by the Portugese police in January of this year and returned to the UK on the 18th of March.
Earle worked closely with his cousin Terence Earle, who was sentenced to 16-and-a-half-years in April last year. The cousins used the platform EncroChat to run a criminal enterprise from their homes.
The pair shipped at least 10 kilos of heroin and seven kilos of cocaine,
which was purchased through communication conducted on EncroChat.
Stephen Earle pleaded guilty to four drugs supply charges at Liverpool Crown Court yesterday and is set to be sentenced on the 14th of June.
The investigation into Earle’s activity was part of Operation Venetic, which led law enforcement to takedown the EncroChat service in July 2020.
Earle is one of more than 60 people arrested by Merseyside police in accordance with Operation Venetic.
NCA Branch Commander Charles Lee said: “Today’s guilty plea shows that there is no hiding place for criminals who seek to avoid arrest by living abroad.”
