They are now both behind bars
A "sophisticated" organised crime gang flooded the streets of Leeds with cocaine - but were caught out after police infiltrated their encrypted messages.
Mr Stevenson told the court that Manners used "encrypted mobile phones in the hope of keeping messages hidden from police." He said: "Operation Venetic allowed the police to get into them. Matthew Manners was involved in multi-kilo buys and distribution of cocaine." As he jailed Manners for 12 years and Connor an additional two years on top of the six-and-a-half-year sentence, Recorder Serr said at least 15kg of cocaine was bought from the supplier between the offending period.
Despite Connor being arrested in July 2020, Manners was not until September the same year. Mr Stevenson said: "Officers went to Hermes in Normanton to arrest him while he was preparing to depart. Officers seized two mobile phones, a Samsung and an iPhone. The Samsung password used for an online account was the same used to access notes on an Encrochat associated with him.
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