His respectable career went down the pan... the next thing he knew he was hauling coke for the likes of 'SpicySalad' and 'Mr Inappropriate'
A 'reliable foot soldier' was caught hauling more than 155 kilos of cocaine - working under the Encrochat handle 'GingerSpeaker'. Courier Matthew Clarke, 43, is the latest criminal to be hauled before Manchester’s courts following the law enforcement hack of the encrypted communications network.
Cops said the amount of drugs police uncovered during the investigation into Clarke had an estimated street value of over £14m.Manchester Crown Court heard Clarke was linked to at least 10 different drugs pick-ups and drop-offs between March and June 2020 across the north. During another collection, he agreed to collect blocks of cocaine, which were stamped with the logos of Ferrari and Mercedes, from behind a Shell garage in Ashton, to pass to another drug dealer on a bicycle.
"The messages demonstrate that ‘GingerSpeaker’ was due to collect the 38 kilograms of cocaine from ‘WateryAxe’ with 18 kilograms then to be supplied to ‘CalmTea’. The remainder of the collection are to be taken to the ‘SAFE GAFF’ with five kilograms later being passed to an unknown handle." In October 2020, police went to his house in Ashton. They were met by his wife, who let them inside. The house was searched, with officers finding drug packaging hidden in a wardrobe, as well as a drugs tick list hidden in a drawer. He later turned himself in.
The judge, Recorder Andrew Long, told him: “You went into this enterprise with your eyes open, knowing you were helping to distribute huge quantities of cocaine, knowing if caught, you would face a huge penalty.Clarke, of Mansfield Street, Ashton-under-Lyne, was jailed for nine years after pleading guilty to conspiracy to supply cocaine; and conspiracy to transfer criminal property.
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