The EncroChat plot was described as “eye-watering” after it saw hundreds of kilos of class A drugs spread across the country
Lawrence Hill, 52, of Longmeadow Road in Knowsley Village(Image: Merseyside Police)
An EncroChat dealer who was the “right-hand man” of a senior figure in an organised crime group was described as a “valued member of the community” while hiding his illicit activities. Lawrence Hill was embroiled in a huge Encrochat plot that spanned years where “eye-watering” amounts of class A drugs were distributed across the country to places such as Bristol and Yorkshire.
Hill, 52, used the encrypted messaging service under the alias “FrostyHand” to plot and receive instructions from Joseph Toole, 55, known as “SummerHillNew”, with both involved in the sales of hundreds of kilograms of class A drugs. Merseyside Police found messages on the platform where Toole and Hill would liaise with user “JabbaTheHutt” on the wholesale of cocaine and heroin.
During the sentencing hearing at Liverpool Crown Court on Monday, September 22, Jason Smith, defending Hill, explained to the court how the defendant had been a “valued member of the community” despite him pleading guilty to conspiracy to supply 262kg of cocaine and 111kg of heroin, as well as officers finding £10,800 in cash at his home on Longmeadow Road, in Knowsley Village.
In his mitigation, Mr Smith also said how his client pleaded guilty at the earliest possible opportunity following a hearing at Liverpool Magistrates’ Court and then at a subsequent arraignment in Liverpool Crown Court.
They both took on managerial roles in the wholesale plot which was deemed to be in “eye-watering amounts even for an EncroChat case” by Recorder Michelle Brown, who was presiding over the sentencing.
A block of cocaine recovered following the arrests of Joseph Toole and Lawrence Hill
Toole would keep books for the OCG, it was heard, and was seen as a leading player while having a hand in conspiring to supply 249kg of cocaine, 125kg of heroin and 441kg of cannabis. Messages found on the server, which was cracked in 2020 by international law enforcement, showed several messages between him and Jabba.
His role included collecting money and arranging the shipments of class A drugs for the crime group, as well as organising encrypted devices for others.
Toole was a “hands on” figure, the judge said, as well as working closely with the original sources of the drugs. In the messages with Jabba he was found to refer to the large amounts of drugs and money as “ours” and would pay the wages of the henchmen in the group.
He was identified by officers after discussing his birthday as well as those of his children. He also provided details of the death of a relative and the subsequent funeral.
Joseph Toole, 55, of Aysgarth Avenue, West Derby
During the proceedings, the judge described Hill as a “trusted member of this crime enterprise” who would co-ordinate the delivering of drugs. He would also be deployed to collect payments.
When Toole’s house was also raided after the arrests at their home addresses on March 17 this year officers found designer clothes and bags with a value of £7,000.
Stella Hayden, prosecuting, explained how the OCG was “well-established” and supplied drugs to Bristol and Yorkshire, with evidence showing the pair organised the distribution of cocaine at least between September 2018 and July 2020.
They were also found to have been concerned in the distribution of heroin between December 2019 and July 2020, with Toole also found to have helped with the supply of cannabis between September 2018 and July 2020.
Frank Dillon, defending Toole, said the dad had entered a guilty plea at the earliest moment during a hearing in Liverpool Magistrates’ Court earlier this year and again when he was arraigned in crown court as well as having a long list of medical conditions such as glaucoma and arthritis in his knees.
A block of heroin recovered following the arrests of Joseph Toole and Lawrence Hill
Toole, of Aysgarth Avenue, in West Derby, was also said to have carried out a number of jobs while being on remand, as he was looking to “live a law-abiding life” when he is eventually released.
Joseph Toole was sentenced to 16 years in prison, with Lawrence Hill jailed for 13 years. Both remained silent as they were told of their fate.
Detective Sergeant Craig Doyle said: “Our work continues under Operation Venetic to detect and arrest those involved in the sale and distribution of Class A and B drugs.
“We are committed to pro-actively investigating serious organised crime and we remain relentless in pursuing offenders.
“Our work to prevent criminals from targeting the vulnerable people in our communities with illicit drugs goes on and we would always encourage members of the public to contact us if they have any information which could assist with our enquiries.”
Anyone who has information about drug dealing in their community can contact police by sending a DM to @MerPolCC, calling 101 or contacting Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.