Drug dealer who used the encrypted platform EncroChat arrested

A confessed drug dealer from Northern Ireland who used the encrypted communications platform EncroChat to import cannabis has been arrested.

Joseph Dornan, 45, of Ahoghill, County Antrim, pleaded guilty earlier this year to several offences, including involvement in the trafficking of a controlled Class A drug and the transfer of criminal property.

He was arrested after police in France and the Netherlands intercepted EncroChat conversations.

Dornan was sentenced to 44 months in prison by Londonderry Crown Court on Wednesday.

Dornan is one of the first people to be convicted in Northern Ireland for EncroChat-related offences.

Police described his conviction as “a welcome milestone.”

Dornan was involved in an “international drug distribution network,” said the Police of Northern Ireland (PSNI).

On Tuesday, Derry Court was told he committed the offences on dates in June and July 2020.

The court heard that Dornan was known on Encrochat by the username Symbolic-Phone.

He had sent his mobile phone number and company name to another user whose phone was hacked by the investigating authorities.

The court heard that Dornan also owned a company car with the same phone number printed on the side.

Following his arrest, he admitted possessing cannabis with intent to resell and possessing criminal assets valued at £20,000, and admitted offering to resell cocaine.

A prosecutor told the court that the cannabis charge related to the importation of 23 kilograms of the drug from Holland.

Dornan and two accomplices split the cannabis equally between themselves and the £20,000 was Dornan's share of the cannabis transaction, the court heard.

According to prosecutors, an aggravating factor in the case was Dornan's previous conviction in 2005 for his involvement in the smuggling of 61 kg of cannabis resin and 41 kg of cannabis herb from Holland.

He said that in the present case it was recognised that Dornan “is a person who supplies smaller retailers for commercial reasons.”

A defense attorney told the court that Dornan became involved in the crime after his company collapsed.

He made a “very stupid decision,” the lawyer said, adding that Dornan was “terrified of going into custody.”

The lawyer added: “He has now paid the price.”

In sentencing, Judge Rafferty said Dornan's previous drug offences and his use of an Encrochat phone were aggravating circumstances.

“I know that a prison sentence affects the entire family, but there are mothers and fathers who have to watch their children's health deteriorate due to substance abuse,” he said.

“Welcome milestone”

PSNI Detective McCamley said an extensive investigation into messages on the encrypted phone network had “revealed the defendant's involvement in an international drug distribution network”.

“This is a welcome milestone and a reflection of our continued commitment to bringing those involved in criminal activity to justice,” the official said.

Police said the investigation and subsequent verdict were the result of Operation Venetic – the UK response to the shutdown of EncroChat.