Man involved in drugs gang who fled UK is jailed

SIXTH MEMBER OF GANG WHO DEALT IN 'VERY LARGE QUANTITIES' OF COCAINE, HEROIN AND AMPHETAMINES IN NORTH EAST IS JAILED

- By ROB KENNEDY Court reporter

Shaun Monaghan

A DRUGS and guns gang member who fled the country after an encrypted messaging service was hacked by police has been jailed for more than 14 years.

Simon Lancaster, a trusted sidekick of boss Shaun Monaghan, is the sixth member of the gang to be jailed and takes the total sentences imposed to more than 70 years.

Newcastle Crown Court heard Lancaster, 34, whose previous convictions including kidnapping, left the country when EncroChat was infiltrated. As the authorities sought his extradition from Dubai, he fled that country on a false passport to Thailand and then Oman, where he was held for entering with the fake documentation and eventually came back to the UK.

Now Lancaster, who pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply cocaine, heroin and amphetamines and conspiracy to supply firearms and conspiracy to possess ammunition without a certificate, has been jailed for 14 years and eight months.

The court heard he was a “highly trusted lieutenant” to Shaun Monaghan, with whom he was in virtually daily contact throughout the period using EncroChat phones.

Richard Herrmann, prosecuting, said: “His roles included the receipt, safe storage and onward supply of multi-kilo quantities of multiple drugs, the collection, counting and storage of very significant amounts of cash and the safe storage of the collection of firearms. In addition to the above, he was responsible for the quality checking and the ‘cutting’ and bulking out of the cocaine and was demonstrably highly experienced and skilled at that.” His sentencing was adjourned until November 7.

Laura Miller, for Lancaster, said he was working under others and has been putting his time in prison to good use. She said he voluntarily agreed to come home after being held in Oman following his arrest in Dubai.