Drug trafficker who fled to Spain caught 'by chance'

A DRUGS trafficker used encrypted chat messages to import heroin worth £900,000 from Spain and the Netherlands to Wales and elsewhere in the UK.

- DAVID POWELL

Brian Storey set up a dummy run but when the drug was imported for real, one consignment was intercepted by police.

Officers swooped on Storey's home but he escaped and went on the run for almost 23 months. The 49-year-old was then spotted by chance in Chester and arrested; his accomplices had earlier been caught in a Mold pub car park.

A judge at Caernarfon Crown Court jailed Storey, of Fulwood Park, south Liverpool, for 12 years and seven months for conspiracy to import a Class A drug between January 1 and May 5, 2020.

Prosecutor Andrew Jones said EncroChat messages were linked to the importation of heroin. He said Storey was involved in a "dummy run" using the "Transglobal Holland" service.

An accomplice known as "Sporty-Owl" said they were going to "smash it" when they continued with real drugs. An address in Ormskirk, West Lancashire, was used to operate from.

Prosecutor Mr Jones said the first delivery was sent but it was intercepted. Police found it contained 9.45kg of heroin. The court heard police investigations showed easyJet records proved that Storey had flown to Spain several times during the conspiracy.