Paul O'Brien worked with 'professional criminal facilitator' Thomas Maher - a dad of three from Warrington
An EncroChat gangster worked with his criminal associate to ship £1m worth of cocaine and €900,000 cash between Ireland and the Netherlands.
Maher, a dad of three, was arrested due to the lorry being registered in his wife's name even after it was sold but was released with no further action. However, the activity linked to the investigation - including the search of his Warrington home - drew suspicion to him on a separate level. Maher notified O’Brien that their couriers had successfully brought the cocaine into the UK later that day, and arrangements were made for it to be collected in Ireland. On April 10, Maher organised for 300,000 euros, belonging to O’Brien, to be collected near Louth in Ireland and transported to the Netherlands by car.
Investigations into Maher's messages offered further insight into his contacts and the underworld tactics he used as a "professional facilitator". There was evidence he dealt directly with Colombian cartels as he arranged for their product to be sent across Europe. O'Brien also eventually appeared before the courts last week. He had already pleaded guilty to three counts of conspiracy to commit a crime abroad, and at Isleworth Crown Court on November 3 a judge sentenced him to 21 years imprisonment.
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