His respectable career went down the pan... the next thing he knew he was hauling coke for the likes of 'SpicySalad' and 'Mr Inappropriate'

A 'reliable foot soldier' was caught hauling more than 155 kilos of cocaine - working under the Encrochat handle 'GingerSpeaker'. Courier Matthew Clarke, 43, is the latest criminal to be hauled before Manchester’s courts following the law enforcement hack of the encrypted communications network.

He was ordered to pick up large amounts of the class A drug on behalf of an organised crime group based in Ashton-under-Lyne. Over a three month period, Clarke supplied 155 kilos of cocaine and transferred £100,000 of criminal cash.

Messages to people higher up the chain were discovered when European law enforcement officials cracked the Encrochat network and handed the data to UK cops.

Cops said the amount of drugs police uncovered during the investigation into Clarke had an estimated street value of over £14m.

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Manchester Crown Court heard Clarke was linked to at least 10 different drugs pick-ups and drop-offs between March and June 2020 across the north.

Acting under instruction from mystery dealer 'MagicCheetah', on March 26, he was told to collect 30 kilos of cocaine. The message read: "Grab 30 of em and pass my mate 12 around the corner u bring back 18 OK."

Arrangements were made for Clarke to collect the drugs using a white Peugeot van registered to his wife, prosecutor Ashleigh Metcalfe said. He also used a black Audi A3.

During another collection, he agreed to collect blocks of cocaine, which were stamped with the logos of Ferrari and Mercedes, from behind a Shell garage in Ashton, to pass to another drug dealer on a bicycle.

Days later another delivery was organised, with Clarke due to meet 'SpicySalad' to pick up eight kilos of the drug on the