The 36-year-old dad going by the secret name 'FrostyBear' who was brought down by a trip to Costco

A café owner and dad was unmasked as an Encrochat drug trafficker known as 'FrostyBear' after he purchased a Costco barbecue.

Philip Taylor, 36, secretly traded heroin, cocaine, and cannabis as part of a network of operations via the encrypted communications platform. Prosecutors said he had played a 'leading role' in the supply of 27.5kg of cocaine, 2kg of heroin and 8kg of cannabis - as well as handling over £1m in dirty cash.

Liverpool Crown Court heard on Friday (September 1) how Taylor netted 'substantial profits' in a 'professional, successful and well executed activity', reports the Liverpool Echo.

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The 36-year-old was identified as the user of the handle 'FrostyBear' and had worked in partnership with an 'accomplice' by the name of 'RedLetter' as they "sourced and supplied multi-kilo quantities" of class A and B drugs, the court heard.

Alex Langhorn, prosecuting, described how messages revealed how Taylor, of Dartington Road in Childwall, worked on behalf of those higher up the chain, acting as a bookkeeper for the operations ran by 'OctoJungle' and 'PieChips'. The defendant was found to have 'kept detailed records' which showed his involvement in the supply of a further 70.5kg of cocaine and handling £1,045,580 in cash.

Detectives were able to identify Taylor as the man behind the Frosty Bear moniker after piecing together a trail of breadcrumbs scattered throughout his communications. One such clue came on May 11 2020, when a number of other users wished him a happy birthday on the date he turned 33.

He also arranged a number of meetings with contacts, informing them that he would be driving a Volkswagen Tiguan -