The can of Stella Artois and a ham sandwich that brought down gangsters

A drugs gang was taken down thanks in part to a can of Stella Artois lager and a ham sandwich, police have revealed. Images of the lager and snack were 'shared' on encrypted mobile phones used by Richard Wylie, 36, and Richard Whiteside, 55.

Detectives said the photos - and crucially what was shown in the background on them - 'helped trap the pair' after they were matched to Whiteside's address in Blackpool, Lancashire.

Wylie and Whiteside were caught as part of the ongoing Operation Venetic investigation into the use of the encrypted EncroChat network.

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Criminals have used encrypted mobile devices to adopt and hide behind code names, but the Encrochat servers were taken down in 2020 following an investigation led by the National Crime Agency.

Police then used the data they were able to access to identify the users of the assigned EncroChat handles - and piece together their movements.

Lancashire Police said after an investigation by its Serious and Organised Crime Team, the force was able to prove that Wylie and Whiteside were the owners of Encrochat handles named Somesnail and Peppershirt.

"Pictures of a can of Stella Artois and a ham sandwich shared on the Encrochat phones helped trap the pair after they were matched to Whiteside's address in Blackpool," said a spokesman.

It's understood officers looked at the surroundings in the backgrounds of the images - highlighting a distinctive table and documents which proved a match to those at Whiteside's home. Both men subsequently pleaded guilty to offences they went on to be charged with.

Wylie, formerly of The Stables, Thornton Cleveleys, Lancashire, was jailed for six years