MULTI-kilogram drug deals were organised by a Cheshire man using an encrypted phone with the handle ‘Naked Otter’.

Cheshire Police has described Anthony Davies as a ‘serious and organised criminal’ who led a commercial drugs operation through his EncroChat device.

The 38-year-old operated at the top of the chain, supplying substantial amounts of class A and B drugs.

But he was locked up for more than a decade at Liverpool Crown Court, having pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply heroin, cocaine, and cannabis.

Davies was found to have sourced, bought and sold at least 5kg of cannabis, and a minimum of 15kg of heroin and cocaine, between March 23 and June 5, 2020.

With the handle ‘nakedotter’, Davies used EncroChat – a secretive and encrypted communications network that was used exclusively by serious and organised criminals.

However, this was cracked by international law enforcement officers in May 2020, revealing his role in running his large-scale drug supply business.

Davies was found to have been supplying multi-kilograms of drugs in Widnes and various other towns and cities across the United Kingdom.

Davies was involved in the supply of class A and B drugsDavies was involved in the supply of class A and B drugs (Image: Cheshire Police)

In the encrypted messages, Davies can be seen to play a leading role in the drug conspiracy – acquiring bulk supplies of class A and B drugs from his upstream suppliers, before arranging the onward distribution to his downstream customers.

Davies orchestrated multi-kilo drug deals via a sophisticated and well-established supply network – indicative of his position within the organised crime world, and the level that he was operating amongst his associates.

He would also act as a ‘middleman’ within the supply network, arranging for the sale and distribution of drugs between potential buyers and sellers.

Davies would direct and instruct others within his operation to carry out his bidding, adopting more of a ‘hands-off’ approach – however, he would still help himself to substantial profits.

The level of criminality Davies was operating at meant the profits were significant in value, and he was trusted by his upstream suppliers to pay back large sums of money in exchange for bulk amounts of illegal drugs.

EncroChat messages show he pocketed in excess of £60,000 for sourcing and selling five kilograms of cocaine in one transaction alone.

After collating the evidence, detectives conducted an early morning warrant at Davies’ home address in Widnes on July 23, where he was arrested.

A number of luxury items, including more than £5,000 in cryptocurrency, £6,000 in cash, designer clothing, and six Rolex watches, were recovered during the raid.

The designer goods seized by policeThe designer goods seized by police (Image: Cheshire Police)

Appearing before Liverpool Crown Court, Davies, of Lessingham Road, Widnes, was jailed for 12 years.

The sentence handed down by the court was welcomed by DCI Nick Henderson, of Cheshire Police’s serious and organised crime unit.

He said: “Davies was at the top of the chain when it came to operating in serious and organised crime.

“He was at the highest level, running a serious and large-scale commercial drugs business supplying substantial amounts of cocaine, heroin, and cannabis.

“He chose to do this by operating under the radar, using an encrypted and sophisticated device that would keep his communication secretive in order to avoid detection.

“He painted himself as a successful businessman and even bought books on property investment, but in reality, it was all an illusion.

“His Rolex watches were fake, and he was unable to use his money in any legitimate way.

“After EncroChat was infiltrated, officers were able to comb through the messages attributed to Davies, leading to his arrest and him being put behind bars for a long time.”