Gangster who made £825,000 used encrypted chat app to source drugs ordered to hand over £12,000

A gangster who used an encrypted chat app to maintain a “hands off approach” to dealing with his Glaswegian drugs suppliers made £825,000 from his life of crime.

Jonathan Wales, 37, thought he could rely on Encrochat to keep his involvement in a Dundee-based racket secret from the authorities.

However, the High Court in Edinburgh heard how Wales’s cover was blown after Dutch and French law enforcement agencies cracked the network’s encryption.

Police discovered that Wales was on Encrochat and using it to speak to drug dealers in the West of Scotland.

Detectives worked out that Wales was getting cocaine, heroin and valium tablets from a man called Richard Parvin, who was handed a seven-year and four-month jail term in 2022.

Police used Encrochat messages to work out that Wales was handing over tens of thousands of pounds to acquire narcotics, which he stored at addresses in Dundee.

Detectives then managed to gather enough evidence to bring Wales to court. He was given a four-year sentence in November last year.

Prosecutors launched a proceeds of crime case against Wales, which was settled at the High Court in Edinburgh on Monday.

Advocate Depute Bryan Heaney told judge John Morris KC that even although Wales made more than £800,000, the Crown were only able to recover £12,040.00 at this point in time.

Judge Morris then ordered the sum to be handed over to the authorities.

At proceedings last year, prosecutor Greg Farrell told judge Lord Ericht about how Wales, of Riddell Terrace, Dundee, conducted his affairs.

Mr Farrell said: “The accused Wales operates a hands-off approach and uses a network of individuals to assist him with his day-to-day activities.

“He utilises safe houses to avoid detection by the police. His main suppliers during this period were individuals from the Glasgow area.”

The story emerged after Wales pleaded guilty to a charge of being involved in “serious organised crime” by participating in activities which he knew would “enable or further commission serious organised crime” by selling, supplying and acquiring drugs.

The charge also stated that Wales used “encrypted” electronic devices in his illegal activities and that he acted with Parvin.

Parvin was a member of a seven-strong gang who were jailed following proceedings at the High Court in Glasgow two years ago.

On that occasion, judge Lord Weir heard how Parvin, then aged 38, Neil Brown, 34, Francis Ross Sr, 47, George McLean, 32, Francis Ross Jr, 22, Craig Mitchell, 30, and 34-year-old John Cord admitted involvement in a £400,000 drugs operation.

The court heard detectives found hundreds of messages and photos linked to high-level dealing, in addition to drugs and cash.

Prosecutor Owen Mullan told a previous hearing that the crew were watched as part of the Operation Boost police probe.

Parvin was initially stopped in May 2019 in a car on the A90 Dundee to Perth road, where police seized £12,550 in cash.

His phone was seized, but he began to use another handset.

Mr Mullan added: “This was later seized and showed various images of blocks of cocaine, high value tick-lists and hundreds of messages that he was actively involved in the supply of controlled drugs.”

Detectives went on to make other drug raids linked to the probe.

This included a cocaine handover at Ross Jr’s home in Dundee after he was met by McLean.

Police found £319,000 of the drug in a clothes shop bag as well as £10,000 of heroin.

Ross Sr’s Dundee home was also raided, where a further £24,000 of heroin was discovered.

Brown was linked to drugs being found in a car in May 2019 after two men were seen running from the vehicle in the city.

The court was told £2,120 of heroin, and a batch of street Valium pills were found.

McLean was held in Easterhouse, Glasgow, and police initially found £12,000 in cash, which he claimed was for a car.

Officers seized around £1,600 of heroin at two properties linked to him.

The group are all from Dundee apart from Parvin, of Motherwell, North Lanarkshire, and McLean, from Easterhouse in Glasgow.

Mr Farrell told the court that police learned that Wales was speaking to Parin on Encrochat using the handle “Deftwelder” – his accomplice was using the name “Olivescalp”.

The Encrochat messages showed that Wales was ordering kilos of drugs with adulterant substances. He was also sending his suppliers messages about the amount of money that he’d pay for acquiring the narcotics.

This helped police build their case against Wales.

On Monday, Mr Heaney said that the Crown could still seize assets gained by Wales during his life of crime.

He added: “The Crown can come back to court if it is able to identify further assets.”