Published by Robert L Senior Reporter on Tuesday 18th March 2025, at 09:50hrs
Five men from Wigan have been sentenced to a combined total of over 40 years in prison after detectives cracked their encrypted communications on the EncroChat network.
The men, who believed they were operating in complete anonymity, were brought to justice following a meticulous investigation by the Wigan Challenger Team.
The investigation, sparked by the 2020 infiltration of the EncroChat platform, saw detectives sift through thousands of anonymous messages to identify the individuals behind handles such as ‘goldflake’, ‘apetoast’, ‘unrealcafe’, ‘wordyjay’, and ‘impulsivehound’.
Christopher Dean, Paul Connelly, Cristopher Boylan, and Cameron Ruddy were all sentenced for their roles in a large-scale cocaine supply conspiracy.
Christopher Dean, who directed the buying and selling of drugs, was sentenced to 12 years and 9 months. Paul Connelly, identified as ‘wordyjay’, received the same sentence of 12 years and 9 months after pleading guilty to conspiracy to supply cocaine, possession of cocaine with intent to supply, and possession of criminal property.
Cristopher Boylan, known as ‘impulsivehound’, was sentenced to 11 years and 3 months for conspiracy to supply cocaine and possession of criminal property.
Cameron Ruddy, linked to ‘apetoast’ and ‘unrealcafe’, received a 6-year sentence for conspiracy to supply cocaine.
The court heard how the men used a skip hire yard on Wallgate in Wigan, operated by Boylan, as a base for their criminal activities.
Dean and Connelly, who worked for a fencing company at the same location, used the yard to conduct meetings and exchange large amounts of drugs.
Skip wagons were used to transport hundreds of thousands of pounds in cash, concealed in shoeboxes and sent abroad.
Detective Inspector Carla Deighton from the Wigan district said:
“On the surface, this appeared to be a sophisticated operation. For a period of time, they were able to orchestrate the sale and transfer of large volumes of cash and drugs across the North West, whilst Connelly was overseas in Dubai.
However, these men got too comfortable with their encrypted phones. By sharing their personal details with one another, they essentially led us to their doors and helped us build a case strong enough to put them behind bars for a long time.”
The men’s downfall came from their own hubris. Believing their communications were secure, they openly discussed their criminal activities and shared personal details, including flight information, details about their girlfriends, and even the birth and weight of Connelly’s daughter.
Ruddy also provided his personal Snapchat account and vehicle registration, aiding detectives in their identification.
“The extent of their criminality should not be underestimated; they were making vast profits from this trade,” DI Deighton added.
“They all owned luxury cars, clothes, jewellery, and had cash lying around their houses. Dean had also done extensive renovations to his property, which we estimated to be worth over £100,000. All of this money was earned at the expense of the community and vulnerable people and drug users.”
In May 2022, police executed ten warrants, seizing large quantities of cocaine, ketamine, ecstasy, MDMA, drugs paraphernalia, luxury items, and approximately £40,000 in cash.
The Economic Crime Unit will now pursue the men’s ill-gotten gains through the Proceeds of Crime Act, with any recovered funds being reinvested into Greater Manchester communities via the Asset Recovery Incentivisation Scheme (ARIS).
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