Drug dealer caught out by picture of own driveway

A prolific drug-dealer was caught out after sending pictures of his own driveway in Liverpool over the supposedly secure Encrochat messaging network.

Rudi Caldwell also used his own child’s name and sent pictures of his home CCTV system to fellow criminals on the network, which was hacked by French police in 2020.

Caldwell, 37, was identified as the Encrochat user behind the handle ‘box-bat’ – which played a “leading role” in the supply of 16kg (35 lbs) of cocaine, 2kg (4 lbs) of heroin and 14kg (30 lbs) of cannabis between March and June 2020.

He was jailed for 12 years at Liverpool Crown Court after admitting two counts of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs and one to supply Class B drugs.

The court heard earlier that Caldwell, of Lynnbank Road in Calderstones, had also discussed the trade of his licensed taxi cars in chats with other Encrochat users.

Det Insp James Boardman, of Merseyside Police, said: “Caldwell is just the latest person to be brought to justice for their involvement in the widescale peddling of drugs on the streets of Merseyside.”

In June the force announced that five years on from the Encrochat hack, 180 people had been sentenced to a total of 2,261 years in prison in Merseyside.

Detectives in the region said they are still working their way through hundreds of files relating to other Encrochat handles.