A drug ‘broker’ who traded cocaine in our region was thwarted when detectives uncovered encrypted messages that he had sent on a mobile phone. Peter Hudson was stopped in a car in October in 2020 carrying £6,000 in cash. He was arrested on suspicion of money laundering and the money forfeited as enquiries continued.
A few months later, officers attended Hudson’s home address where a cash counting machine and a further £8,000 was seized. Again, Hudson was unable to prove it had been made legally and he was arrested for being concerned in the supply of Class A drugs.
Intelligence officers reviewing Hudson’s phone subsequently identified him as being responsible for exchanging messages on the EncroChat network using the handle Boxer-Rapid. Unbeknown to him, the officers managed to uncover the information from his conversations afterwards which showed he had been trading several kilograms of cocaine, worth thousands of pounds, at a time.
The 27-year-old, of West Cornforth, was later charged with being concerned in the supply of Class A drugs. He was due to attend Durham Crown Court to surrender his passport in June but failed to appear and a warrant was issued for his arrest. He was later tried in his absence and found guilty of the offence being concerned in the supply of Class A drugs, namely cocaine. And on August 10, he was sentenced to 14 years in prison.
Temporary Detective Inspector Amanda Howe, of Durham Constabulary, said: “Drugs bring misery to our communities so we will always do everything in our power to stop and disrupt those supplying and dealing these substances. Hudson thought he could conceal his drug dealing but officers left no stone unturned to uncover his criminal activity and bring him to justice.
“This type of activity will continue under the banner of Operation Sentinel – a partnership initiative targeting serious and organised crime across the region. It also forms part of the national Operation Venetic – a sophisticated clampdown on organised criminals which sees international law enforcement agencies working together to infiltrate encrypted messaging platform, EncroChat.
“We can’t do this without the help of the public and would urge anyone with information on the supply of drugs or individuals involved in serious and organised crime to please get in touch, either directly through us or through Crimestoppers anonymously.”
Call 101 with any information, or use the force’s 101 Live Chat. Alternatively call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
Ferryhill & Chilton's local community newspaper.
