A drug dealer’s love of mature blue stilton cheese has seen him jailed for 13 years and six months.
Merseyside Police were able to identify 39-year-old Carl Stewart after he shared the photo on the encrypted messaging service EncroChat.
Stewart, of Liverpool in North West England, used EncroChat to supply large amounts of class A and B drugs under the online pseudonym ‘Toffeeforce’, a reference to the city’s Everton Football Club.
He was sentenced to 13 years and six months in prison at Liverpool Crown Court last Friday after he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply cocaine, heroin, MDMA and ketamine, as well as transferring criminal property.
“Carl Stewart was involved in supplying large amounts of class A and B drugs, but was caught out by his love of Stilton cheese, after sharing a picture of a block of it in his hand through EncroChat,” said Detective Inspector Lee Wilkinson.
“His palm and fingerprints were analysed from this picture and it was established they belonged to Stewart.”
Around 60,000 users of EncroChat have been identified worldwide, with about 10,000 from the UK – all involved in coordinating and planning the supply and distribution of drugs and weapons, money laundering and other criminal activity, according to the UK’s National Crime Agency.
We’re sure Stewart is now feeling cheesed off.
Carl Stewart was jailed for 13 years and six months. Photo: Merseyside Police
