Drugs Gang Blown by Dog Photo and Selfies on Secret Chat App
Danny Brown, 55, and co-conspirator Stefan Baldauf, 62, thought their plot to smuggle £45 million of MDMA to Australia was foolproof. But a simple snap of Brown’s dog, Bob, showing his partner’s phone number, helped topple their criminal empire.
EncroChat Evidence Smashes Organised Crime Group
Using the encrypted messaging service EncroChat, Brown, known as ‘throwthedice’, and Baldauf plotted to ship 448 kilos of high-purity MDMA hidden inside the arm of a massive industrial digger. But the National Crime Agency (NCA) zeroed in on their phone number, gaining critical evidence.
- Brown unwittingly sent a photo of Bob the dog, revealing his partner’s phone number on the tag.
- Both men also accidentally shared selfies on EncroChat, confirming their identities.
- The gang rigged an auction to sell the 40-ton Doosan excavator in Australia, trying to mask the drug shipment.
Diggers, Auctions and Double-Crossing Scammers
The OCG bought the Doosan DX420 for €75,000 and hid the drugs behind a lead lining welded in the digger’s arm. The spooked gang grew jittery when other bidders showed interest. Leon Reilly, 50, messaged Brown: “There are six people watching it.” Brown panicked: “F***ing hell, that’s not good is it.”
The digger was shipped from Southampton Docks to Brisbane, Brisbane police secretly installed trackers and bugged the machine before it went on to an auction house in Sydney. When the Australian gang struggled for days to find the stash, the UK crew launched a frantic internal investigation to find a leak.
Jail Time for the UK Drug Lords
All told, six men were convicted at Kingston Crown Court, with sentences piling up:
- Danny Brown – 26 years
- Stefan Baldauf – 28 years
- Leon Reilly – 24 years
- Philip Lawson (the welder who designed the hide) – 23 years
- Peter Murray – 24 years
- Tony Borg – 15 years
The case was cracked thanks to Operation Venetic, the NCA’s response to the EncroChat takedown in 2020. The operation exposed criminals who thought encrypted phones made them untouchable.
Chris Hill, NCA operations manager, said: “Brown and Baldauf’s accidental selfies and the photo of Bob the dog were the cherry on the cake in proving who was operating those handles.”
Despite efforts to block EncroChat evidence from court, the jury was clear. Two other suspects were cleared, while two others face charges in Australia.
The NCA continues to fight the deadly Class A drug trade that wrecks lives across the UK.
