Kent Brothers Busted in Big Drug Deal Sting
Detectives from the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate have smashed a major drug operation run by brothers Jordan and Ryan Nicholl. The siblings were caught using the encrypted criminal phone system, Encrochat, to supply huge quantities of cocaine and cannabis between March and June 2020.
Massive Cash Haul and Encrypted Phones Seized
On May 9, 2020, police in Deal stopped a blue Renault Megane linked to Jordan Nicholl, 32, from Folkestone. The search uncovered an encrypted phone and a staggering £315,000 in cash. Forensic checks found Jordan’s fingerprints on bundles of notes, linking him directly to the drug profits.
Further investigation tracked his movements close to drug exchanges. Jordan admitted conspiracy to supply cannabis and possession plus transfer of criminal property.
Encrypted Texts Spill the Beans
Messages recovered from the Encrochat system, operated under the alias ‘lawfulshark’, exposed the brothers’ drug dealing secrets. Ryan Nicholl, 37, also of Folkestone, used the encrypted network to talk to organised criminals and trade large volumes of cocaine and cannabis.
Unbeknownst to them, police had infiltrated Encrochat and monitored their every move. Photos of drugs were exchanged regularly, and prices agreed within the chat groups.
Brothers Arrested, One Behind Bars, One Awaiting Sentence
Their criminal empire crumbled on November 23, 2020, when Kent Police raided both brothers’ homes simultaneously. They were charged the following day and have been held on remand since. Jordan Nicholl was sentenced at Canterbury Crown Court on June 22, 2022, to four and a half years for conspiracy to supply and handling criminal property. Ryan Nicholl has pleaded guilty to similar charges and awaits sentencing.
A third man, who was driving the Megane at the time of the stop, received 22 months in prison in July 2020 for acquiring criminal property.
“Both brothers went to great lengths to conceal their offending, but despite their well-organised and sophisticated attempts to evade capture, we were able to gradually piece together their criminality and identify them,” said Detective Constable Aaron Chapman of Kent Police. “There can be no tolerance for people who conspire to supply drugs on our streets, and I am pleased that one brother has now been jailed and the other is awaiting sentence.”
