Drug Lord Caught via Encrypted Phone Sting
Mark Dinnage, 42, thought he was untouchable. Between March and June 2020, he ran a drug empire using an encrypted mobile phone platform to coordinate couriers buying and supplying cocaine, heroin, ketamine, and cannabis.
International Crackdown Breaks His Operation
But law enforcement agencies worldwide infiltrated the secure messaging system. Crucial intelligence on UK organised criminals was passed to the National Crime Agency. Kent and Essex Serious Crime teams then zeroed in on Dinnage, unmasking his pseudonym and linking messages about drug and cash movements directly to him.
Big Bust in Maidstone
Dinnage was hauled in at his Maidstone home on 9 September 2021. Charged with conspiracy to supply Class A and B drugs, he pleaded guilty at Maidstone Crown Court.
On 3 May 2022, the judge handed down a 12-year prison sentence, ending his reign.
Police Slam ‘High-Level Gangster’
“Dinnage was at a high level in the crime gang that supplied considerable quantities of drugs throughout the county,” said Detective Constable Aaron Chapman from the Serious Organised Crime Unit.
“He thought he was safe, hiding behind encrypted messages and letting others take the risks. His confidence was badly misplaced. Now he’s serving a long stretch behind bars.”
“We will be using the Proceeds of Crime Act to seize his cash and assets gained from his criminal empire,” Chapman added.
