Armed Drug Dealer Busted After EncroChat Sting
Michael Derrane, 50, used the encrypted platform EncroChat to mastermind a massive firearms and drugs empire. From his base in Morpeth, he supplied kilos of class A and B drugs and illegal guns to criminals nationwide, raking in huge profits.
National Crime Links and Long-Distance Deals
Encrypted messages revealed Derrane was well-known among organised crime groups across Newcastle, Manchester, Leeds, the Midlands, and London. He even travelled up to 700 miles to swap illicit goods.
One chilling chat detailed plans to sell 30 kilos of heroin split between London, Leicester, and Oxford.
19-Year Prison Sentence for Dangerous Dealer
At Leeds Crown Court, Derrane was handed 19 years and two months after pleading guilty to conspiracy to supply heroin, cocaine, cannabis, and transfer prohibited firearms.
The National Crime Agency’s (NCA) Operation Venetic, launched in 2020 after the EncroChat takedown, led to his arrest.
Violent Firearms Found in Van Arrest
On April 22, 2020, NCA armed officers caught Derrane in his van in Leeds. They seized a fully automatic converted firearm, ammunition, class B drugs, and £6,000 cash.
His co-conspirator, Alsi Vata, 26, was nabbed in Soho months later. Messages between the pair showed them plotting firearms deals, with Derrane, known as ‘Big Corey,’ instructing Vata, aka ‘Budplug’.
“They in Spain until we start sending again I can’t get em… you got enough kill someone only need one in right place.”
Vata pleaded guilty to conspiracy to transfer firearms and supply drugs and received 14 years and three months in jail alongside Derrane.
Law Enforcement Cracks Down on Crime Lords
Adrian Barnard, NCA Senior Investigating Officer, said: “Derrane was a dangerous man whose grip on illegal firearms gave him status among organised crime nationally. We are not just going after top criminals but also the mid-tier dealers who fuel violence and exploitation.”
Hilary Ryan, Crown Prosecution Service Specialist Prosecutor, added: “Their greed fuelled wholesale drug and gun dealing with no regard for the devastating harm caused. Today two dangerous criminals are off the streets.”
