Wigan Gang Member Sentenced to 19 Years for Conspiracy to Supply Cocaine

Lee Standen the final member of a Wigan-based gang, has been sentenced to 19 years in prison for his involvement in a conspiracy to supply cocaine. This comes after a lengthy investigation by the Serious Organised Crime Group, which uncovered a network of criminals conspiring to flood the North with drugs and weapons.

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The investigation was made possible by Operation Venetic, in which the National Crime Agency gained access to messages from the once-encrypted messaging platform, Encrochat. This platform, often referred to as a criminal version of WhatsApp, provided a wealth of incriminating evidence, allowing detectives to attribute messages to individuals across the UK.