Encrypted Chats Unravel Massive Drug Operation
A West Walton drug dealer has been locked up for 12 years after using the encrypted messaging app EncroChat to handle deals worth a staggering £1.5 million.
Ricky Peppercorn, 36, from Salts Road, West Walton, was sentenced today at King’s Lynn Crown Court. He had been caught red-handed in a conspiracy to supply cocaine and cannabis, plus failing to give the police the PIN code to a seized phone.
EncroChat Bust Exposes Drug Kingpin
EncroChat was once the go-to encrypted platform promising complete anonymity, deleting messages instantly and wiping devices if hacked. But when authorities cracked its code in 2020, police across Europe got access to thousands of criminal communications.
Norfolk detectives traced messages from the handle ‘nextbush’ arranging huge drug deals across Norfolk and Cambridgeshire directly back to Peppercorn.
Lockdown Drug Runs and Failed Phone Destruction
- Peppercorn trafficked at least 14 kilos of cocaine (£1.4 million street value) and 9 kilos of cannabis (£60,000 – £90,000 value) between March and June 2020.
- He shuttled between West Walton, Wisbech, and Peterborough during COVID-19 lockdowns to make the deals.
- When police raided his home on 3 June 2021, Peppercorn smashed his phone and tried flushing SIM cards down the toilet — but officers got them all.
- Cocaine was found stashed in his kitchen cupboard.
Despite a trial being delayed due to illness, jurors found him guilty last September.
Serious Organised Crime Unit Cracks Down
“Like many criminals who had used EncroChat for their illicit dealings, Ricky Peppercorn had been convinced he was operating under the radar. He felt safe enough to co-ordinate the sale and exchange of drugs. Little did he know we would be able to view those messages. I hope today’s sentence shows we will continue to pursue those who seek to profit from drugs and the harm they cause, and we will use every tool available to disrupt and dismantle serious organised crime gangs.” — Stephen Dodd, Norfolk Constabulary Serious Organised Crime Unit
