A UK drug dealer was apprehended by authorities after sharing a revealing selfie on an encrypted chat platform. Darren Stirling, a 58-year-old dealer based in Basildon, Essex, used EncroChat to conduct his illicit drug business, offering cocaine, MDMA, cannabis, and ketamine. Law enforcement closely monitored the encrypted network and identified Stirling through the topless photo he posted. To make matters worse, Stirling listed the luxurious yacht he lived on as his primary address on the platform, aiding in his location being pinpointed at Penton Hook Marina in Chertsey, Surrey. In July 2020, Stirling was arrested and later sentenced to 18 years in jail for two drug offenses. During the arrest, officers seized an encrypted mobile device, cannabis, tablets, and a signal jammer from the boat. Further investigation led to the discovery of over ten million tablets, initially suspected to be diazepam but later found to be antihistamine, in a storage unit linked to Stirling. EncroChat, an online platform with 60,000 users worldwide and 10,000 in the UK, was primarily used for coordinating criminal activities and money laundering. International law enforcement agencies collaborated to target EncroChat, resulting in its infiltration by agencies in France and the Netherlands in 2020. The intelligence gathered from this operation was shared with national law enforcement agencies through Europol.
UK Drug Dealer Busted After Sharing Revealing Selfie on Encrypted Chat
