'El Chapo' brother of ex-Liverpool player disputes sentence for £26m drug empire
Jonathan Cassidy imported hundreds of kilos of cocaine into the UK in modified vehicles before it was distributed by his younger brother Jamie.
An ex-builder who ran a £26m drug empire with his former Liverpool FC wonderkid brother has failed in his bid to challenge his EncroChat sentence.
Jonathan Cassidy imported hundreds of kilos of cocaine from South America in an international drugs racket with his younger brother Jamie and business partner Nasar Ahmed, reports the Liverpool Echo.
Cassidy, 50, boasted on Encrochat messages that his criminal enterprise was reminiscent of Mexican drug lord Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán under the name "WhiskyWasp. However, following the hack of the EncroChat network by European law enforcement, Cassidy fled to Dubai.
He was arrested upon his return to the UK in October 2020. Following over three years of legal challenges where the brothers and Ahmed fought the admissibility of the EncroChat data, the defendants pleaded guilty in February 2024. Cassidy was sentenced to 21 years, nine months for conspiracy to import cocaine; conspiracy to supply cocaine; and conspiracy to conceal, transfer and disguise criminal proceeds.
Cassidy appeared before London's Court of Appeal on May 20 this year in a renewed application for leave to appeal against his sentence. His challenge, brought before the high court by counsel Michael Bromley-Martin KC, said too low a discount was applied as credit for his guilty plea and the sentencing judge failed to consider exceptional mitigating factors.
But dismissing his case, the Court of Appeal bench of Lord Justice Fraser, Mr Justice Hilliard and Mr Justice Constable said they were "not persuaded that the resulting sentences are manifestly excessive or reached after an error in principle".
'Instrumental in organising significant quantities of drugs'
The high court heard that EncroChat data showed Cassidy's first importation occurred in early March 2020, when 194 kilograms of cocaine, which was in blocks embossed with snowmen, was imported into the country. The payments for the consignment were arranged by Ahmed, with the two men sharing the profits, which amounted to between £2,000 and £10,000 per kilo.
The ECHO previously reported how the gang brought the drugs into the UK via Amsterdam hidden in vehicles with modified hides. Cassidy exchanged messages with a Dutch contact on April 2 of the same year to arrange 90 kilos of cocaine and Ahmed arranged a Hawala banker in Amsterdam to release payment.
Arrangements continued until police arrested a courier and found €800,000 and nine-and-a-half kilos of cocaine. But despite the dent in operations Cassidy exchanged messages with an associate in the Netherlands about a contact who claimed to be able to source 1,200 kilos of the class A drug.
Discussions were had about purchasing 10 kilos as a test run with it arriving a few days later between April 14-15. At the same time Cassidy directed his brother Jamie to oversee the distribution of 162 kilos of cocaine, with the younger man providing a list of who had been given what.
By this time EncroChat had been hacked and law enforcement had access to messages. An associate of the three men called Leon Atkinson was supplied cocaine sourced from and supplied by Ahmed, with payments nearing £500,000 in Bitcoin to a wallet controlled by a contact.
The Court of Appeal heard that although details varied, "both Cassidy and Ahmed...were instrumental in organising significant quantities of drugs, arrangements payment, instructing couriers and so on".
Panadol box led police to Cassidy
Message analysis showed the men not only conducted business on their Encro phones, but they began to use them for everyday conversations, sharing photos of their families and special occasions. On one occasion, Cassidy referred to plain clothed police officers as "quick scruffy c**** with rucksacks", while in a different message he shared a picture of a box of Panadol.
Both of these messages, paired with cell site and fingerprint analysis, helped create a detailed timeline of events for detectives. Another message showed how highly Cassidy thought of himself. When watching an episode of Narcos, he sent an image to a friend joking that he and drug lord El Chapo, who had an estimated net worth of $1bn, shared the same birthday. His friend responded: "Coincidence, I think f***ing not".
The administrators of EncroChat warned users on June 13 2020 that government entities had gained access to the domain and security was no longer guaranteed. Ahmed searched online for travel updates to the UAE on July 13, but was arrested at his house in Bury two days later.
Cassidy used his iPad to read an article on the ECHO about a fugitive who had been on the run for 16 years but was arrested from Portugal on his return. He left the country on a flight to Dubai that evening, but perhaps emboldened by the fact his brother had been able to return to the country without being stopped, he flew back in October, where he was arrested.
Cassidy, his brother and Ahmed were all sentenced in February 2024. The judge drew attention to the scale of the operation, the amount of drugs imported, the size of the transactions and the highly organised nature of the operation.
He sentenced Cassidy to 27 years, but then reduced the sentence due to conditions in prison due to covid, as well as an additional discount of 15% for the defendant's guilty plea.
Cassidy's brother Jamie, a youth star at Liverpool who was top scorer for England u16s before injuries blighted his promising career, was sentenced to 13 years and three months, while Ahmed received a custodial sentence of 21 years and nine months.
'Not persuaded sentence was manifestly excessive'
The Court of Appeal heard Cassidy's sentence was reduced by four months to take into account him serving a period of imprisonment during covid conditions while on remand. The judges found the sentencing judge's adjustment was sufficient and not outside the range that could properly be granted.
Ahmed also appeared during the same hearing at the Court of Appeal to challenge his sentence on the same grounds as Cassidy, in particular that he was awarded an insufficient reduction for his guilty plea. The judges confirmed they dismissed Ahmed's appeal and refused a renewed application.
In May 2022, four associates linked to the Cassidys and Ahmed were jailed for almost 40 years after a selfie of Atkinson led to their downfall. Liverpool man Joshua Avis is wanted by Greater Manchester Police in connection with their investigation.
Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community!
Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today.
You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland.
No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team.
All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in!
If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'.
We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like.
To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'.
If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Metro
7 hours ago
- Metro
Antonio Rudiger accuses Club World Cup opponent of racism in Real Madrid game
Real Madrid star Antonio Rudiger has accused Gustavo Cabral of racial abuse during his team's Club World Cup victory over Pachuca on Sunday. The alleged incident occurred in stoppage time as Rudiger was seen approaching referee Ramon Abatti after an exchange with his opponent. Cabral, a defender for Mexican club Pachuca, is alleged to have called Rudiger a 'negro de mierda' – a Spanish insult that translates as 'f***ing n*****' – sources inside the stadium have claimed to the Daily Mail. It should be noted that Cabral has disputed the claim, stating he had instead called Rudiger a 'cagon de mierda', meaning 'f***ing coward'. FIFA are set to investigate the alleged incident after the referee activated the anti-discrimination protocol with a crossed-arms gesture. Quizzed if Rudiger had been the victim of racism during the game, Real Madrid head coach Xabi Alonso told a press conference: 'Toni told us something, we support Toni and we will see what happens. 'I think the FIFA protocol has been activated to investigate, but if it has happened, all measures should be taken and we support Antonio because it's something unacceptable. 'In football there is no tolerance for this, and if it happened, then measures should be taken. This is what Antonio has told us and we believe him. It's being investigated now.' Pachuca head coach Jaime Lozano was also asked about the incident – but said he was unaware of what had happened. 'I just found out from you, you are letting me know, we did not talk about it in the dressing room,' he said. 'I haven't spoken to Cabral about this, I cannot give you an explanation about it because this is the first [I have heard of] this news. More Trending 'It cannot be justified at all but I will talk to him, I've known him for a little while and and I have never heard of something like that with Pachuca players.' Real Madrid won the match 3-1 despite being reduced to 10 men after just seven minutes, with Raúl Asencio shown an early red card. Goals from Jude Bellingham, Arda Guler and Federico Valverde put the Spanish side in control before Elías Montiel scored for the Mexican side with 10 minutes to go. Real Madrid are back in Club World Cup action on Friday when they face fellow European side Red Bull Salzburg in Group H. MORE: Frank Leboeuf slams 'foolish' Chelsea fans and sends warning after Flamengo defeat MORE: Filipe Luis makes huge Nicolas Jackson prediction after Chelsea red card vs Flamengo MORE: John Obi Mikel worried for Chelsea star who keeps 'disappearing' in games
Metro
7 hours ago
- Metro
One in seven people lost money to fraud last year, survey finds
One in seven of us has lost money to fraud or scams in the past year, according to a new survey. Some 14% of those surveyed said they had fallen victim to a fraud which had cost them money in the last 12 months. Half of respondents said they had received a fraud attempt within the last three months. The prevalence of online fraud has increased support for tightening online security, with more people saying they are willing to go through additional checks to stay safe. Just under half (49%) of those surveyed by financial insights company TransUnion said they didn't mind being asked to reauthenticate after an initial login, for example, when changing a password or making a payment. An overwhelming 78% of the 1,000 over-18s asked said they did not want to be able to access their accounts without their identity being verified first. Chad Reimers, general manager of fraud and identity at TransUnion in the UK said: 'Quick and seamless journeys have become the norm. 'However, consumers are increasingly demanding trust as part of their interactions with digital channels. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video 'There are increasing demands from consumers to ensure security and authentication – and this spans across sectors, from financial services, to gaming, to online dating.' As well as reporting incidents to the police, people who believe they have fallen victim to fraud should tell their bank or payments provider as soon as they can. This can help the provider to claw back the money and could also help to prevent further fraud attempts on the account. Many banks have signed up to the 159 service – a memorable number that people can call if they have received contact that they suspect to be fraudulent. More Trending People can also check their credit reports for any activity which may indicate fraud. The UK lost around £23.9 billion to fraud and scams last year, according to the Nasdaq financial crime report – the equivalent to around 1% of Britain's GDP. This was the biggest loss in any country in the European region, followed France and Germany. View More » UK fraud reportedly accounts for more than 40% of crime but it receives 'less than 1% of police resources,' Janine Hirt, the CEO of Innovate Finance told Compliance Corylated. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: Family pays tribute to mum killed before house was blown up MORE: Full list of Santander bank branches closing this week MORE: Man, 22, fighting for life after stabbing outside prayer centre
The Herald Scotland
14 hours ago
- The Herald Scotland
'Parents Against Knives' march takes place through Glasgow
Kory McCrimmon (Image: Archives) To commemorate the first anniversary of the 16-year-old's death, his loved ones planned a 'Parents Against Knives' peaceful walk, which took place on Sunday, June 22. Speaking ahead of the event, Kory's big brother Jamie told crowds that his sibling's absence is a 'senseless burden that his family have to carry for the rest of their lives'. Read more: Kory's brother Jamie speaking outside Ibrox Stadium in Glasgow before people take part in a Parents Against Knives walk from Ibrox Stadium to Parkhead in Glasgow. The walk has been organised by the family of Kory McCrimmon, 16, who died in 2024 (Image: Robert Perry/PA wire) Jamie said: 'Losing Kory was a heartbreaking experience for everyone who loved him. He was a fun-loving, kind-hearted, and mischievous young boy who had so much more to live for. 'Kory's absence is a senseless burden that my family have to carry with us for the rest of our lives. I know we are not alone in this. 'Even in the last year, there have been so many other families affected by knife crime, and so many more young lives have been cut short. 'Our hearts go out to everyone in the same position as us. This walk is the first step in our journey to help reduce knife crime amongst the youth in Scotland. 'By making a stand and coming together, we can make a difference and push for changes that need to be made. 'The walk today is to prove that, through all the anger, violence, and pain, we can stand together peacefully and set an example to do better. 'Losing Kory was one of the hardest things I've ever gone through, but I want his death not to be in vain. 'I hope that his name and memory will help to provide a safer future for kids across Scotland.' (Image: Newsquest staff) The walk began at Ibrox Stadium in the city's South Side shortly after 1.30pm. Hundreds of people joined Kory's parents, Neil and Elizabeth McCrimmon, and his brother as they braved the pouring rain. (Image: Newsquest staff) Former footballer Mark Hateley (left) with Neil and Elizabeth McCrimmon, the parents of Kory, at Ibrox stadium in Glasgow before people take part in a Parents Against Knives walk from the Ibrox stadium to Parkhead in Glasgow. (Image: Robert Perry/PA wire) (Image: Robert Perry/PA wire) Attendees wore t-shirts with a picture of the teenager and held banners as they made the six-mile journey to Celtic Park in the East End. The walk was organised to help raise awareness of the dangers of knife crime and to remember all those who have been lost to knife crime. Kory's aunt Jackie McTaggart (Image: Newsquest staff) Jackie McTaggart, Kory's aunt, said 'enough is enough', and that change is needed. She added: 'Seeing the news about other kids who have died is horrendous for the family. For his mum and dad, it's unbearable. 'It's just a constant reminder that nothing has changed, and they're still doing it, kids are still out there picking up knives. 'Enough is enough. What we hope is that people will listen and take notice and maybe join the conversation. 'We just need change. I am over the moon at the turnout we've had. All we're saying is we want the kids to put down the weapons, but they do need something else in their lives. 'We need everyone to have an input on how we solve this. The community has been amazing in what has been an absolutely horrific year. 'His mum was thinking if we could do this walk today, highlight it and bring some attention to it, then maybe she can let her wee boy go to rest. 'Now we're quite welcome to see him everywhere if that's what it takes for someone to listen to us.' (Image: Newsquest staff) (Image: Robert Perry/PA wire) Elizabeth McCrimmon, the mother of Kory, at Ibrox stadium in Glasgow before people take part in a Parents Against Knives walk from the Ibrox stadium to Parkhead in Glasgow. (Image: Robert Perry/PA wire) Last month, our sister title the Glasgow Times reported that a 14-year-old boy who admitted killing Kory following a dispute over £50 was sentenced to five years' detention. Kate Wallace, chief executive of Victim Support Scotland, previously commented: "Too many lives are being devastated by knife crime in Scotland. "Behind every statistic, hundreds of lives are irreversibly impacted with tragic consequences for everyone involved: family, friends, siblings, schoolmates, and the wider communities in which we all live. 'These are complex and sensitive situations which require a multi-agency response from the Scottish Government, victim support organisations, police, social work, youth work and others to work together to tackle knife crime and the devastation it causes. "People across Scotland deserve to feel safe in their own communities. Recent legislative changes, recognising everyone under the age of 18 as a child, have had far-reaching consequences for victims of knife crime and all crimes involving young people. "We will continue to work to ensure the rights of victims are upheld in this changing approach. "Our Support for Families Bereaved by Crime team witnesses the irreparable damage done by knife crime, both on victims and the families they leave behind." Anyone who has been affected by knife crime or any other type of crime can contact the Victim Support Scotland helpline on 0800 160 1985 or visit
