Luton men found guilty of selling encrypted phones to criminals across country in 'landmark' case

Three men from Luton have been found guilty of selling encrypted phones to criminals across the country.

Jason Russo, 33, Jamil Ahmed, 26, and Mohammed Miah, 32, all from Luton, were sentenced last week after equipping organised crime groups across the country with Enchrochat devices.

They pretended to be an established telecommunications business as a front for selling the devices.

Jason Russo of Colwell Rise was sentenced to two years and six months in prison, while Jamil Ahmed of Leyhill Drive and Mohammed Miah of Sarum Road were each given an 18-month community order. Bedfordshire Police only released a custody image of Russo, not the other two men.

Detective Inspector Simon Mullan, from Bedfordshire Police’s Operation Costello team, said: “This is a landmark case which has seen us become the first force nationally to convict people in accordance with legislation that enables drug offences. This has set a real precedent and our fight against professional enablers is only just getting started.

“Professional enablers assist and financially benefit from criminal activity. Whether you are renting premises to drug dealers, doing electrical work at a cannabis factory, supplying burner phones, or providing any other type of equipment or service used to commit crime, turning a blind eye to what you are enabling is no excuse.

"This should send a stark message to you that you will be investigated and face judgement as if you had committed the offence you enabled.”

Up until 2020, Encrochat had been an illegal system used by drug dealers and criminals to communicate globally. But four years ago, law enforcement agencies managed to take down the system as part of Operation Venetic.