Amy and Claire McGlone used the “Moodyalpha” handle to receive instructions on how to ship cocaine, heroin, and cannabis from Merseyside to destinations throughout the United Kingdom. Police who arrested the couple found a huge “hidden” drug in their Mazda, while the hacking of the Encrochat network revealed the full extent of their crime. The sisters, both mothers of two and from Kirkby, sat side by side on HMP Styal as a judge at Liverpool Crown Court jailed them this morning. READ MORE:The suspect took the name of the popular Co-op worker killed in M62 crash Prosecution Nicola Daley said the sisters worked together, passing the Encro phone from one to the other as the two received instructions from their boss, “secretgold” in the spring of 2020. It is not clear exactly when the McGlones, neither of whom has a previous conviction, has been involved in drug trafficking. However, a flow of messages indicates that the couple were transporting drugs to and from Merseyside throughout April and May of that year. A series of messages from the beginning of April show how they took instructions from the “secret gold”, which has not been detected, and transported drugs to the area. On April 7, he texted Claire, 35, who had the phone at the scene, saying, “I need a Speke top grab, a Chester mate pass is ok.” She replied, “When, my friend, what time will I call Amy now?” He said, “At about twenty-one that afternoon.” Then he said to him: “Sound dude we are ready and waiting to go to get the computer [the postcode]. » He sent her the address later that day and then the two sisters picked up cocaine from a house on Speke’s Eastern Avenue and left it at an address in Wrexham. Later messages, during this month and in May, either directly or indirectly refer to trips to Newport, Cardiff and Darlington, as well as more local trips. Claire McGlone, 35, of Mintor Road, Kirkby, was jailed for four years and nine months at Liverpool Crown Court on Friday, June 10, 2022. On April 29, Claire McGlone appeared to be in control of the Encro phone and assured “secretgold” that she would get 15. 15,300 at Huyton as soon as she “took out the tea for the kids”. Other messages reveal that the sisters sometimes stored drugs and cash in the homes where they lived with their children. On May 4, when asked to send photos of drugs she had taken, Claire McGlone once replied: “Give me 5 minutes to put it in my good stock under the floor.” The sisters were arrested after being stopped in Newport by Gwent Police on May 20, 2020. This came as a result of Operation Venetic, the broader investigation into the Encrochat network. Ms Daley said: “When police examined the car, they found a ‘hide’ behind the rear seats, secured by an electronically activated latch. Both defendants were arrested and a BQ VSmart cell phone confiscated by Claire McGlone. “When tested, it was found to have an unknown SIM card and is believed to be an Encrochat enabled device.” A later analysis of the phone revealed that Amy McGlone, 38, could be linked to the supply of 6kg of cocaine, 11kg of heroin and 6.5kg of cannabis between April 1 and May 10, 2020. Claire McGlone was linked to slightly lower quantities because was in the hospital for a while, which means Amy made some trips on her own. Amy McGlone, 38, of Kennelwood Avenue, Kirkby, was jailed for four years and six months at Liverpool Crown Court on Friday, June 10, 2022. Ms Daley said there was no indication that the women or their families were living “a rich life” as a result of drug trafficking, with Amy McGlone’s financial situation appearing to be particularly poor. Ms Daley said she only seemed to pay a few hundred pounds for each trip. At an earlier hearing, Claire McGlone said she had been forced to smuggle drugs by an abusive ex and described her arrest as a “relief” – but Judge David Swinnerton ruled that coercion did not play a significant role in her criminal activity. Brenda Campbell, QC, defending Claire McGlone and Rebecca Filletti, defending Amy McGlone, each said the sisters had an extremely difficult life and suffered from significant mental health problems linked to their dad’s death. Ms Campbell said: “These young women have had to deal with far more in their lives so far than many people would in a lifetime.” She and Ms. Filletti also appealed to Judge David Swinnerton to reduce their prison sentences to take into account the effects of custody on their children and their mother, whom they both cared for in the past. Ms Campbell said of Claire McGlone: ”She is completely devastated to be in this position. “She misses her children terribly and is shocked by what she has done to her children and her mother.” Judge Swinnerton said it was clear that their father’s death had marked the whole life of the brothers and “waved the generations” of their family and said he would reduce the sentence because of their personal circumstances. However, he said that everyone was equally involved in a major drug conspiracy that spread across the country, although he acknowledged that they operated “entirely on the instructions of” secret gold “. Mintor Road Claire McGlone was jailed for four years and nine months. Amy McGlone, from Kennelwood Avenue, was jailed for four years and six months.
