Merseyside dealers caught with £100k in secret room jailed

Two drugs dealers who were caught with £100,000 after sharing photos of a secret hideaway containing drugs and cash have been jailed.

John Barton, 48, and Daniel Rushworth, 34, were found out after the encrypted service Encrochat was hacked by police.

The messages also revealed Barton had offered to sell Rushworth a Walther PKK semi-automatic pistol.

At Liverpool Crown Court, Barton was jailed for 21 years and Rushworth was sentenced to 16 years and four months.

Both admitted conspiracy to supply Class A drugs and conspiracy to supply a firearm.

Barton, of Vauxhall, had used the name City-Hawk on Encrochat between March and June 2020 to supply heroin, cocaine and cannabis, Merseyside Police said.

He was identified after he shared images taken at his homes in Walton and Formby, as well as vehicles.

Rushworth, of Bootle, had supplied cocaine and cannabis under the handle Octo-Red over the same three months, the force said.

In one Encrochat image it showed a secret hideaway he used to store "tops", which is a slang term for kilograms of cocaine.

That led officers to find a secret room hidden behind a mirror.

He also shared images of cocaine blocks, cannabis and large quantities of cash.

Barton, formerly of Green Street, Vauxhall, admitted conspiracy to supply cocaine and heroin, conspiracy to supply a firearm.

Rushworth, of Deerbarn Drive, Bootle admitted conspiracy to supply cocaine, possession of criminal property and conspiracy to supply a firearm.

Det Ch Insp Paul McVeigh said the cash found at Rushworth's home was a "significant find" after detectives discovered Barton and Rushworth had played a "major role" in supplying drugs and weapons.

He said the latest sentencing joined a "long line" of drug dealers' convictions and the force would "keep this momentum going".

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