A major drugs ring was cracked after one dealer inadvertently revealed his fingerprints in a photo sent to other members, a court has heard.

Stephen Hart, 54, from Greenhill, Kent, showed off a large rock of cocaine in a picture shared via EncroChat, a dark web messaging service widely used by criminals for four years until it was infiltrated by detectives in 2020.

Even though the image didn’t include his fingertips, forensic specialists were able to pull data from the rest of his fingers and palm and match it to fingerprints on the national database.

Another 10 dealers were identified via the chat, which showed they had imported and distributed large quantities of cocaine in deals worth up to £180,000 a piece.

The find led detectives to a number of properties across Essex which linked back to the gang’s headquarters in a container tucked away in a secure yard in Romford, east London.

Police raided the properties, unearthing thousands of pounds in cash, several kilos of drugs and a firearm.

All 11 members were later charged and pleaded guilty to a series of drugs offences at Basildon Crown Court.

Seven of them were jailed for a total of 55 years and eight months, with Hart, who played a transport role, handed nine years and five months.

The group’s leader, 54-year-old Michael Read, of Crouch Road in Grays, has been locked up for 11 years and three months.

Jurors heard how each member went by aliases on EncroChat – with Hart using the moniker ‘Interestingheart’.

Read was known as ‘Positivity’ while two others had pseudonyms of ‘Firefingers’ and ‘Pinkplumber’.

DS Mike Monkton said: ‘This group made hundreds of thousands of pounds from causing misery to others.

‘This was a thorough, widespread, and complex investigation but in the end, due to the sheer amount of evidence we had compiled against them, 11 people were left with no option but to plead guilty to the charges against them.’

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