Police looking for 20 men amid drugs supply investigation
Officers think some of them may be abroad
Police are looking for 20 Merseyside men in connection with a drugs supply investigation.
Merseyside Police say they want to speak to them 'as a matter of urgency' as part of Operation Venetic, a national investigation into the EncroChat encrypted messaging platform.
Officers think some, or even all, of these men may be abroad.
The men are:
- Daniel Duckworth, 40, from Kirkby
- Paul Gouthwaite, 36, from Melling
- Paul Finnigan, 36, from Mossley Hill
- Stephen Knowles, 40, from Waterloo
- James Hitchmough, 34, from Roby
- Anthony Pinnington, 42, from Formby
- Jamie Heron, 26, from Anfield
- Ian Roberts, 30, from Huyton
- Lee Malone, 38, from Aigburth
- Carl Aldridge, 37, from Aigburth
- Josh Thomas, 32, from Poulton
- Gavin Cullen, 36, from West Derby
- Michael Leather, 31, from Huyton
- Lee Witter, 48, from Lydiate
- James Rice, 27, from Huyton
- Liam O'Hare, 33, from Huyton
- Steven Sheldon, 32, from Edge Hill
- Josh McMahon AKA Hesketh, 32, from Liscard
- Kiye Rigby, 28, from St Helens
- Adam Duffy, 42, from West Derby
This appeal comes five years on from the EncroChat servers being shut down after being infiltrated by law enforcement.
Since then, 251 people have been arrested by Merseyside Police, with 213 charged and 181 sentenced to a combined 2,276 years in prison.
Detective Chief Superintendent Karen Jaundrill, Head of Investigations at Merseyside Police, said:
"We’ve had some fantastic results over the last five years through Operation Venetic, but we remain as determined as ever to remove even more drug dealers from our streets.
"This work continues and we are now keen to locate these 20 men who we believe could have information to assist ongoing investigations.
"If you recognise any of these men or hold any information that could help us find them, please let us know.
"You can do this by getting in touch with Merseyside Police directly, or alternatively you can stay completely anonymous and contact Crimestoppers.
"It's vital that the community comes forward"
"We understand it could be daunting when providing information to the police, but it’s vital that the community comes forward because your knowledge could be vital.
"We know the destruction that drug supply causes and Merseyside Police remains relentless in our pursuit of these criminals and to bring down serious and organised criminal groups.
"We have already arrested hundreds of people who tried to protect their identity behind what they believed was a secure communications system, but we continue to ensure there is no hiding place. In so many cases, we have been able to prove their culpability by linking them to an EncroChat handle beyond any doubt.
"There will never be a place for these people to hide for as long as Merseyside Police remains determined to rid our communities of drug dealers and the harm they cause."