On 25/7, 30-year-old Thomas Hooton was sentenced to 10 years and 8 months in prison after pleading guilty at Liverpool Crown Court to conspiracy to supply drugs.

Hooton, from Liverpool, used the EncroChat messaging service under the alias "Ownraptor" to supply heroin, cocaine, cannabis, and ketamine, with a wholesale value of approximately £1.3 million, while also brokering "high-level deals" between 3/26/2020 and 6/4/2020.

Thomas Hooton after his arrest. Photo: NCA

Thomas Hooton after his arrest. Photo: NCA

Hooton was arrested in April following a covert operation by the National Crime Agency (NCA) and Merseyside Police.

The NCA stated that Hooton was linked to the supply of 42.5 kg of cannabis, 3.25 kg of heroin, 10 kg of cocaine, and 1 kg of ketamine. He messaged 41 different people using EncroChat, the messaging service infiltrated and taken down by European task forces in 2020, and operated a drug supply chain reaching Scotland, the Northeast, and Southern England.

Police identified Hooton after he sent a picture of his father, Peter Hooton, lead singer of the indie band The Farm, holding the Champions League trophy to his EncroChat contacts. He also boasted in messages about driving a black Audi A3, mentioning that his "dad" had taken care of the insurance.

Upon checking the insurance details of Peter Hooton, the iconic 1990s pop star, police discovered that he had indeed purchased car insurance for his son, matching the make and model mentioned in the messages.

The encrypted conversations also revealed that Thomas had around £400,000 and owed another £258,000.

Speaking after the sentencing, Detective Superintendent Lynsay Armbruster stated that Hooton had been involved in organized crime for a considerable period before being charged.

"His drug supply operation was almost daily, sustained, and spanned across the UK, collaborating with high-level criminals," Armbruster said.

Tue Anh (Independent)