Drug gang member handed a suspended sentence

A woman who was part of an organised crime group (OCG) has been handed a suspended sentence, for her part in running a drugs network in Hertfordshire.  

Hertfordshire Constabulary's Serious and Organised Crime Command set about dismantling the well-established OCG who had been using an encrypted phone app called 'EncroChat' to communicate with OCG members and plan crimes.   

The Operation Relentless team had been carrying out an intensive investigation of the OCG since August 2019, when in March 2020 police benefited from a significant breakthrough in the fight against organised crime. The National Crime Agency (NCA) used its powers to gain access to the encryption protocols, passing on intelligence to police forces in order to identify criminals and their activities.

Sixty-five year old Jacqueline Slowley was arrested in October 2020 and later charged with conspiracy to supply class A drugs (cocaine).

She appeared at St Albans Crown Court on Friday 17 February and was sentenced to two years imprisonment, suspended for 18 months, after entering a guilty plea. 

Detective Inspector Sarah Corr, from Hertfordshire Constabulary's Operation Relentless team, said: "We have been able to dismantle a number of OCGs operating in the county using the data recovered from EncroChat.

"Over the past two years we have made significant progress in shutting down drug supply networks, jailing criminals and seizing large amounts of cash and drugs. 

"Organised crime groups use violence, supply drugs and commit a whole range of crimes that pose a real threat to the community. Operation Relentless is Hertfordshire Constabulary's response to this on-going threat.

"As part of this work, we depend on information from members of the public to help us crack down on drug-related crime.

"Any information you can provide, no matter how small it may seem, could help us to identify and apprehend drug dealers."