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Family OCG trafficking 1 tonne of cocaine around the UK
Charlotte Hole and Sam Willis prosecuted a family of drug traffickers responsible for moving at least one tonne of cocaine from ports in the South East to towns and cities across the UK.
Headed up by grandmother Deborah Mason, self-described as ‘Gangster Debbs’ and saved in another defendant’s phone as ‘Queen Bee’, the close-knit group of nine defendants were responsible for collecting up to 60 1kg blocks of cocaine at a time from the Harwich / Colchester area, and then delivering them to serious organised crime groups in Rotherham, Bradford, Leicester, Birmingham, Bristol and Cardiff for onward supply. Around 55 individual trips were made by the group during 2023, each trip involving multiple drug drops or cash collections, amounting to around a tonne of cocaine in total.
The trial of eight of the defendants at Woolwich Crown Court concluded this week, and involved the presentation of cell site and ANPR mapping, surveillance evidence, and a schedule of 7,500 messages exchanged between the defendants revealing the inner workings of the conspiracy.
Two of the defendants pleaded guilty during the trial and six were convicted by the jury. One defendant had already pleaded guilty at an earlier stage in the proceedings.
Charlotte and Sam were instructed by Rob Hutchinson of the CPS Complex Casework Unit.
Cyber-criminals selling service to circumvent bank security checks
Sam Willis prosecuted three cyber-criminals for building and running a website used by fraudsters to circumvent bank security checks.
Investigated by the National Crime Agency, the website, called OTP.Agency, was a tool designed to be used by fraudsters to convince their victims to hand over the one-time-passcodes sent by banks when accessing online banking or when making purchases.
Logs and messages recovered during the investigation indicated that the website had been used by over 3,000 fraudsters to make over 66,000 calls to potential victims between March and October of 2021.
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c1w728ypzqxo.amp
https://krebsonsecurity.com/2024/09/owners-of-1-time-passcode-theft-service-plead-guilty/
Supplying 13kg heroin and cocaine using EncroChat
Sam Willis prosecuted this EncroChat case involving the supply of 13kg of Class A drugs in London. The case centered on attribution, piecing together information from the messages and photographs shared, items seized, call data records, information held on the police databases, tenancy information, and Border Force records. The defendant was convicted after a 5-day trial.
780kg of cocaine concealed inside a shipping container
Sam Willis, led by James Brown, prosecuted the "biggest seizure of Class A drugs" ever made by Northamptonshire Police, centred around a shipment of 780kg of cocaine. Worth £78m, the drugs had been concealed inside a shipping container that had arrived into the Port of Felixstowe.
Sam was instructed by Kate Mulholland of the CPS Complex Casework Unit.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-northamptonshire-59493377
Using EncroChat to supply an AK-47, an Intratec Tec-9 automatic pistol, ammunition, and cocaine
Sam Willis was instructed as led junior to prosecute this EncroChat Operation Venetic case involving the supply of an AK-47 assault rifle, an Intratec Tec-9 automatic pistol, ammunition, and cocaine. The nature of the case and the issues at trial required the calling of three different expert witnesses to give opinion evidence on firearms, drugs, and cell site mapping.
Revolver found after a stabbing, then a shotgun fired into a home through a letterbox
Dickon Reid and Sam Willis prosecuted the joint case arising from Operations Vivalas and Kikifeet. After a stabbing in North London, police found a loaded Turkish revolver inside the victim’s car. Less than 48-hours later, three masked men fired a 12-bore shotgun through the letterbox of a house connected to the stabber. The prosecution’s case was that the two incidents were linked - the second being a revenge attack for the first.
Containers filled with 270kg of cocaine, 2,500kg of cannabis and 18.6m cigarettes
Charlotte Hole and Sam Willis prosecuted two importers for bringing into the UK 270 kilograms of cocaine, 2.5 tonnes of cannabis and 18.6 million duty-free cigarettes, all hidden inside shipping containers. Valued at £24m, the drugs had been vacuum-packed and then secreted inside crates of animal feed, yams and oranges. The cigarettes were concealed in a similar manner, hidden inside crates of snack food, coconut fibre and biscuits - the tax that should have been paid on them if imported lawfully totalled just over £9m.
The case followed an extensive investigation by the South West Regional Organised Crime Unit, who became involved when a farmer discovered 189kg of cocaine in a shipping container full of animal feed. The defendants had unsuccessfully tried to divert the container to their warehouse in London so that the drugs could be removed before the container reached the farm.
During the 16-week trial, the conspiracy was evidenced using material from numerous encrypted communications services. The jury heard technical evidence involving cell site analysis, VPN services, and IP address resolution.
Charlotte and Sam were instructed by the CPS Serious Economic, Organised Crime and International Directorate (SEOCID).
https://www.cps.gov.uk/cps/news/drug-smugglers-foiled-farmer-jailed-over-ps29-million-plot
Hatchet killer convicted of murder
Sam Willis, led by Catherine Pattison, prosecuted this murder where the defendant was relying on the partial defence of diminished responsibility. The defendant accepted that he had killed his sister-in-law by brutally attacking her with a hatchet, but claimed that he had been suffering from paranoid delusions at the time that caused him to see her as a manifestation of the devil. The prosecution’s case was that this ’sham defence’ had been concocted by the defendant after his arrest to avoid the consequences of his actions. Following a three-week trial the defendant’s account was rejected by the jury and they convicted him of murder and making a threat to kill. Complexities included contested opinion evidence from four psychiatrists and the admissibility of the defendant's previous conviction in Moldova for the unlawful killing of his ex-wife.
Sam was instructed by CPS Homicide.
https://www.essexlive.news/news/essex-news/ferocious-killer-murdered-sister-law-8621385
https://news.met.police.uk/news/man-convicted-of-the-murder-of-svetlana-mihalachi-in-ilford-470047
Spree of commercial burglaries across London committed by OCG
Sam Willis, led by Charlotte Hole, prosecuted this case of an OCG committing a spree of commercial burglaries across London. The group targeted bookmakers and other shops, typically breaking in during the night using sledgehammers and then cutting open the shop's safe using power tools. Investigated by the Flying Squad, the evidence against the eight defendants was presented over four weeks and included CCTV, covert surveillance, forensics, mobile telephone downloads, and cell site mapping.
Sam was instructed by the CPS Complex Casework Unit.
https://www.standard.co.uk/news/crime/croydon-burglary-gang-jailed-met-flying-squad-b1088840.html
Long-running employee fraud against the NHS
Sam Willis prosecuted this case of fraud by false representation and abuse of position, where an NHS worker had been submitting fabricated timesheets that were then paid by his partner (a manager in the same department). During a two-week trial, various strands of evidence collected by the NHS Counter Fraud Authority were presented to the jury, including timesheets, emails, door access records, and computer access logs.
Sam was instructed by the CPS Serious Economic, Organised Crime and International Directorate.
OCG providing false passports for cash
Sam Willis, led by Dickon Reid, prosecuted this organised crime group who were facilitating illegal entry into the UK by providing false passports in exchange for cash. Over a six-week trial, evidence against the seven defendants was presented showing numerous trips to European cities where false passports were handed over to asylum seekers who then used them to board flights to the UK.
Legal issues during the case included the use of evidence from foreign law enforcement authorities, the admissibility of a modern slavery expert's opinion on the evidence, and the extent to which a claim to be a modern slave could amount to an abuse of process.
Sam was instructed by the CPS East of England Complex Casework Unit.
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/people-smuggling-gang-jailed-for-26-years
EncroChat cocaine supply conspiracy
Sam Willis, led by William Davis, prosecuted this EncroChat OCG who were involved in the supply of 30+ kilos of cocaine around London. The case was in the first wave of prosecutions following the infiltration of the Encro network, and the trial involved several admissibility arguments relating to the source, integrity and reliability of the data. A further complicating factor was that the lead defendant’s wife was a serving Met Police officer.
Sam was instructed by the CPS London Complex Casework Unit.
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/b3a210dc-7986-11ed-bcd8-855e06175970
£170k voodoo money cleaning scam
Sam Willis prosecuted this case of conspiracy to commit fraud by false representation, where the defendants had convinced a vulnerable victim to give her life savings over to them to be 'cleansed' of voodoo. The evidence presented over an 8-day trial included hours of audio recordings, showing that the defendants never had any intention of returning the £170k cash.
Bollywood 'cash for visa' scam
Sam Willis, led by Rupert Kent, prosecuted this high-profile 'cash for visa' scam, focused around a company pretending to be involved in the Bollywood film industry. The 16-week trial resulted in unanimous guilty verdicts against six of the eight defendants. The jury heard how the 'employees' had been transferring their own money to the company, which was then used to pay the wage bill. This facade disguised the reality - that the company was not trading, that the 'employees' were not doing any real work, and that the 'employment' was merely a vehicle for the sale of worker visas. Sam was instructed by the CPS Special Casework Unit.
Seven-handed conspiracy to supply cocaine from London to Brighton (EncroChat material)
Sam Willis, led by Ben Holt, prosecuted this criminal enterprise to transport large quantities of cocaine from London to Brighton for onward distribution. The evidence came from call data records, a surveillance operation, and 'EncroChat' Operation Venetic material, which all had to be carefully presented at trial.
s.18 stabbing after threats exchanged over social media
Sam Willis prosecuted this serious act of violence, arising out of an argument on social media between two young men. The case involved a significant amount of digital material, including social media messages, audio recordings, and CCTV. The 5-day trial required careful presentation of the material and sensitive handling of a vulnerable witness giving evidence through a variety of special measures.
Employee theft of £45k by manipulating computer records
Sam Willis was instructed by the CPS Complex Casework Unit to prosecute this theft case. The Defendant had been manipulating the computer records at her workplace, in order to steal £45k during her three years of employment. Sam was able to use his previous IT experience in order to collate and condense the 500 pages of computer evidence into a clear schedule for the jury.
Supplying software to 'DDOS' websites and gaming servers
Sam Willis defended in this computer misuse and money laundering case. The offences involved the supplying of software used to 'DDOS' websites and gaming servers (temporarily disabling them). The served evidence consisted of 30,000 pages of computer logs, and links to other defendants in the USA introduced additional complexity.
12-handed conspiracy to evade £2.6m duty on tobacco
Sam Willis was instructed as led-junior in this 12-handed tobacco importation matter. The overall duty evaded was calculated to be over £2.6 million. Preparation for the case required extensive analysis of mobile telephone billing data.
Stalking through Facebook, involving 74,000 pages of computer extracts
Sam Willis, led by Paul Walker, defended in this five-week trial involving allegations of stalking. The prosecution evidence consisted of 74,000 pages of Facebook extracts and computer downloads. The ability to analyse large quantities of digital evidence was crucial to the defence case - it led to a 40-page defence bundle being placed before the jury to provide context and balance to the 550-page prosecution bundles.
Chambers of Sarah Forshaw KC &
Mark Heywood KC
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