Darren Midgley: Manchester drugs supplier who sent photos of £100,000 in cash is jailed for 15 years

A Manchester drugs supplier who was involved in providing large amounts of cocaine and funded an expensive lifestyle through being in the illegal substances trade has been put behind bars for 15 years.

Darren Midgley, from Collyhurst, was given the lengthy sentence at Manchester Crown Court after he admitted conspiring to supply cocaine.

The 43-year-old, of Sudell Street, was the subject of a major investigation by the National Crime Agency before he was arrested at his home in December 2021.

The house was filled with expensive items and thousands of pounds in cash and the law enforcement agency which conducted the probe said the evidence against him was “overwhelming”.

What happened that led to Midgley being arrested?

The National Crime Agency (NCA) said Midgley used an encrypted EncroChat phone to arrange his drug deals until the platform was taken down in 2020.

An investigation was launched into him under Operation Venetic, the UK law enforcement response to the takedown of the EncroChat platform.

Midgley, who used the EncroChat handle ‘Biglobos’, was sentenced on the basis that he supplied 11.5kg of cocaine between 30 March 2020 and 6 June 2020.

However, he accepted that he was supplying cocaine before that period because a ledger of his deals was found in the EncroChat data.

This showed that between September 2019 and March 2020 he was involved in 28 cocaine deals and one heroin deal.

He sent a fellow EncroChat user a picture of £100,000 in cash and employed a courier for his handovers.

When Midgley, who was unemployed, was arrested officers found his home was full of items of costly designer clothes and handbags, some worth £3,500 each.

There was also a Rolex Daytona watch, around £7,000 in cash and evidence that the house was being expensively refurbished.

A proceeds of crime investigation into Midgley’s ill-gotten gains is currently ongoing.

What has been said about Midgley’s jailing?

NCA operations manager Dean Wallbank said: “Faced with overwhelming evidence against him, Midgley had no choice but to plead guilty.

“The NCA works with partners at home and abroad to fight the threat of Class A drugs.

“We will continue to do everything we can to protect the public from the harm that individuals like Midgley cause.”