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More Irish criminals will face arrests and charges in the coming months, high-level sources revealed after an Irish criminal who was arrested by law enforcement agencies compromising the EncroChat service earlier this year became the first Irish citizen to be sentenced in the secret investigation.
homas Maher, a native of Clara, Co Offaly, was sentenced to 14 years and eight months in prison at Liverpool Crown Court after pleading guilty at an earlier hearing to two charges relating to the importation of Class A drugs into the UK and two money laundering charges.
“There will be more criminals linked to Maher who are very likely to face serious jail time in the New Year,” a senior source told Independent.ie last night.
One count of conspiracy to commit a crime abroad, that of conspiracy to cause serious bodily harm to Ronan Hughes in Ireland between April 21 and 29 this year, was ordered to lie in the record after Maher se pleaded not guilty.
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Some of the ornaments of Thomas Maher’s lavish lifestyle that were seized by the police
Haulier Hughes, 40, of Co Armagh in Northern Ireland, pleaded guilty at the Old Bailey in August to 39 counts of involuntary manslaughter following the deaths of Vietnamese immigrants and faces possible life in prison next year.
Eamon Harrison (24) was found guilty of manslaughter on Monday for his role in the plot, while Armagh’s man Christopher Kennedy (24) was found guilty of conspiracy.
The charge is understood to be related to Maher’s investigation into attempting to orchestrate Hughes’ attack on Cloverhill prison while awaiting his extradition to the UK between April 21-29 this year.
Maher was previously arrested but released without charge in October 2019 after being questioned about involuntary manslaughter and conspiracy to smuggle people in connection with the deaths of the 39 Vietnamese migrants in a truck container in Essex.
The Offaly man, who, according to the English police, had been living “the high life” in the UK for more than 20 years, was previously arrested for possession of drugs worth 250,000 euros in Newbridge, Co Kildare, ten years ago with another man by gardai, but both were released without charging.
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Thomas Maher was ‘living the good life’ in the UK
“The tractor unit involved had at one time been owned by Maher and was still registered in his wife’s name even after it was sold, the UK’s National Crime Agency said yesterday.
“Maher was released without further action by the Essex police, but the NCA investigation revealed that even though he and his wife were on less than minimum wage for tax purposes, they lived a luxurious lifestyle,” added a spokesman.
However, his luck finally ran out when the English specialist police and gardai reoriented their investigations on Maher after the Essex tragedy.
“This individual has connections to all the major drug gangs here, he basically worked for them using his transportation expertise to bring drug shipments into the country and pay for them in cash from Ireland,” a senior source told Independent.ie.
From humble beginnings in her hometown of Clara, where she comes from a decent family, she lived with all the trappings of her ill-gotten UK wealth, which involved owning high-end sports cars, expensive vacations abroad and a luxury home, but it’s all over for him now, “added the source.
The British National Crime Agency (NCA) said the evidence showed that it operated a transport network spanning Europe, moving drugs to the UK and Ireland and proceeds in the other direction.
Encrochat messages revealed in April 2020 orchestrated the collection and delivery of at least 21 kilos of cocaine from locations in the Netherlands.
Associates informed Maher when the drugs were collected, transported and reached their final destination in Ireland, the agency said in a statement.
In a message exchange, Maher discussed the best ports to use with an accomplice. He said, “I’ve been in this game for the last 20 years, buddy, I haven’t spent the night so I know the way to play.”
On another exchange, he joked about how he was in an excellent position to take advantage once the coronavirus lockdown restrictions were eased, saying, “Once this travel ban is lifted … we’ll laugh my friend, I’m telling you it’s because I’m not stressed yet. ” . “
The father-of-three, who had been living in Warrington, Cheshire, used the encrypted Encrochat telephone network, accessed by law enforcement agencies across Europe earlier this year, to plan transportation, the court heard.
In sentencing him, Judge David Aubrey QC said: “You were an extremely important cog in the wheel of a sophisticated Class A controlled drug distribution network that had an international element.
“You were a reliable organizer, you participated in the exchange of goods, in how the parties could identify with each other when and how the drugs would be transported.
“Drugs cause despair and misery, they are a cancer among us, but for those like you it doesn’t matter as long as financial gains are made.”
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