The man who knew it was game over tried to flee to Spain – but didn’t make it

A drug dealer has been arrested as he tried to board a flight to Spain with £8,000 in cash. Gary Cain, 45, who operated the EncroChat handle ‘StableWorld’ was stopped as he tried to board a flight to Malaga from Liverpool John Lennon Airport.

Arrested while trying to use a fake name at the airport on 12 July 2023, Cain’s involvement in an illicit EncroChat conspiracy was revealed as part of Merseyside Police’s commitment to Operation Venetic, an international crackdown on criminals using the platform encrypted messaging.

Cain, formerly of Bold Street, Liverpool, in 2020 claimed he had run out of money and borrowed resources to buy a car. But he was found with £8,000, €200 and a hefty Rolex watch.

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Analysis of his EncroChat activities, available following the April 2020 hack, revealed that Cain was concerned about supplying cocaine on multiple dates, including April 4, 8 and 26. Evidence also implicated him in the supply of heroin on April 25 and 27 and several kilograms of amphetamine in partnership with another Encrochat suspect, ‘RoyalCleaner’, unmasked earlier this year as Philip Glennon.

After his arrest last July, Cain offered no comment when interviewed. Detectives were able to establish several links between Cain and the “StableWorld” alias.

Evidence showed other users saved “StableWorld” to their contacts as “Gary Cain” and “GC” and the password for his device was his son’s full name, the Liverpool Echo reports. The court heard that the EncroChat breach gave investigators a glimpse into the six-week conspiracy in 2020.

Cain was said to have played a crucial role, often acting as a go-between and profiting from the deals. His criminal record included a drug conviction in 1997 and a 42-month sentence for robbery in 2014.

Cain admitted to conspiring to supply cocaine and heroin during his plea and trial preparation hearing and to supplying amphetamine at a later case management hearing. A subsequent trial found that Cain distributed 7.5 kg of cocaine, 0.5 kg of heroin and 48 kg of amphetamine.

In a brief defense statement, Julian Nutter pointed out that some EncroChat-related cases involved “metric tons” of drugs, while Cain’s involvement was relatively minor. Mr Nutter described his client as “a small, not a big crook” and called for a justified immediate prison sentence.

Her Honor Judge Charlotte Crangle said Cain “traded on desperation and poverty because of his own greed”. She said: “Drugs wreak havoc and destroy lives and lead drug addicts to turn to crime to feed their addictions.”

Judge Crangle told Cain that his role in the wider drug conspiracy came as a result of him “trying to set up a round of drug dealing that you had previously done”. She said: “You thought you were invincible holding an EncroChat phone thinking you were safe.

Accepting his guilty pleas and considering the impact of his sentence on his family, but noting that Cain had chosen his criminal path, Judge Crangle handed down a sentence of 10 years and six months in prison. Appearing via video link and wearing an Under Armor tech T-shirt, Cain showed no emotion at his sentencing.

Merseyside Police Detective Inspector Peter McCullough said: “Cain, like many criminals before him, believed he could avoid detection by using encrypted devices. But thanks to these networks being compromised and some useful information provided by Cain himself, he will now serve a long time. prison sentence.”

He added: “We are working tirelessly to prevent criminals from targeting vulnerable people in our communities with illicit drugs. The key to this may be information from those communities who feel the worst and I would encourage members of the public to contact us if they have any information that could help.”

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