A former builder who ran a £26m drug empire using the encrypted messaging network, EncroChat, has had his bid to reduce his sentence rejected.

Jonathan Cassidy, who ran the cocaine operation alongside brother Jamie, was arrested at Manchester Airport in October 2020.

Initially, he had fled to Dubai in June that year after learning that European law enforcement had successfully hacked into and taken over EncroChat; which led to the downfall of hundreds of drug dealers across Europe.

Jonathan, 50, from Liverpool, was known as ‘WhiskeyWasp’ on the app, and referred to himself as the UK’s ‘El Chapo’ in messages to others.

In one text, he had sent an image to a friend joking that he and the Mexican drug lord shared the same birthday. His friend responded by writing: “coincidence I think f***ing not”.

Other messages revealed that Jonathan, his brother, and his friend, had successfully imported cocaine from South America and smuggled it into the UK via Amsterdam hidden in modified vehicles before distributing it across the country.

All in all, the trio imported around £26m worth of the class A drug into the UK. Not exactly El Chapo numbers, but still ‘big time’ I suppose.

In the end, Jonathan was busted in the most unlikely of ways: by sending a photo of a box of Panadol through EncroChat. The photo was of good enough quality that experts were able to obtain the fingerprint of the person holding the box. It matched Jonathan Cassidy’s prints and boom – they had their man. Amazing what law enforcement can do if you’re a big enough fish.

From 2020 – 2024, Jonathan, his brother Jamie, and their buddy Nasar Ahmed, fought the admissibility of the EncroChat messages, but eventually pleaded guilty at Manchester Crown Court.

Here’s Jonathan and Nasar during happier times:

Jonathan Cassidy was sentenced to 21 years, nine months for conspiracy to import cocaine; conspiracy to supply cocaine; and conspiracy to conceal, transfer and disguise criminal proceeds.

His brother Jamie, an ex-Liverpool FC academy prodigy who was top scorer for England under-16s, was sentenced to 13 years and three months.

Ahmed, from Bury, received 21 years and nine months.

Which all sound like the sort of sentences you’d expect to receive for running a £26m drug empire and basically being UK’s El Chapo (his words), but Jonathan Cassidy apparently felt his sentence was too harsh and appealed it before London’s Court of Appeal this month.

His lawyer, Michael Bromley-Martin KC, argued that too low a discount was applied as credit for his guilty plea and that the judge failed to consider exceptional mitigating factors.

The Court of Appeal bench of Lord Justice Fraser, Mr Justice Hilliard and Mr Justice Constable were not having any of it however, and said they were “not persuaded that the resulting sentences are manifestly excessive or reached after an error in principle”.

And so, 21 years it is for Jonathan ‘El Chapo’ Cassidy. Although I guess it’s half that if he behaves himself, so it’s not all bad news. Then again, if he really does fancy himself as El Chapo, maybe he could try to escape prison instead of seeing out his full sentence? El Chapo escaped twice; first by bribing guards and then by tunnelling through his cell. Yeah OK he was recaptured both times and went straight back to jail, but at least it’s a cool story to tell the grandkids.

For the trio of Brits facing a firing squad in Bali after smuggling a kilo of cocaine into the country, click HERE. Not very smart.