Irishman convicted of drug importation after hack of phones 

Assistant Commissioner John O'Driscoll. Photo: Gareth Chaney Collins

An Irishman who arranged the supply of 42kgs of cocaine into Ireland and the smuggling of €900,000 in cash out of the country has been convicted in Britain as part of the EncroChat hack by police of encrypted phones used by crime bosses.

Thomas Maher, originally from Offaly, was a haulage firm owner and “the logistics man” for major criminal organisations in Europe.

It is thought to be the first conviction involving an Irishman, and the delivery of drugs into Ireland, that have been identified as a result of the high-tech EncroChat spying operation.

Maher, aged 39, pleaded guilty on Friday to importing drugs into Britain and money laundering charges at Liverpool Crown Court following an investigation by the British National Crime Agency, with assistance from the Gardaí.

The NCA moved on Maher, who had an address in Warrington, England, after they gathered evidence acquired through EncroChat – the encrypted messaging platform that was brought down in June by the NCA and a French-Dutch investigation team.

The agencies were able to hack into the encrypted communication platform and monitor messages, including on drug deals, between crime chiefs.

NCA officers monitored Maher’s movements over a seven-month period during which he met with associates at hotels and in public spaces in the North West of England to organise the trafficking of cocaine from Holland to the UK and Ireland.

EncroChat messages obtained by the NCA through Operation Venetic showed that in April 2020 he orchestrated the collection and delivery of at least 21 kilos of cocaine from locations in the Netherlands to Ireland.

Also, in April, he organised the delivery of 11kgs of cocaine through Britain to Donabate, north Dublin.

In another job, Maher made arrangements for 10kgs of cocaine to be collected from an address in the Netherlands and delivered to the outskirts of Dublin.

The 42kgs of cocaine have an estimated street value of almost €3m.

Maher also helped to facilitate the movement of large sums of cash.

One charge relates to arranging for €305,000 cash to be transported from Ireland to Holland on behalf of one of his associates, whom he charged a commission for his involvement.

In May, gardaí in Drogheda, seized a further €600,000 in transit, arresting three people. Maher arranged for the movement of this cash, the NCA said.

Assistant Commissioner John O'Driscoll, head of Organised and Serious Crime, said: “The Garda Síochána and The UK's National Crime Agency have developed a very productive working relationship, resulting in communities in the United Kingdom and Ireland being better protected.

“The combined investigative power of such collaboration undertaken at an international level, prevents those involved in organised and serious crime from exploiting international borders in an attempt to avoid prosecution.” NCA Deputy Director Craig Naylor said: “Maher was the logistics man for a number of crime groups, and played a key role in an important criminal infrastructure.

"He was able to use his contacts and his business to facilitate large amounts of class A drugs to enter the UK and Ireland, with little thought to the damage they inflict on people and communities.” Maher, a native of Clara in Offaly, will be sentenced on December 1.