Gang members jailed for laundering drug money in Liverpool

Six men have today been jailed for their involvement in an organised crime group (OCG) which laundered millions of pounds.

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) prosecuted the defendants following an investigation by the National Crime Agency (NCA) under Operation Venetic.

Under this law enforcement operation, EncroChat, an encrypted messaging platform, was infiltrated and incriminating messages from devices linked to organised crime were revealed.

It was evident from his Encrochat conversations that Timmy Donovan, 40, played a leading role in the operation, and was involved in the supply of wholesale amounts of cocaine and heroin, and co-ordinated the collection, storage and laundering of the OCG’s money.

During the offending period - December 2019 and June 2020 - Donovan was on licence. He had been sentenced to six years’ imprisonment in 2015 for the manslaughter of an off-duty police officer, PC Neil Doyle, whilst on a Christmas night out in Liverpool City Centre in December 2014.

Aaron O’Sullivan, 41, helped Donovan in supplying cocaine for the OCG and laundering the money. Donovan chased debts via O’Sullivan who arranged the collection of money through the couriers Kenneth Kean, 59, and Paul Duncan, 56.

Donovan would use his brother-in-law James Vaughan, 38, to collect, store and count money. Following his arrest, Vaughan fled to Spain. However, as a result of collaborative working between the CPS, NCA and Spanish authorities, Vaughan was extradited back to the UK in March 2024 to face criminal charges.

Christopher Roper, 41, worked at the Wavertree Car Centre in Liverpool where he stored large amounts of the criminal cash and arranged for the transfers of cash. In return, he often received a 4.5% fee.

All six defendants entered a money laundering arrangement.

Donovan and O’Sullivan were sentenced to 14 and a half years and seven and a half years imprisonment, respectively.

The prosecution was able to build a strong case using the incriminating messages from devices linked to the defendants to prove their involvement in the OCG, resulting in their guilty pleas.

Paula Lloyd, Specialist Prosecutor for the CPS, said: “Despite their efforts to evade detection, the overwhelming evidence against each defendant meant that they had little choice but to admit their involvement.

“Together, this group attempted to launder millions of pounds made from the sale of illegal drugs and enjoy the profits from this harmful trade which ruins lives and communities.

“The CPS worked closely and effectively with law enforcement partners to dismantle this organised crime group by building a strong case and bringing them to justice.

“We will be pursuing confiscation proceedings against the defendants to recover their ill-gotten gains.”

More than 1,000 individuals have been prosecuted so far under Operation Venetic as a result of material obtained from the criminally dedicated communications platform Encrochat.