Waheed Zaman, 42 of Deakin Avenue, Walsall was convicted (25 April 2023) following a four-week trial at Loughborough Nightingale Court of one count of attempting to possess or acquire prohibited ammunition and three counts of supplying a controlled class A drug.

A second defendant, Aweis Bashir, 27, of Parrs Wood Road, Manchester, pleaded guilty at the end of the trial last week Friday (21 April 2023) at the same court to conspiracy to acquire prohibited ammunition, being concerned in the offer to supply class A and B drugs and encouraging or assisting the commission of an offence.

Waheed Zaman and Aweis Bashir operated on the EncroChat network, which has since been shut down.

Both defendants initially denied that they were the individuals using the EncroChat phones but working with the National Crime Agency, the CPS proved their identities and proved their offending using a combination of technical data and message content from both their personal devices and the Encrochat phones.

The defendants will be sentenced at a later date.