POCA – arising from EncroChat investigations

Defendant pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Supply cannabis, further to data that had been harvested following the infiltration of the EncroChat platform. That data identified that the Defendant together with his co-defendants were planning to import cannabis from Morocco via Spain into the UK, using a yacht in the English Channel or international waters before off-loading the drugs at landing points along the Cornish coast. Although the planned importation did not take place due to Covid-19, the Defendant was found guilty of a “dry conspiracy”. We were asked to assess the Benefit and Available Amount.