Latest news with #JamieCassidy
BBC News
2 days ago
- BBC News
Drug dealer brother of former Liverpool football prodigy loses appeal
A gang member who had a "leading role" in an international drugs plot involving his brother, a former Liverpool football prodigy, has lost an appeal against his prison Cassidy was part of a drugs gang, along with his brother Jamie, which saw cocaine imported from the Netherlands and used to supply users across north-west England, Birmingham and younger Cassidy brother had played alongside Michael Owen and Jamie Carragher in the Reds youth team before injuries curtailed his was jailed 21 years and nine months alongside his brother last year. An appeal hearing in London to challenge his sentence was dismissed. Manchester Crown Court heard last year the operation dealt with 356kg of the drug, worth around £26m, with £10m in cash changing hands in the space of three told the court Jonathan likened himself to the infamous drug smuggler El sent an associate a picture of an actor playing the Mexican drug lord in the TV programme Narcos and joked how they shared the same admitted importing drugs, conspiring to supply drugs and conspiring to transfer criminal an appeal hearing in London last month, his lawyers claimed the sentencing judge gave him insufficient credit for his guilty pleas and that not enough weight was given to mitigating in a ruling published on Monday, three senior judges dismissed the challenge. Lord Justice Fraser, sitting with Mr Justice Hilliard and Mr Justice Constable, said that they were "not persuaded" the sentence was "manifestly excessive or reached after an error of principle".They also dismissed an appeal bid brought by Jonathan's co-defendant, Nasar Ahmed, who admitted the same offences and received the same jail Richard Wright KC told Manchester Crown Court last year that Jonathan played a "leading role" in drugs importation and the buying and selling of class A drugs while Ahmed acted as a middleman and "facilitator".One associate was arrested in a car in Liverpool, where police found two Asda bags for life containing almost £250, the encrypted EncroChat network used by Jonathan and Ahmed was infiltrated by law enforcement agencies, Jonathan travelled to Dubai in July 2020 and inquired with estate agents about purchasing a villa with a budget of £2.3m, including a £22,000 travelled back to the UK in October that year, but was arrested on his Jonathan and Ahmed's appeals, Lord Justice Fraser said that both knew "what their conduct had been and the degree to which it was unlawful".He continued that despite defendants in other EncroChat cases being given greater credit for guilty pleas, there was "no one single EncroChat discount" that should be applied. Listen to the best of BBC Radio Merseyside on Sounds and follow BBC Merseyside on Facebook, X, and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Daily Mail
Older brother of drug dealing ex-Liverpool footballer Jamie Cassidy loses appeal against his sentence for masterminding international cocaine plot
The older brother of a former Liverpool FC prodigy who he 'drew in' to a life of drug crime has lost an appeal against his own sentence for masterminding an international cocaine plot. Jonathan Cassidy, whose younger sibling is ex-footballer turned drug trafficker Jamie, played a 'leading role' in an international drug plot which saw cocaine imported from the Netherlands which was supplied across north-west England. Manchester Crown Court heard last year that the operation dealt with 356kg of the drug, worth around £26 million, with £10 million in cash changing hands in the space of three months. Prosecutors also said that Cassidy sent an associate a picture of the actor playing Mexican drug lord Joaquin Guzman in the TV programme Narcos, known as El Chapo, and joked that they shared the same birthday. Cassidy was jailed for 21 years and nine months in March last year, having admitted importing drugs, conspiring to supply drugs and conspiring to transfer criminal property the previous month. At an appeal hearing in London last month, his lawyers claimed that the sentencing judge gave him insufficient credit for his guilty pleas and that not enough weight was given to mitigating factors. But in a ruling published on Monday, three senior judges dismissed the challenge. Lord Justice Fraser, sitting with Mr Justice Hilliard and Mr Justice Constable, said that they were 'not persuaded' that the sentence was 'manifestly excessive or reached after an error of principle'. They also dismissed an appeal bid brought by Cassidy's co-defendant, Nasar Ahmed, who admitted the same offences and received the same jail term. Prosecutor Richard Wright KC told Manchester Crown Court last year that Cassidy played a 'leading role' in drugs importation and the buying and selling of class A drugs while Ahmed acted as a middleman and 'facilitator', transferring vast sums of cash to buy and sell on drugs. One associate was arrested in a car in Liverpool, where police found two Asda bags containing £249,940. After the encrypted EncroChat network used by Cassidy and Ahmed was compromised by law enforcement agencies, Cassidy travelled to Dubai in July 2020 and inquired with estate agents about purchasing a villa with a budget of £2.3 million, including a £22,000 bed. He travelled back to the UK in October that year, but was arrested upon his return. Cassidy was sentenced alongside his younger brother, Jamie, a former Liverpool football prodigy who played alongside Jamie Carragher and Michael Owen in the Liverpool side that won the FA Youth Cup in 1996. Jamie received a sentence of 13 years and three months for conspiring to supply drugs and conspiring to transfer criminal property, after prosecutors said he was 'drawn in' to crime by his older brother. Dismissing Jonathan Cassidy and Ahmed's appeals, Lord Justice Fraser said that both knew 'what their conduct had been and the degree to which it was unlawful'. He continued that despite defendants in other EncroChat cases being given greater credit for guilty pleas, there was 'no one single 'EncroChat discount' that should be applied.
