By Ben Haslam,Ruth Suter

Copyright dailyrecord

A manhunt has been launched for a drugs kingpin after his henchmen were put behind bar. Joseph Toole and Lawrence Hill were jailed for their part in the large-scale class A drugs operation this week. The pair were revealed to have both been taking directions from the elusive “Jabba-de-Hutt” handle on EncroChat. Their roles were outlined as “managerial” within the organised crime group It was their roles that meant hundreds of kilograms of cocaine and heroin flooded the streets of the UK . Toole, known by the EncroChat handle “SummerHillNew”, took the lead in the Merseyside-based gang and looked after the books for the illicit operation . He had a hand in the conspiracy to supply 249kg of cocaine, 125kg of heroin and 441kg of cannabis according to messages found on the server, which was cracked in 2020 by international law enforcement, showed several messages between him and Jabba. The Liverpool Echo reports that the “hands on” figure worked closely with the original sources of the drugs as well as collecting money and arranging shipments of class A drugs. Toole also organised encrypted devices for others. In the messages with Jabba, he was found to refer to the large amounts of drugs and money as “ours” and would pay the wages of the henchmen in the group. Appearing alongside Toole, Hill was described as his “right-hand man” and was found to have been involved in conspiracy to supply 262kg of cocaine and 111kg of heroin. The 52-year-old would collect money and coordinate deliveries. Recorder Brown described him as a “trusted member of this crime enterprise ” and when police raided his house following the pair’s arrest, officers recovered £10,800 in cash. Stella Hayden, prosecuting, explained how the group were “well-established” and supplied drugs to Bristol and Yorkshire, with evidence showing the pair organised the distribution of cocaine at least between September 2018 and July 2020. They were also found to have been concerned in the distribution of heroin between December 2019 and July 2020, with Toole also found to have helped with the supply of cannabis between September 2018 and July 2020. Toole, 55, of Aysgarth Avenue, in West Derby , was sentenced to 16 years in prison. Hill, 52, of Longmeadow Road, Knowsley Village, was sentenced to 13 years in prison This case, which was deemed exceptional during a hearing in crown court, was the second since EncroChat was cracked by international law enforcement in 2020 in which the user Jabba had been mentioned and linked to the supply of class A drugs. Merseyside Police confirmed there had been no arrest or charges brought in connection to the username, with Jabba being the ringleader of a major class A drugs operation which saw illicit substances smuggled into the UK from the Netherlands before supplying millions of pounds of heroin and cocaine across the region. Anthony Bowden was jailed for 21 years in August 2022 for his connection to the huge drug plot . Bowden, of Lancer Way in West Derby, was one of the most trusted allies of the “head of the operation” – who used the handle Jabba-de-Hutt while operating on encrypted communications platform EncroChat. More than £30,000 of designer goods were seized from the personal trainer after his arrest, while he attempted to destroy a mobile phone by submerging it in a glass of water. Bowden himself had nicknamed himself “KP” due to his resemblance to ex-Premier League striker Kevin Phillips, a golden boot winner and eight-time international who turned out for the likes of Sunderland, Aston Villa and Leicester City. Jabba directed the sale of more than 84kg heroin and 17kg cocaine . Of this amount, the gang had been responsible for the importation of more than 20kg of heroin and 4kg of cocaine. Bowden operated under the handle HyenaJaw and “had close links” with the Star Wars-inspired “head of the operation”. The personal trainer “was closely trusted by” Jabba and “played a leading role” in the conspiracy. The 40-year-old organised the purchase and sale of drugs “on a commercial scale” and arranged for couriers to transport the illicit substances. Bowden, from West Derby , also supplied his cousin Andrew Sweeney – who used the handle SquashChamp. The 40-year-old taxi driver, from Bootle, received at least four-and-a-half kilos of heroin for onward sale from his relative between March and May 2020, taking possession of 2kg of drugs at a cost of £32,000 on one occasion. He was later arrested again at Holyhead ferry terminal on May 10 2021. Some of his secret messages “claimed lockdown would not impact his dealing”, while the dealer “discussed ways of attempting to avoid detection by police”. Bowden discussed the importation of drugs from Holland with his conspirators via the network, making reference to a “clogs bill” to be paid to suppliers on the continent. At least three supply missions were made between the Netherlands and the UK, while shady business was also conducted over WhatsApp. Bowden – who appeared in court via video link to HMP Altcourse – was found guilty of conspiracy to import heroin, conspiracy to supply heroin and cocaine and possession of criminal property by a jury after a trial. He was previously jailed for four years in 2012 for conspiracy to supply cocaine. Despite his henchman being locked up for a combined 40 years between the three of them, Jabba has remained at large, with Operation Venetic – an international operation which targets criminals who used EncroChat – working to locate the OCG ringleader. Around 60,000 users of EncroChat have been identified worldwide, with about 10,000 of them in the UK – all involved in coordinating and planning the supply and distribution of drugs and weapons, money laundering and other criminal activity.