Landmark GMP investigation sees kingpin and associates jailed for almost 207 years for drugs and firearms conspiracy - background

In April 2020, following the infiltration of the once encrypted messaging service Encrochat by international law enforcement agencies, specialist detectives from our Serious Organised Crime Group launched a covert investigation into a large-scale drug, money laundering, and firearms conspiracy.

At the heart of this investigation was Jamie Rothwell, the fugitive kingpin who went by the Encrochat handle ‘livelong’.

In November 2020 Rothwell fled the country, suspicious that police had access to the messages from the encrypted phones.

He settled in Spain, eventually being arrested in the Netherlands, and was orchestrating the importation and distribution of the cash, drugs and weapons from March to May 2020.

Beneath Rothwell was James Close, Craig Makinson, Callum Morris and Zak Rourke who all had handles on the Encrochat platform.

Their criminal associates were identified as Terence McDonagh, Andrew Ackers, Scott Davies, John Moore and John Stankus.

Whilst they were all high-level drug dealers and criminals in their own right, they each reported to Rothwell, who, despite being out of the country, was in charge of the overall criminal operation.

Craig Makinson used the handles ‘topsh*g’ and ‘doctorsh*ggard’. He acted as the right-hand man of Rothwell, and was a busy man, essentially running the regional operation.

His messages involved lots of images of criminal cash in his kitchen, which again, matched what police saw when they searched his house. He was also so confident that these messages were encrypted that on one occasion, when discussing the delivery of cocaine, he sent his own personal postcode as a point of contact.

On one occasion, he texts Close that he’s having a date night with his girlfriend and shares an image of the romantic table set up, his own living room.

In other messages, Makinson is conducting deals from the comfort of his hot tub, interweaving personal details while having conversations about the collection of large quantities of cash, and whether the firearms have arrived.

James Close used the handles ‘ballsn*ffer’ and ‘sickplane’. Throughout the conspiracy period, detectives were able to attribute these handles to Close as he sent several selfies and images of household items which matched what officers saw when they searched his house, but also, images of a tattoo matched what police saw when he was arrested.

Callum Morris used the handle ‘keyhole’, which was discovered after he sent a selfie. Morris, also confident in the level of privacy Encrochat once offered, sent several images of firearms, taken from an address on Selwyn Street, which surveillance officers observed him entering.

Throughout the conspiracy period, these men were busy orchestrating deals on a daily basis, all while navigating the difficulties of importing drugs that the coronavirus lockdown was causing.

On Tuesday 14 April, Andrew Ackers, who acted as a courier for the group was witnessed leaving his address in Ashton in Makerfield, Wigan and heading in the direction of Newcastle-upon-Tyne.

Encrochat messages aligned, and it was clear that on this day Ackers was transporting drugs to a customer. Surveillance caught Ackers, dressed in a high vis jacket in an attempt to blend into the key workers on the roads, meet up with an individual in a black Mercedes and hand over a large bag.

Moments later, messages are sent to Rothwell confirming Ackers had ‘seen geord bro’ – a reference to his geographical location.

Shortly before 12pm that day, Ackers car was stopped on the M62 by Greater Manchester Police. He was found to have around £2,000 in cash and was arrested on suspicion of money laundering, claiming he was going to buy a parrot.

Tuesday 15 April was another busy day for the gang who were moving cash and cocaine to locations in Newcastle, Cheshire, and Greater Manchester. That day, Rothwell was also sending images of AK-47s to Makinson stating ‘few aks for sale’, and that he is going to buy one for £10,500. Rothwell instructs Makinson to pay for the gun for him, and Close states he has someone who will move the weapon for him, and that he’s looking to find a safe house for the firearm.

In the midst of the discussions about the firearm, Close warns Morris about the importance of keeping their communications secure, and the consequences of failing to do so.

On 15 April 2020, Morris collected the £10,500 cash and headed off to purchase the firearm from an individual in a red van. CCTV confirms the purchase, and eleven minutes after the transaction, Rothwell receives an image of the AK-47 rifle.

The following day, 16 April 2020, the conversations and arrangements about drugs, cash, and ammunition continue, as they did every day.

In May, arrangements were being made for a hit to be made against someone. Morris is told the target is currently on curfew, and Morris confirmed he had possession of a gun, saying he will be ‘like Rambo his ‘hid’ in his bin.’

This wasn’t the first time they were planning violence, throughout the entire conspiracy period, police found several messages detailing planned attacks, depicting the cold and callous nature of this criminal gang.

On 24 May, Rothwell was arrested in Barcelona.

Two days later, Close sends an Encrochat message to a contact who is a solicitor, and they have an encrypted voice call. At around the same time, Close explains to another contact that somebody has been arrested. This is a reference to Rothwell being arrested.

On 27 May, police executed a warrant at an address on Bolton Road, Ashton in Makerfield. Davies was present at the address and was subsequently arrested. It’s believed that this address was being used by Makinson and Connor as a safe house.

In the loft, officers found a plastic bag containing 368g of heroin, a small quantity of cocaine with cutting agent, along with digital scales. In Platt Bridge, police also executed a warrant at the home address of John Stankus on Wigan Street. Several packages of white powder were found, later confirmed to be cutting agent, and amphetamine.

On the 28th May, police officers had Craig Makinson under surveillance. They observed Makinson retrieve something from his shed and go towards the rear of a vehicle.

Police followed another male when he left the address and uniformed officers stopped the vehicle and they recovered three kilos of cocaine from underneath the dog cage in the boot.

On 29 May, Close’s messages betray a concern that his driver has been arrested as the van was not at the driver’s house when expected, and his phone had been switched off, although he is reassured that the money is well hidden in a secret compartment in the van.

Unbeknown to Close, his driver had been stopped by police at Barton Park truck stop services in the north-east. The police recovered just short of £50,000 from a hide in the van he was driving.

At first, Close appeared concerned about the arrest of his driver, although a little while later he is confident the driver would not speak to the police if he was arrested, stating ‘he knows the score, family die straight away mate he knows that.’ Later that evening, messages show Close knows his driver was arrested.

The next morning, messages are sent showing a clear concern that this gang are the subject of a police operation following a series of arrests. The wider OCG continue to discuss the fallout of the recent arrests, and there are whispers that Makinson should have disclosed that his driver had been arrested, so that they could risk assess their own operations. In their words ‘the police will be rubbing their hands together’ with all the information they were building, and we were.

Conscious of the recent police activity, Close purchased a new encrypted phone, hoping to throw police off.

Towards the end of May, the gang were starting to panic, with Morris and McDonagh attending the home address of John Moore, with Morris moving a holdall containing the AK-47 that Rothwell had purchased back in April.

On 6 June, police enter an address on Thorncroft Avenue, Astley. They recover an AK-47 assault rifle and ammunition and magazines hidden in a bag in one of the bedrooms. The bag was similar in appearance to the bag carried by Morris from the safe house on May 30, and it was confirmed to be the firearm that Rothwell had purchased. Here, Terence McDonagh was arrested.

Over several nights, evidence obtained from the encrypted devices attributed to Morris and Close show them communicating about the recovery of the AK-47 and the arrest of McDonagh.

By mid-June, a service wide message went out to users of Encrochat alerting them that the server had been compromised, and that they should delete their chat histories and dispose of the devices.

On 22 July, police executed a significant strike day at several addresses linked to the criminal enterprise.

James Close was arrested at Henry Street in Leigh. Police seized electronic devices, luxury clothing, a CCTV system, a remote surveillance camera, a machete, and a snap bag of white powder with his fingerprints on.

In the garden of his address was a large wooden shed. Inside, officers found a drugs processing facility including a hydraulic press with pressing plates, gloves, a shrink-wrapping machine, a blender, electronic scales, a knife, a heat lamp, and various packages of white powder.

His fingerprints were found on the hydraulic press and various pieces of packaging from inside the shed. One of the telephones found during the search contained images of huge quantities of cash and firearms, as well as selfies.

Craig Makinson was arrested while enjoying a holiday at a caravan park in Lincolnshire. Telephones and cash were seized from him on arrest. In custody he denied knowing Rothwell or Close and having anything to do with the drugs police had recovered.

Callum Morris was arrested at his home address on Carr Bank Crescent, Atherton. Mobile phones and bundles of cash, estimated to be around £10,000, were recovered. From his encrypted phone, police found images of ammunition being held in a non-identifiable hand. From this image, a fingerprint expert was able to examine the image and establish that the fingers visible in the images are the fingers of Morris.

Andrew Ackers was re-arrested at his address on Benjamin Fold, Ashton-in-Makerfield, Wigan.

Zak Rourke left the country the night before police executed the warrants and he did not return. Officers tracked Rourke to Spain and Dubai, from where he was deported in 2024.

Throughout the conspiracy period, police estimate the value of class A drugs this gang were dealing with to have a street value of £26m.

They also discussed the transfer of over £4m in cash, a large number of firearms including an AK47, Glock handguns and a shotgun.