A notorious Liverpool crime group, has been brought down by its own encrypted text messages

 

The Huyton Firm, a notorious Liverpool crime group, has been brought down by its own encrypted text messages. Police cracked the messages, revealing plans for brutal violence, including a hand-grenade attack. The group's leader, Vincent Coggins, and over 30 other serious criminals have been jailed after a series of trials.

The Huyton Firm, named after the Merseyside area where it operated, has been run by two secretive brothers, Vincent and Francis Coggins, for 30 years. They used the encrypted messaging system EncroChat, believing their conversations were completely secure. However, French police cracked the encryption, and the messages were shared with the UK's National Crime Agency.

The messages reveal the inner workings of the crime group, including plans for violent attacks and murders. Vincent Coggins ordered attacks and boasted about personally slashing a businessman with a knife. The brothers discussed a deal for half a tonne of cocaine, valued at around £16m, and shared personal photos, which helped police identify them.

The messages also reveal the group's willingness to resort to severe violence, including a plan to use a hand grenade to kill rivals. The group's enforcer, Paul Woodford, was involved in these plans, and both he and Vincent Coggins have been jailed for their crimes.

The Huyton Firm's activities were so violent that they even shocked rivals in Liverpool's criminal underworld. One anonymous source described the group as "deeply hated" due to their "level of depravity" in instilling fear and terror.

The police investigation, which included the use of EncroChat messages, has led to the conviction of 32 serious criminals linked to the Huyton Firm. The breakthrough has also led to the conviction of 1,600 criminals across the UK, making it a significant success in the fight against organised crime.

Matt Horne, former deputy director of investigations at the National Crime Agency, described the Huyton Firm's messages as revealing an "organised crime group using the same sort of tactics and techniques that might be used by law enforcement" but with the aim of retribution, serious violence, and potentially murder. He praised the EncroChat breakthrough, saying it has "opened up that world and shone a light on it like never before".