A former Liverpool FC player has been jailed for his part in a drugs ring.
Jamie Cassidy was a member of the Anfield club’s 1996 FA Youth Cup winning team alongside future stars Michael Owen and Jamie Carragher.
But the 46-year-old is now behind bars after being found guilty in a multi-million pound operation that shipped cocaine into the UK from South America.
Manchester Crown Court heard Cassidy was ‘drawn’ into the operation by his brother Jonathan who stood trial alongside him and a third man, Nasar Ahmed.
The ex-footballer was decribed as having an ”operational/managerial role’ that involved distributing the imported drugs to dealers across the country.
Jonathan Cassidy and Ahmed orchestrated the deals with their international contacts with the former responsible for the original shipments to the UK.
Detectives estimated that the operation which was conducted via EncroChat led to around £26 million worth of cocaine being flooded into the country.
Jamie Cassidy was jailed for 13 years and three months while Jonathan Cassidy and Ahmed were handed 21 years and nine months apiece.
Marc Walby, from Greater Manchester Police’s Serious Organised Crime Group, said: “The individuals jailed today were from the upper echelons of organised criminals that operate in Greater Manchester, and thanks to the interception of EncroChat, we were able to see their conversations and activity play out in a way we’ve never been able to before.
“Jonathan Cassidy and his colleagues got far too comfortable with their encrypted phones and began bragging about their personal lives.
“But this just confirmed what we already knew about them. Ironically, it was this bravado and these messages which have landed them in jail for a long time.
“This has been a long running and complex case, and I would like to thank the NCA and CPS for their pursuit in defending the legal challenges associated with this case.
“Without, these convictions may not have been possible.
“By dismantling this operation, we’ve put an end to the harm they were bringing to communities in Greater Manchester and further afield.
“The volume of drugs these men were involved in should not be underestimated, and their contribution to serious harm and violence, which is inextricably linked to the drugs trade, is undeniable.”