Former professional soccer player involved in international drug and firearms syndicate

Wayne McKenzie, a former professional footballer, has been sentenced to 30 years in prison for running an international drugs and guns network. Alongside his brother, Craig McKenzie, they supplied cocaine and cannabis to dealers in the UK sourced from the Netherlands, Spain, and the United States. The EncroChat phone network hack in 2020 led to their capture. The National Crime Agency (NCA) revealed that McKenzie was responsible for supplying Class A and B drugs worth over £2 million in total between March and June 2020. McKenzie, who had previously played professional football in Scandinavia, turned to high-level drug supply. He mainly supplied criminal buyers in Liverpool and Manchester but also had connections with dealers in Wales and London. The EncroChat platform, commonly used by organized criminals, was breached in 2020, and the French police shared the evidence with law enforcement agencies across Europe. McKenzie's involvement was identified through his EncroChat usernames "LittleOrchid" and "RadiantAcid," which were engaged in extensive discussions about drug and firearm importation. He bragged about selling firearms to kids in London and mentioned contact with a trawler that could help in cannabis importation. Furthermore, officers discovered McKenzie's association with other notorious criminals in Spain for money laundering purposes. McKenzie was arrested by the NCA in February 2022, and a search at his residence uncovered hidden mobile phones, a burner phone, designer trainers, and documents related to money laundering. Already on parole for prior drug supply offenses in 2015, McKenzie pleaded guilty to being involved in cannabis supply and money laundering. He was then found guilty by a jury during a two-week trial for conspiracy to import firearms, conspiracy to import cannabis, involvement in cocaine supply, and participation in an organized crime group. Judge Andrew Menary, KC, handed down a severe sentence, stating that McKenzie's actions had brought misery and destitution to local communities. McKenzie's brother, Craig, had previously received a 20-year prison sentence for drug supply offenses in October 2021. NCA operations manager, Dean Wallbank, expressed satisfaction that the investigation had dismantled this family crime group, making the streets of the UK safer.