"My Puppy Is Cute"... Drug Dealer Caught After Sending Photo, What Was the Reason?

Identities Revealed by Phone Number Written on Puppy’s Collar

A British drug cartel was completely dismantled due to a single photo of a pet dog posted in a secret chatroom.

A British drug gang was caught because of a single photo of a pet dog posted in a secret chatroom. Photo by The Independent UK

On the 22nd (local time), The Independent reported that a British court ordered Stefan Waldorf (64) and Philip Rawson (63), who were arrested in 2022 for attempting to smuggle large quantities of drugs, to return profits worth 1.2 million pounds (approximately 2.1 billion KRW). The court also added that if they fail to pay within three months, additional prison time will be imposed.

Previously, intelligence about a drug trafficking organization attempting to smuggle the psychoactive drug Ecstasy (MDMA) from the UK to Australia was delivered to the National Crime Agency (NCA). The traffickers planned the smuggling because the drug was sold at a high price in Australia. The group communicated and conspired through the encrypted messaging app 'EncroCChat' to maintain secrecy. Although NCA agents hacked into the chatroom and infiltrated it, the app did not display users' real names, making it impossible to identify the criminals.

A drug dealer was caught after unknowingly sending a photo of the meeting place to his associates, with his face reflected on a brass plate. Photo by The Independent, UK.

However, their crime was exposed due to a ridiculous mistake. Drug smuggler Danny Brown sent a photo of his newly adopted puppy to his colleagues, and the puppy’s collar had his partner’s phone number written on it. NCA agents succeeded in identifying their identities through this and confirmed the links between the criminals. Additionally, Waldorf revealed his identity by sending a photo of the meeting place to the members. He unknowingly shared a photo reflecting his face on a brass plate.

Eventually, they were sentenced to a total of 163 years in prison in 2022. Furthermore, Waldorf and Rawson were ordered to return 1 million pounds (approximately 1.788 billion KRW) and 180,000 pounds (approximately 321 million KRW), respectively.

The smuggling method they planned involved dismantling the mechanical arm of an excavator, hiding the drugs inside, and then welding it back to smuggle it into Australia. The amount of Ecstasy they intended to smuggle was 448 kg, worth 45 million pounds (approximately 80.5 billion KRW).

NCA agent Chris Hill said, "The criminals have no concern for the misery that illegal drug supply brings to British and Australian society. They only cared about money. That is why we imposed fines that will cause them immense pain," adding, "This process will serve as a warning to other organized criminals that even if prison doors close, the punishment does not end."