A man from Croydon has been jailed for 12 years after encrypted messages on his phone revealed his plans to supply five kilos of cocaine, falsely imprison people and get his hands on a skorpion machine gun.

Stephen Dynan, of Wolsey Crescent, Croydon was sentenced to 12 years’ imprisonment at Croydon Crown Court on Friday, March 8.

The 37-year-old admitted to the charges at a previous hearing at the same court on Tuesday, March 5:

- Conspiracy to obtain a firearm

- Conspiracy to supply cocaine

- Conspiracy to import cocaine

- Conspiracy to import cannabis

- Conspiracy to carry out a sophisticated warehouse burglary

- Conspiracy to transfer criminal property

All charges relate to offences committed between March and June 2020.

Evidence showed that he was using an encrypted device to try and hide his criminal activities and was involved with a plan to import and supply drugs from overseas.

Officers analysed the messages on the encrypted device and found that Dynan was using the name ‘Hastybasil’ in the conversations.

They revealed discussions of large amounts of drugs being imported and moved by Encrochat, which was a Europe-based communications network and service provider that offered modified smartphones allowing encrypted communication.

The 37-year-old was also involved in the planning of a burglary which would involve falsely imprisoning multiple people.

Dynan was arrested at his home on January 12, 2023.

Detective Inspector Driss Hayoukane who led the investigation, said: “I’m extremely proud of my team of officers who secured the 12-year conviction of Stephen Dynan following a persistent data-led operation.

“He was involved in these conspiracies and used an encrypted platform without considering the ripple effects of drugs and firearms on the wider society.

“He believed that using encrypted platforms would keep him out of reach of law enforcement agencies, but the contents of the device led to his downfall.

“We are determined to robustly deal with criminals who impact the lives of those around them so that we can improve the trust and confidence between communities and the Met.”