A Liverpool drug dealer who planned to blast the legs of three people with a shotgun in retribution attacks has been jailed for 35 years following a National Crime Agency investigation.

Michael Riccio, 37, used the encrypted communications platform EncroChat to discuss buying and selling firearms with criminal contacts.

Riccio, who used the handle ‘Leadfern’ on the platform, told one contact: “Am trying to get 3 shottis if can help, going leg 3ppl.”

Riccio added he had a Glock but it would be a “waste” to use it “legging someone” because law enforcement could potentially use clues from the crime scene to trace the gun and shooter.

Riccio was sentenced today at Liverpool Crown Court.

He received 20 years for firearms offences and 15 years for drugs offences. The terms run consecutively.

Riccio admitted using the Leadfern handle to supply heroin and cocaine in 2020 but claimed other members of his organised crime group had used the handset to trade firearms and went to trial but was convicted by a jury in May.

The court heard that in an EncroChat conversation on 18 April 2020, Leadfern told a contact he had sold a ‘sprayer’ – an automatic firearm – and asked the contact to chase the £3,000 he was owed for the gun.

Just 20 seconds later Leadfern told the contact he was “doing some bots” which means selling heroin.

Riccio, of Ambleside Road, Allerton, Liverpool, also had EncroChat conversations with other contacts where he talked of buying and selling semi-automatic pistols such as Glocks and a CZ.

In one conversation, Leadfern spoke of wanting to buy back “one or two” firearms he had sold to a contact.

But the contact said “no mate” and that he had sold them “all over the place” and “could do load more if u ever get again”.

At the end of this conversation, Leadfern – having spoken about guns – offers to let the contact know when he gets some cocaine.

Riccio used the Leadfern handle to send a selfie showing he had lost a tooth.

He also sent messages containing his mother’s address and an image of his feet sticking out of his bed. When he was arrested at home, the bedroom in the photo matched his own. He also received messages from contacts marking the anniversary of his father’s death.

And he told one EncroChat user he had amassed £2.5m in old £20 notes and wanted to change them for new ones. EncroChat was taken down in 2020 and the NCA leads the UK law enforcement response under Operation Venetic.

Riccio was arrested by National Crime Agency officers on 30 June 2020 on suspicion of committing drugs offences.

He was released under investigation and charged after being arrested again on 24 October 2023 by Merseyside Police specialist firearms officers.

Jon Sayers, NCA branch manager, said:

“The Operation Venetic data has been instrumental in bringing Riccio to justice, and a very large number of other criminals, who have endangered our communities by trading firearms and class A drugs.

“The NCA works closely with partners such as Merseyside Police and international law enforcement to combat those threats to the UK.”

4 November 2024

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