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Drunk Error Leads to Drug Kingpin's Capture
30 Nov, 2025
Summary
- Drug boss Francis Coggins was arrested in the Netherlands after being found drunk.
- His capture followed the police hack of the Encrochat encrypted phone network.
- Coggins imported £16m of cocaine and heroin over a nine-month period.
Francis Coggins, a key figure in the notorious Huyton Firm drug trafficking group, was apprehended in Zandvoort, Netherlands, after a drunken public disturbance. The 60-year-old had been on the run for five years following the dismantling of his organization.
The breakthrough came after the French authorities hacked the Encrochat encrypted phone network in 2019, granting UK police access to vital communications. This intelligence, coupled with his inebriated state leading to a police call-out, ultimately led to his capture and extradition to the UK.
Coggins, who managed the international supply of cocaine and heroin, was linked to the importation of £16 million worth of drugs between October 2019 and May 2020. He was subsequently jailed for 18 years at Liverpool Crown Court.
