May 26, 2021 • 1 min
A British man saw his drug empire crumble after he was caught handling a very different product - a fine blue cheese.
39-year-old Carl Stewart, from Liverpool, used an encrypted network to share a photograph of himself holding a small block of the Marks & Spencer's Stilton.
The network was more commonly used for drugs and was being watched by international police.
As part of Operation Venetic, a crack team of cyber cops were able to extract his fingerprints from the photo and identify him.
That discovery led police to rich vein of illegal drugs and saw Stewart jailed for over 13 years on charges of conspiracy to supply cocaine, heroin, MDMA, and ketamine.
Stewart used the nickname "Toffeeforce" on the app, which boasted a global membership of around 60,000.
After the sentencing last week at Liverpool Crown Court, Detective Inspector Lee Wilkinson said Stewart "was caught out by his love of Stilton cheese".
"Stewart was handed a substantial sentence of 13 years and six months, and this should serve as a stark warning to anyone involved in this criminality that there are serious consequences," Wilkinson said.
"Merseyside Police, along with law enforcement agencies across the world, will leave no stone unturned in our pursuit of those people who think they are above the law, and we will continue to target anyone involved in serious organised crime to keep this positive momentum going."
The cheese that started it all. Photo / Merseyside Police
39-year-old Carl Stewart, from Liverpool, used an encrypted network to share a photograph of himself holding a small block of the Marks & Spencer's Stilton.
The network was more commonly used for drugs and was being watched by international police.
As part of Operation Venetic, a crack team of cyber cops were able to extract his fingerprints from the photo and identify him.
That discovery led police to rich vein of illegal drugs and saw Stewart jailed for over 13 years on charges of conspiracy to supply cocaine, heroin, MDMA, and ketamine.
Stewart used the nickname "Toffeeforce" on the app, which boasted a global membership of around 60,000.
After the sentencing last week at Liverpool Crown Court, Detective Inspector Lee Wilkinson said Stewart "was caught out by his love of Stilton cheese".
"Stewart was handed a substantial sentence of 13 years and six months, and this should serve as a stark warning to anyone involved in this criminality that there are serious consequences," Wilkinson said.
"Merseyside Police, along with law enforcement agencies across the world, will leave no stone unturned in our pursuit of those people who think they are above the law, and we will continue to target anyone involved in serious organised crime to keep this positive momentum going."
The cheese that started it all. Photo / Merseyside Police
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Popular Podcasts
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations.
The Nikki Glaser Podcast
Every week comedian and infamous roaster Nikki Glaser provides a fun, fast-paced, and brutally honest look into current pop-culture and her own personal life.
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.