A drug-dealing gang member nicknamed "Interestingheart" was rumbled by detectives after they matched his fingerprints to a photo of a hand holding cocaine.

Specialist police obtained the incriminating image of Herne Bay villain Stephen Hart's palm after cracking into an encrypted messaging service exclusively used by criminals.

Agencies in Europe infiltrated the platform, called EncroChat, in 2020 - after four years of trying - before passing on intelligence about the 54-year-old's gang to Essex officers.

Each member of the 11-person group, which sold Class A drugs across the county, went by aliases on the shady messaging service - with Hart's being "Interestingheart".

The group's leader, 54-year-old Michael Read, was known as "Positivity", while two others had pseudonyms of "Firefingers" and "Pinkplumber".

A police spokesman said: "Messages we intercepted included those showing they had paid more than £100,000 for 3kg of cocaine in March or April 2020, and sold it for £180,000.

"Others showed discussions about arranging the importation and transportation of tens of kilos of cocaine, and images of drugs and vacuum-packed bags of cash.

"One photo showed the palm of someone’s hand holding a white substance in it.

"Comparing the image to fingerprints held on the police national computer, it was identified the palm belonged to Stephen Hart."

Hart, of Thornden Wood Road, Greenhill, transported cocaine from larger suppliers, while the gang's operation was run out of a container within a secured yard near Romford.

And following the unearthing of the messages, officers raided a number of properties in the south and west of Essex, including Grays, Wickford, Brentwood and Canvey Island, on October 7, 2020.

During the searched, police seized thousands of pounds in cash, as well as drugs and a firearm.

Eleven people, including Hart, were later charged and pleaded guilty to a series of drugs offences.

At Basildon Crown Court yesterday, seven of them were jailed for a total of 55 years and eight months, while two others received suspended sentences.

DS Mike Monkton said: “Drugs are a plague upon our society and those involved in their importation and sale are responsible for ruining lives and destroying communities.

“This group made hundreds of thousands of pounds from causing misery to others.

“This was a thorough, widespread, and complex investigation but in the end, due to the sheer amount of evidence we had compiled against them, 11 people were left with no option but to plead guilty to the charges against them."

Hart was jailed for nine years and five months.

He was found guilty of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs, possession of a prohibited firearm, possession with intent to supply Class A drugs, producing a Class B drug, and transferring criminal property.

Read, of Crouch Road in Grays, has been locked up for 11 years and three months.

His second in command, Mark Gooch, 38, from Sandringham Road in Pilgrim's Hatch, was slapped with a sentence of nine years and nine months.

Both were convicted of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs and transferring criminal property.