An “untouchable” father and son who were part of an organised crime group supplying vast amounts of cocaine have been jailed.

Ashley and James Steel from Maidstone, along with their associate Danny Devall from Hadlow, used the encrypted EncroChat phone service to facilitate the supply of the Class A drug.

James Steel and Devall used the software to secretly communicate with criminals but it was decoded in 2020 by international law enforcement agencies.

The decrypted messages were investigated by police who discovered the pair had user handles including Wonderfulninja, Minorlobster and Prizelake.

Using the chat platform, associates were then directed to addresses linked to father Ashley Steel to make exchanges of cash and drugs.

On April 25, a search warrant was executed at James Steel’s home in Chartway Street, Sutton Valence, and more than £50,000 in cash was seized.

Vehicles including high-end motorcycles and a speedboat were also found, as well as drugs behind the front grill of a Volkswagen van.

At the same time, searches of Ashley Steel’s house in Middlesex Road, Maidstone, and business units linked to him near Gravelly Bottom Road in Kingswood took place and uncovered 10 kilograms of cannabis and 150 grams of cocaine hidden within a vehicle. In addition £5,000 was also recovered.

The Steels and Devall were arrested and all three were charged with drugs supply offences.

At Maidstone Crown Court, James Steel and Danny Devall pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply cocaine and conspiracy to supply cannabis. Further counts related to the supply of heroin and ketamine were ordered by the court to lie on file.

On December 23, Devall, 36, of Common Road in Hadlow was sentenced to eight years and seven months in prison, while James Steel, 40, received eight years and four months.

Ashley Steel, 61, was sentenced on December 5 to two years and two months in prison having plead guilty to possessing cocaine and cannabis with intent to supply. He also admitted possessing an offensive weapon (knuckle duster).

Detective Constable Mark Simcox said: “Our investigation has clearly shown that James Steel and Danny Devall occupied leading roles in a criminal network which sought to supply drugs on a wholesale scale.

“They will have felt untouchable letting others take the risks whilst using an encrypted communication platform.

“It is impossible to quantify the sheer number of drugs which may have passed through this operation, however, we know from other cases that EncroChat has been used by criminal gangs to facilitate the movement of cocaine with transactions totalling hundreds of thousands of pounds.

“We will now be using the Proceeds of Crime Act to seek to recover cash and any other assets acquired, as a result of this criminal activity.”