** A Teesside wholesale drug dealer who supplied 11kg of cocaine and at least 10kg of cannabis in just 14 weeks has been jailed for 11 years. Michael Hagan, 34, of Liverton Avenue in Newport, Middlesbrough, was sentenced at Teesside Crown Court on Friday after pleading guilty to conspiring to supply class A and class B drugs.

EncroChat messages exposed the operation

Hagan was identified after law enforcement agencies infiltrated the encrypted messaging network EncroChat in 2020. Prosecutor Christopher Rose KC read decrypted messages to the court showing Hagan discussing the supply of kilogram quantities of drugs. Judge Peter Armstrong said Hagan had discussed obtaining and passing on kilos of drugs involving tens of thousands of pounds.

Dealer fled the UK for two years

After the EncroChat operation was uncovered, Hagan left the UK for two years before surrendering to police. The court heard he supplied the cocaine and cannabis over a 14-week period, dealing in wholesale quantities rather than street-level amounts.

Hagan was told he will face a proceeds of crime application, the process used to recover money gained from criminal activity. Cocaine is a class A drug and cannabis a class B drug under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971. [Source: Brit Brief](https://britbrief.co.uk/crime/sentencing/teesside-dealer-jailed-11-years-for-cocaine-plot.html) | [Source: UK Cannabis Report](https://ukcannabisreport.com/teesside-drug-dealer-who-fled-uk-for-two-years-jailed-for-11-years/)