Colin Wright, a 38-year-old gangster, has been sentenced to over 13 years in prison for managing an amphetamine lab and trafficking heroin and cocaine as part of Operation Venetic. This operation has resulted in hundreds of arrests following the infiltration of the encrypted communications platform, EncroChat.
Wright was apprehended in Spain earlier this year and extradited to the UK after a National Crime Agency (NCA) investigation revealed he was the leader of the Scottish branch of an organized crime group (OCG). The NCA reported that Wright was “actively involved” in supplying cocaine and heroin across Scotland and England, and he established an amphetamine lab in his hometown of Motherwell, North Lanarkshire.
He is the final member of the OCG to be sentenced, joining six others already serving prison terms for their criminal activities. Notably, he worked with Terence Earle, 50, who received a 16-and-a-half-year sentence in April 2023, and Stephen Earle, 52, who was sentenced to 11 years and four months in August. Wright communicated with the younger Earle using the EncroChat handle “Jack-Nicklaus,” coordinating drug sourcing, supply routes, and customer acquisition.
During the UK’s first COVID lockdown in March 2020, a criminal associate delivered essential materials for amphetamine production to Wright. Although the OCG began preparing the lab, they struggled to obtain the necessary solvents despite discussing the readiness of the “farm.”
Wright and Terence Earle exchanged photos of the liquids involved in the production process, helping to ensure the output met their standards. Wright is believed to have shipped at least 20 kg of cocaine from Merseyside to Motherwell and 10 kg of heroin in the opposite direction. The lab was capable of producing up to 1,000 kg of amphetamine.
In August 2020, Wright traveled abroad and remained in Spain to evade capture after NCA officers detained fellow OCG members in March 2021. He was eventually arrested by the Spanish National Police in Torre-Pacheco, Murcia, in March 2023 and extradited to the UK in October.
Upon his extradition, authorities seized several high-value items from his Spanish residence. Wright pled guilty to five drug-related charges at Liverpool Crown Court last month and was sentenced to 13 years and four months in prison.
Cat McHugh, NCA branch commander, commented on Wright’s case, stating, “Criminals who seek refuge abroad are not beyond the reach of law enforcement. The NCA has the international capability to locate, extradite, and prosecute them.”
She added that Wright’s sentencing marks the complete dismantling of an organized crime group that posed a significant threat to communities in Scotland and Merseyside, noting that the drugs they trafficked contributed to violence and exploitation in those areas.
Credit: Sky News
