This is the dramatic moment when police stormed the gated residence of an EncroChat money launderer labelled as a “criminal concierge”. Anthony Kane, aged 43, operated under the EncroChat nicknames ‘Swiftray’ and ‘Dual-time’, utilising the encrypted messaging service to liaise with numerous high-profile criminals.
He engaged in the illegal exchange of luxury watches and vehicles among crooks, committing various crimes for personal profit. His criminal operations included setting up bogus firms to help his associates, who were deep into major drug trafficking, hide the origins of their wealth.
Meanwhile, Kane was under surveillance by a dedicated Merseyside Police squad concentrating on ill-gotten gains. This meticulous police work led to a climax in October 2022 when they executed three co-ordinated search warrants across Merseyside, including at his Allerton home at Cleveley Cottage.
The latest drone and bodycam visuals given from the force capture the squad breaking into the opulent premises. Forcing entry via the front window and door, the law enforcement team apprehended Kane inside.
The search of his dwelling and outbuildings resulted in the discovery of £254,990 in cash and 16 timepieces believed to be worth £950,000 one of which was an exclusive Richard Mille PSG watch valued roughly at £350,000. Moreover, assets topping £150,000, including vehicles, jewellery, art pieces, and designer garb were seized, reports the Liverpool Echo.
Kane became the centre of the investigation in December 2021, with detectives tracing his criminal activity back to February 2018, when he was pulled over by the Met Police while driving an Audi SQ5 in Camden. He was found with nearly €214,360 in cash at the time.
In August 2018, the money was forfeited by Westminster Magistrates’ Court at a hearing that went uncontested, on the grounds that it was the proceeds of crime.
Police also confiscated several phones from Kane, unaware that one was a device used by criminals to operate EncroChat. The EncroChat network was still relatively new at the time of the seizure, and it wouldn’t be until the early months of 2020 that law enforcement would gain access to the phones following a hack by European police.
However, once the network was breached and the data was shared, the Operation Bono team were able to identify Kane as the man behind the EncroChat handles ‘Swiftray’ and ‘Dual-time’. After raiding his home address, investigators obtained a court order to freeze Kane’s assets, which included several houses both in the UK and abroad, vehicles, land, and money held in bank accounts.
Before his trial, Kane confessed to acting as a high value dealer without being registered on the appropriate register, failing to establish and maintain policies, controls and procedures to mitigate and manage effectively the risks of money laundering, three counts of fraudulent evasion of income tax and two counts of cheating the public revenue.
Despite admitting to being the user of the EncroChat handset, Kane denied any involvement with criminals. He claimed that the device was new and considered to be the latest gadget used as part of his business activity.
However, a trial in July last year heard that Kane used the handset to contact several criminal associates including:.
‘Satintown’ Gavin Jones (14 years in prison for class A supply), ‘Dior-six’ Robert Bennett (19.5 years in prison for class A importation),’Velvet Royal’ Alan Roberts (nine years in prison for class A supply), ‘Lucozade’ Michael Martin (12 years in prison for class A supply/firearms offences) and ‘Lesserhedge’ Nathan Harding (18 years in prison for class A/B supply).
Discussions with Bennett in May 2020 also identified Kane’s involvement in the criminal transfer of a bag containing £167,200 of cash at Wavertree Car Centre in Liverpool, through recently-convicted money launderer Christopher Roper, 41. The ECHO reported the sentencing of Roper along with a number of his associates, including police killer Timmy Donovan, at Manchester Crown Court this week.
The jury in Kane’s trial was presented with CCTV footage of the meeting, which the investigation team had managed to retrieve. Midway through his trial, Kane admitted to an additional 11 offences including two counts each of possession, conversion, and acquisition of criminal property; transferring criminal property; three counts of disguising criminal property and involvement in an arrangement facilitating the acquisition, retention, use or control of criminal property.
In July 2024, Kane was handed a seven-year prison sentence. He appeared today, February 4 at Liverpool Magistrates’ Court where he was instructed to surrender around £900,000 worth of watches, jewellery, artwork and sculptures.
This comes on top of £254,990 cash which was surrendered on Thursday, January 23. Merseyside Police stated that further efforts are underway regarding other assets identified during the investigation, including attempts to seize a villa in Marbella.
Detective Sergeant Rob Brown, the lead investigator on the case against Kane, revealed: “During the course of this complex investigation, we established that Anthony Kane was, in the words of the prosecution, a ‘criminal concierge’, who was involved in the illicit trading of high value watches and vehicles with criminals. Kane committed a wide range of money laundering offences for his own gain, which included the use of several sham companies and enabled criminal associates involved in drug trafficking to disguise their true sources of income.”
“For several years Kane had not declared any income to HMRC. He was however living a luxurious lifestyle which is evident from the large amounts of cash, watches, and personal property recovered from his residence. This was a long-running investigation during which the team worked in collaboration with the North West Organised Crime Unit and the National Crime Agency.”
“The imprisonment of Kane removed an important cog in the wheels of organised crime across Merseyside and beyond. Kane’s activities facilitated the serious harm and risk caused by organised crime groups who operate in our communities, and I hope the significant prison sentence will act as a powerful deterrent to anyone who would consider helping fellow criminals to operate.”
“We have identified and restrained an estimated £4m worth of Kane’s assets, including a villa in Marbella worth approximately £1m. Around £1.1m has already been forfeited. We will now continue to use criminal and civil powers to remove these assets and to ensure that those communities who suffer the harm caused by serious and organised crime now see that money being used for good, through supporting local organisations and initiatives.”
Don’t miss the latest news from around Scotland and beyond. Sign up to our daily newsletter