A MAN who killed an off-duty police officer a decade ago has been sentenced a second time after admitting to being part of an organised crime group (OCG) and laundering up to £13m.
Timmy Donovan, 40, was jailed for six years in 2015 after being convicted of the manslaughter of Merseyside Police constable Neil Doyle, 36, on a Christmas night out in Liverpool.
After he was released on licence having served three years, Donovan joined forces with five other offenders who variously dealt drugs and laundered the proceeds.
All six have now been jailed following a National Crime Agency (NCA) investigation, with Donovan sentenced to 14-and-a-half years.
"Donovan is a dangerous individual who returned to criminality as soon as he left prison," said Gary Cathcart, Head of Financial Investigation at the NCA.
Reinforced doors
Donovan's OCG was identified by NCA officers working on Operation Venetic, aimed at taking down the encrypted communications platform EncroChat.
On the platform, Donovan, of Walsingham Road, Liverpool, was known by the handle 'Astralcleaner'.
He played a key role in the supply of Class A drugs and co-ordinated the collection, storage and laundering of the OCG's money — between £10m and £13m — in cash through third-party business accounts.
Almost every single door in his house was specially reinforced when NCA officers arrested him.
A digital review of his devices revealed images of a spreadsheet detailing money owed by and to him, as well as messages indicating the scale of the cash collection.
These included '3,424,000 owed in eng' and '934000 all got it now to come off bill'.
Another, reading '200 + 9 for 4.5%', was a reference to a delivery of £200,000, plus a £9,000 commission of 4.5 per cent.
NCA officers discovered EncroChat conversations and images revealing that Donovan had also played a significant role in the supply of Class A drugs to Britain.
In discussions with other organised criminals, he asked for 'any news on far ones' (container ships transporting cocaine) and haggled over the price of 'botts' and 'tops' — references to kilogram quantities of heroin and cocaine.
In January, Donovan admitted conspiracy to supply 23.7kg of cocaine and 1kg of heroin, as well as laundering money of between £10-£13m.
On Monday, he was sentenced to 14-and-a-half years' imprisonment.
Sentenced
Several other men also admitted their roles in the OCG.
Two weeks ago, on the eve of his trial, 41-year-old Christopher Roper of Allerton Road, Liverpool, pleaded guilty to money laundering.
Roper would often store criminal cash at a well-known garage where he worked, the Wavertree Car Centre.
Roper was also on EncroChat as 'sentientwolf' and would use the platform to arrange the transfers of cash, for which he sometimes received a 4.5 per cent fee.
Accomplice James Vaughan, 38, of Green Lane, Liverpool, was previously on the NCA's Most Wanted fugitives list.
He was arrested as part of the investigation in 2020 and officers found more than £2,000 at his home along with two Rolex watches, a Bulgari watch and packaging for a cash counting machine.
Vaughan fled to Spain where he was eventually traced and arrested before being extradited last year.
Evidence showed that Donovan would have cash delivered to Roper, who would arrange the payment of it into third-party business accounts.
Vaughan, who used the handle 'lameregent', was often enlisted to receive, count, package and store cash.
This was then transported to Roper by Kenneth Kean, 59, of Huyton House Road, Huyton, and Paul Duncan, 56, of Gentwood Road, Huyton.
Arron O'Sullivan, 41, of Deepfield Drive, Huyton, operated as 'filthyburrito' and 'amplebee' on EncroChat and supplied drugs for the OCG.
Roper was sentenced to three years and 10 months' imprisonment while O'Sullivan was sentenced to seven years and six months' imprisonment.
Vaughan was sentenced to four years and three months' imprisonment.
Duncan was sentenced to two years' imprisonment, suspended for two years, while Kean was also sentenced to two years' imprisonment, similarly suspended for two years.
See More: National Crime Agency
