Colin Wright was part of the a drug gang ran by kingpin Terence Earle
An EncroChat dealer who created an amphetamine lab has been convicted. Colin Wright, 38, worked closely with Terence Earle, from St Helens, 50, who was jailed for 16-and-a-half years in April 2023, and Terence’s cousin Stephen Earle, from Crosby, 52, who was jailed for 11 years and four months in August this year.
Wright, from Torre Pacheco in Murcia, and formerly of Motherwell, was arrested by the Spanish National Police in March this year at the request of the NCA, and returned to the UK on October 4. A number of high value items were seized from his Spanish address.
Wright had travelled abroad in August 2020, and remained in Spain to avoid capture after NCA officers apprehended fellow OCG members in March 2021. Wright was the head of the OCG’s Scottish arm, and was actively involved in the supply of cocaine and heroin in both Scotland and England.
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Wright used the EncroChat handle ‘Jack-Nicklaus’ to communicate with Terence Earle. He also sourced drugs, assessed supply routes and found customers. He also created the amphetamine lab in Motherwell.
In March 2020, as the nation entered its first Covid 19 lockdown, a criminal associate delivered boxes of alpha-phenylacetoacetamide (APAA), part of the amphetamine production process, to Wright. Over the next few days the OCG began preparing the lab, but despite messages between them saying the “farm” (or lab) was ready, they struggled to obtain the necessary solvents for the production process.
Terence Earle and Wright also exchanged photos of the liquid being treated, to check what colour it should be. Wright helped ship at least 10 kilos of heroin and seven kilos of cocaine, with the former moved from Merseyside to Motherwell and the latter in the opposite direction.
He pleaded guilty to five drugs charges at Liverpool Crown Court on November 1 and will be sentenced at the same court on November 25. NCA Branch Commander Jon Sayers said: “Colin Wright was an integral member of this high harm criminal organisation, which posed a serious danger to communities across Scotland and Merseyside.
“The drugs they trafficked would have fuelled violence and exploitation in these areas, so bringing this criminal group to justice has helped protect the public. Wright’s case also shows that there is nowhere to hide for criminals who seek to avoid arrest by living overseas, as the NCA has the international scope to find you and make you pay for your crimes.”
