Drug Dealer Jonathan Cassidy Loses 21-Year Sentence Appeal Over £26M Cocaine Plot Across England

Jonathan Cassidy, who likened himself to the notorious drug lord El Chapo, lost his appeal against a 21-year prison sentence for his leading role in an international cocaine trafficking operation supplying drugs across north-west England, Birmingham, and Leeds. The operation involved importing 356kg of cocaine from the Netherlands, valued at around £26 million, with £10 million in cash exchanged over three months. Jonathan's younger brother, Jamie Cassidy, a former Liverpool football prodigy, was also sentenced to over 13 years for conspiring to supply drugs and was described as having been drawn into crime by his older brother. Despite the defense's claims that Jonathan's guilty pleas and mitigating factors were not sufficiently acknowledged, three senior judges found the sentence neither manifestly excessive nor legally flawed. Prosecutor Richard Wright KC highlighted Jonathan’s leadership in drug importation and distribution, while co-defendant Nasar Ahmed, acting as a middleman, received the same prison term and also lost his appeal. The case also revealed that after police compromised the encrypted EncroChat communication network used by the gang, Jonathan Cassidy had attempted to purchase a luxury villa in Dubai, underscoring the scale of his criminal enterprise.