Posted a Favorite Cheese Photo and Got 'Caught'... The Fall of a British Drug Dealer

A photo of cheese posted on EncroChat by Carl Stewart (39), a drug dealer in the UK. Provided by Merseyside Police. Photo by BBC

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Soyoung] A drug dealer in the UK was caught by the police after posting a photo of his favorite cheese.

According to the British public broadcaster BBC and the daily newspaper The Guardian on the 25th, Karl Stewart (39) was caught supplying drugs such as heroin and cocaine in Liverpool, UK, and was sentenced to 13 years and 6 months in Liverpool Crown Court last week.

Stewart posted a photo of his favorite cheese on the secure messaging service 'EncroChat,' and the investigators recognized fingerprints from a photo of his palm holding the cheese.

An investigator said, "His 'love for Stilton cheese' led to the analysis of his palm and fingerprints, which ultimately revealed that they belonged to Stewart, leading to his downfall."

Last year, British police hacked the secure messenger app EncroChat and arrested hundreds of criminals involved in drug trafficking, money laundering, and murder.

According to the UK National Crime Agency, messaging services like EncroChat are frequently used by criminals to commit crimes such as money laundering, drug trafficking, and arms dealing. Approximately 60,000 chat users have been identified worldwide, with about 10,000 of them confirmed in the UK.

Meanwhile, this is not the first time such an incident has occurred. In 2010, a thief named Steven Taylor was caught by the police after posting a photo holding a stolen watch and was sentenced to 10 months in prison. The Guardian reported, "Forensic scientists analyzed the photo and identified the individual through the hand posture."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.