Overview

• Judge John Potter sentenced Rothwell to 43 years after he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess firearms and ammunition with intent to endanger life as well as conspiracy to supply cocaine and ketamine.
• Encrypted messages intercepted via EncroChat revealed Rothwell’s orders for a 2020 Warrington shooting, large-scale drug deals and weapons sales from his Barcelona hideout.
• Rothwell was arrested in Amsterdam in December 2020 under a European Arrest Warrant and extradited to the UK in March 2021 based on decrypted EncroChat evidence and a key identification selfie.
• Nine co-defendants received prison terms alongside Rothwell on August 14, bringing the group’s combined sentences to 207 years for roles in arms trafficking, drug importation and violent conspiracies.
• The National Crime Agency and partner forces described the verdict as a major success for Operation Venetic, which has secured over 2,200 convictions and seized large volumes of Class A drugs, firearms and criminal funds.