Man who plotted to source AK-47 and shoot his enemies arrested in Spain

A man hatched a plan to acquire an AK-47 to shoot his enemies over a stolen stash of drugs. David Dunn, 32, ran his own "boutique" business, which saw hundreds of thousands of pounds in dirty cash change hands.

He used the handle "TrunkCrocodile" on encrypted communications platform EncroChat to trade huge quantities of illicit class A and B substances. But his secret past eventually caught up with him when he was later arrested on the continent.

After the network had been infiltrated by French police during 2020, messages showed Dunn's involvement in the supply of at least 39kg of heroin, 14.36kg of cocaine and 46kg of ketamine, Liverpool Crown Court heard yesterday (Thursday). Alex Langhorn, prosecuting, said Dunn was also involved in conversations regarding "substantial" sums of money totalling around half a million pounds.

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He also "sought to obtain" an AK-47 and "brokered" the sale of a Glock pistol, which had been discharged previously, alongside a quantity of ammunition, the Liverpool ECHO reports. Dunn, meanwhile, "discussed extreme violence" relating to "drugs he believed had been stolen from him", hatching plans to shoot his rivals in the legs or stomach.

Mr Langhorn told the court that the defendant had "primarily operated his own boutique operation" and employed his own courier, whom he paid £250 per kilogram of drugs transported while collecting commodities from as far a field as Newcastle, Wales and London. He meanwhile "hoped for regular deliveries" from the capital of up to 10kg per run.

Merseyside Police subsequently extradited Dunn, who has no previous convictions, back to the UK from Spain in April this year. Damien Nolan, defending, said on his behalf: "The defendant is entirely realistic. He has become involved in serious offending. He recognises, inevitably, that what follows is a condign sentence.

"The sentence would be condign even for someone immersed in criminal activity. He is going to have imposed upon him his first custodial sentence.

"This defendant recognises the gravity of what he has been involved in. He is not to be sentenced in respect of any offence of violence. The court is still left with serious offences.

"On occasions, the defendant is acting in a brokering role. He recognises that, when one looks at the bulk of his offending, he is operating his own enterprise.

"The defendant has the support of his family. His father has attended the building but, frankly, he found it too difficult to come in to watch. Others have have found it too difficult to witness these proceedings. His family are very concerned for him. The impact is going to be significant upon them.

"Since going to prison, he has performed in a way that has made him a trusted prisoner. To his credit, he is involved in a number of jobs in prison. The indications are that he is applying himself in a fruitful way."

Dunn, formerly of Longview Drive in Huyton, admitted conspiracy to supply heroin, cocaine and ketamine, conspiracy to transfer prohibited weapons and possession of a prohibited weapon. Appearing via video link from HMP Altcourse, he was jailed for 20 years.

Sentencing, Judge Brian Cummings KC said: "You are someone with no previous convictions and, plainly, you have no previous experience of imprisonment. The circumstances of these offences do, in my judgement, underline the vicious reality of serious organised crime - class A drugs and firearms and, of course, the two in combination."