Syed Ahmed, leading Llewellyn Culver-Evans of Church Court Chambers, represented a client charged with conspiracy to supply class a drugs, in a four-week trial at St Albans Crown Court.

The prosecution outlined a large-scale drugs operation, distributing multiple kilograms of cocaine throughout the Hertfordshire area, with the use of highly encrypted Encrochat telephones. The prosecution brought evidence to attribute one of these encrypted phones to the Defendant, through the use of cell-cite and co-location data and phone records.

King’s Counsel, leading the case for the prosecution described the evidence against Syed’s client as overwhelming. In his closing speech prosecution counsel told the jury that on the weight of the evidence they could not have a shred of doubt about this Defendant’s guilt.

After deliberating for over five and a half hours, the jury returned a Not Guilty verdict in respect of Syed’s client.

A single co-defendant was convicted of the conspiracy by the jury.

Syed and Llewellyn were instructed by Aasher Malik from Woolfe & Co Solicitors of Luton.