A woman from Bushey has dodged jail after being sentenced for her role in running a drugs network in Watford and nearby areas.

Herts Police have been targeting a well-established organised crime group (OCG) whose members had been using encrypted phone app ‘EncroChat’ to communicate and plan crimes.

The intensive investigation, launched in 2019, got a boost in March 2020 when the National Crime Agency used powers to access encryption protocols and passed intelligence to police forces.

Jacqueline Slowley, of Farrington Avenue, was arrested in October 2020 and later charged with conspiracy to supply class A drugs (cocaine).

The 65-year-old appeared at St Albans Crown Court on Friday, February 17, and was sentenced to two years' prison, suspended for 18 months, after entering a guilty plea.

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Detective Inspector Sarah Corr, from Hertfordshire Constabulary’s Operation Relentless team, said: “We have been able to dismantle a number of OCGs operating in the county using the data recovered from EncroChat.

“Over the past two years we have made significant progress in shutting down drug supply networks, jailing criminals and seizing large amounts of cash and drugs.”

She added that OCGs use violence, supply drugs and commit a range of crimes that pose a dangerous threat to communities.