A drugs boss jailed for 20 years following a National Crime Agency investigation has been ordered to hand over more than £1m.
To outward appearances Craig McKenzie’s lavish lifestyle was funded by his property business ‘Teflon Holdings’.
Despite only having a declared income of around £33,000 in 2021, the 43-year-old wore a £250,000 Richard Mille RM11-03 rose gold titanium watch, drove a brand new BMW X5 and a VW Tiguan R-Line. When NCA officers raided his house they also found £128,000 worth of designer goods and clothing and £33,000 in cash.
He was jailed in October 2023 for 20 years for conspiring to supply heroin, cocaine and cannabis from the Netherlands, Spain and North America. He was a well-known offender in the North West of England.
McKenzie, of Hatchmere Close, Cheadle Hulme, Greater Manchester, used runners to move his drugs to customers who were mainly based in Liverpool and Manchester but were also as far afield as Wales and London.
Evidence suggested he sent money from his drugs sales to notorious offenders in Spain and the United Arab Emirates through money laundering channels.
Today (Weds 12 Nov) at Manchester Crown Court, McKenzie was ordered to repay £1,115,901 after the court heard he had benefited to the tune £1,920,656. He has three months to pay or faces another seven years in jail.
McKenzie was arrested in February 2022 by NCA officers investigating high-end drug dealing conducted through the EncroChat encrypted communications platform.
The EncroChat platform was taken down in 2020 and Operation Venetic, the UK law enforcement response led by the NCA was launched.
Investigators waded through 11,043 messages between McKenzie’s ‘Manlydesert’ handle and his conspirators going from March 2020 to June 2020.
They showed that McKenzie – who was acquitted of murder in December 2011 – had established close ties with prolific, wanted, international criminals and these relationships bought him access to other criminal conspiracies unfolding in the UK and overseas.
McKenzie was convicted of conspiring to supply 45kg of cocaine and 14kg of heroin with a joint street value of £5m, and 90kg of cannabis with a street value of £900,000.
During the three-month period in 2020, McKenzie also laundered approximately £400,000.
He has 18 separate convictions from 26 offences starting in 1996 when he was convicted of robbery at age 13.
He was accused of murdering Amran Khan, aged 29, over a heroin debt in 2009 but was cleared after telling the jury he had nothing to do with drugs and was a car dealer. Two co-accused were convicted of the murder.
Dean Wallbank, NCA senior investigating officer, said: “Like pretty much all drugs traffickers Craig McKenzie was driven purely by trying to get rich.
“He didn’t care at all about the death and misery that are inseparable from the trafficking and dealing of illegal drugs. McKenzie was arrogant to the point of calling one of his cover businesses Teflon Holdings because he believed that his crimes would not stick to him.
“As well as building a rock-solid criminal case against him, my officers have gone after his money and this loss will really hurt him.
“The NCA will continue to do all we can at home and abroad to tackle criminals who supply Class A drugs and bring huge harm to our communities.”
They money will be split between the Treasury and law enforcement.
McKenzie’s watch collection will be retained by the liquidator and sold off to go towards an outstanding tax bill.
McKenzie’s brother Wayne McKenzie, 50, ran their family crime group with him. McKenzie, of Beckenham Avenue, Liverpool, was jailed for 30 years in February 2024 for firearms and drugs offences.
