Francis Ventre is in prison serving a nine-year sentence after being convicted of leading a major drug trafficking operation involving cocaine and ketamine worth nearly half a million pounds. The 63-year-old former Barrow AFC defender was sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court on 2 February 2026, following a guilty plea in December 2025. His case drew widespread attention after his identity was exposed through a critical security error involving his former football club’s name.
Who Is Francis Ventre?
Francis Ventre is a 63-year-old former professional footballer from West Derby, Liverpool. He played as a defender for Barrow AFC during the 1990s, joining the club in March 1995 and making 27 appearances. Although not a household name in football, his connection to the club would later play an unexpected role in his downfall.
After his playing career ended, Ventre returned to Liverpool. Decades after his time on the pitch, he became involved in serious organised crime, operating a drug supply network using encrypted communications technology that he believed to be untraceable.
What Did Francis Ventre Do?
Between April and June 2020, Francis Ventre ran a conspiracy to supply cocaine and ketamine to buyers in his area. The operation handled drugs with a combined street value of approximately £479,500, including one kilogram of cocaine worth around £38,500 and 63 kilograms of ketamine worth approximately £441,000.
He also faced a charge of conspiracy to convert criminal property — meaning he was involved in laundering the proceeds generated by the drug sales. The entire operation was conducted using EncroChat, a criminal encrypted messaging platform that users believed to be completely secure at the time.
His EncroChat username was “Dillforest.” This pseudonym was designed to maintain anonymity, but Ventre made a critical error that would ultimately expose him to investigators.
How Was He Caught?
The downfall of Francis Ventre came through one of the most significant law enforcement operations in UK history. In June 2020, French and Dutch authorities secretly infiltrated the EncroChat network, installing monitoring software that gave investigators access to the private communications of tens of thousands of criminal users worldwide. The intelligence was shared with the National Crime Agency (NCA) and police forces across the UK.
Ventre’s identity was exposed through an elementary mistake. The password he used to access his EncroChat account contained the word “barrow” — a direct reference to his former football club. When investigators cross-referenced this with personal details such as his date of birth and postcode, which he had inadvertently shared in encrypted conversations, they were able to identify him conclusively.
He was arrested at his home in West Derby, Liverpool, on 25 November 2025 — more than five years after the offending took place. The significant gap between the offending and the arrest reflects the substantial time required to work through the vast amount of data obtained from the EncroChat network.
The Sentence
Francis Ventre appeared before Liverpool Crown Court and entered a guilty plea on 10 December 2025. He was sentenced on 2 February 2026. The judge imposed a nine-year custodial sentence, reflecting both the scale and the commercial nature of the drug trafficking operation and his leading role within it.
The National Crime Agency confirmed the sentencing and highlighted the case as an example of how EncroChat intelligence continues to bring serious criminals to justice years after the network was taken down. Proceeds of crime investigations were also expected to follow, with the aim of recovering any assets connected to the drug operation.
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What Is Operation Venetic?
Operation Venetic is the name given to the UK law enforcement response to the global EncroChat takedown. EncroChat was a commercial encrypted communications platform used almost exclusively by serious organised criminals. At its peak, the platform had approximately 60,000 users worldwide, with around 10,000 in the United Kingdom.
In June 2020, French and Dutch law enforcement cracked the encryption and deployed malware to harvest messages, images, and notes from users in real time. The intelligence was shared with the NCA and UK police forces, triggering thousands of investigations across the country.
The results have been remarkable. Operation Venetic has produced over 2,437 convictions in the UK, with seizures including £54 million in criminal cash, 77 firearms, and more than two tonnes of drugs. The Francis Ventre case is one of the later prosecutions to emerge as investigators continue working through the intelligence gathered. For more information about the UK prison system, including guidance on the Parole Board UK process, this site covers a wide range of prison-related topics.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is Francis Ventre in prison?
Francis Ventre is in prison because he was convicted of leading a drug trafficking conspiracy involving cocaine and ketamine worth £479,500, as well as laundering the proceeds. He used the EncroChat encrypted platform to operate the network and was identified through a password that referenced his former football club, Barrow AFC.
How long is Francis Ventre’s prison sentence?
Francis Ventre was sentenced to nine years in prison at Liverpool Crown Court on 2 February 2026. He pleaded guilty on 10 December 2025 to charges of conspiracy to supply cocaine and ketamine, and conspiracy to convert criminal property.
What football club did Francis Ventre play for?
Francis Ventre played as a defender for Barrow AFC, joining the club in March 1995 and making 27 appearances. His connection to the club was later used against him when investigators found that his EncroChat password contained the word “barrow,” which helped confirm his identity and led to his arrest.
What is EncroChat?
EncroChat was a commercial encrypted messaging platform used primarily by serious organised criminals. It had approximately 60,000 users worldwide and 10,000 in the UK. In June 2020, French and Dutch law enforcement cracked the platform and shared intelligence with UK authorities under Operation Venetic, leading to thousands of arrests and convictions.
What is Operation Venetic?
Operation Venetic is the UK law enforcement operation that used intelligence from the EncroChat takedown to investigate and prosecute serious organised criminals. It has resulted in over 2,437 convictions in the UK, with the seizure of £54 million in cash, 77 firearms, and more than two tonnes of drugs. Francis Ventre is one of the more recent individuals to be convicted as part of this ongoing operation.
