Three jailed for 71 years for plot to murder Birmingham man who owed money to high-level drug dealer

Three men who arranged for a man to be shot dead in Birmingham have been jailed for a minimum of 71 years today (June 6) after being caught in a major operation.

Connor Palmer, Craig Miller and Elijah Stokes were convicted of conspiracy to murder the man, who owed money to a high-level UK drug dealer currently living in Dubai.

In May 2020, the victim’s partner opened the door to their home in the Sheldon area of Birmingham to find a man in a Tesco jacket and wearing a high-vis vest. He asked if she was ‘expecting a delivery’ and said: “He’s here, isn’t he” before walking into the house and opening fire at the man.

He was hit five times and was taken to hospital where he was left fighting for his life, but survived.

A young child was in the house at the time but was thankfully not injured. At trial Birmingham Crown Court heard how Palmer and Miller and another man formed a group which was paid £100,00 by the high-level drug dealer to kill their victim.

The group paid a gunman, who has never been identified, £40,000 to carry out the hit. Stokes arranged for the car and gun to be delivered to the hitman. Stokes arranged for the car and gun to be delivered to the hitman. In the weeks after the murder, the high-level dealer told Miller he wanted another man to be killed. He sent a photo with the caption ‘That’s him’, to which Miller replied: ‘Clips going in his head’.

The messages were found on an EncroChat phone belonging to Palmer.EncroChat was an encrypted global communication service used exclusively by criminals.

But an international law enforcement team cracked the company’s encryption in 2020 – allowing messages between organised crime figures, including those behind the Sheldon shooting, to be read by police.

Stokes, aged 38, of Whoberley Avenue, Earlsdon, along with Miller, 37, of Epsom, Surrey, and Palmer, 40, of Surrey, were convicted of conspiracy to murder the man who was shot. Miller was also found guilty of conspiracy to murder the second person, although that shooting never actually took place.

Miller, 37, of Epsom, Surrey, and Palmer, 40, of Redhill, Surrey, were convicted of conspiracy to murder the man who was shot and were sentenced to life in prison with minimum terms of 30 years and 23 years respectively. Stokes, aged 38, of Whoberley Avenue, Earlsdon, was sentenced to 27 years with a minimum term of 18.

What has West Midlands Police said about the case?

Detective Inspector Gemma Currie, said: “The messages we uncovered as part of this investigation make for truly chilling reading and are like something from a movie.

“It was a miracle that the victim of the shooting in Sheldon survived. It was thanks to the EncroChat breakthrough that we were unable to unravel this conspiracy to murder.

“The gang thought that they were able to communicate securely about their murderous plans, but thanks to the international law enforcement community, we were able to show exactly what they were planning and how they planned it.”

The UK’s response to the takedown of EncroChat was called Operation Venetic and was led by the National Crime Agency.