Drug Dealer Busted By Fingerprints After Posting Pic of Stilton Cheese

A drug dealer in Liverpool, England was busted when he posted a picture of his hands holding a block of cheese.

Carl Stewart, 39, was identified by the Merseyside Police after they analyzed his fingerprints from a snap of Stewart and his Stilton cheese that was shared to the encrypted messaging service EncroChat, which is used as a type of criminal marketplace.

After pleading guilty on Friday, Stewart was sent to prison for 13 years for conspiracy to supply cocaine, heroin, MDMA and ketamine, and transferring criminal property.

"Carl Stewart was involved in supplying large amounts of class A and B drugs, but was caught out by his love of stilton cheese, after sharing a picture of a block of it in his hand through EncroChat," Detective Inspector Lee Wilkinson said in a statement. "His palm and fingerprints were analysed from this picture and it was established they belonged to Stewart."

According to the UK's National Crime Agency, EncroChat is used worldwide for "coordinating and planning the distribution of illicit commodities, money laundering and plotting to kill rival criminals."

Stewart isn't the first crook to be done in by his own photography skills.

In 2010, Stephen Taylor was sent off to the clink after cops discovered a pic of him holding stolen watches on his phone, according to The Guardian. Authorities enhanced the image and identified Taylor from the ridges in his hands

And a man in South Wales was arrested after he shared a pic of MDMA tablets in his hand to potential customers in 2018, per the outlet.