World champion boxing trainer jailed for 10 years for cocaine supply conspiracy

Andrew Bulcroft, a 48-year-old boxing trainer and manager known in the ring as Stefy Bull, was sentenced to 10 years in prison after being found guilty of conspiracy to supply cocaine.

Bulcroft was remanded in custody on Feb. 28 and denied the charges throughout a four-day trial at Sheffield Crown Court in June, where a jury returned a unanimous guilty verdict. Prosecutors said he bought significant quantities of cocaine while using the pseudonym "Yummycub" on the Encrophat encrypted phone network.

Bulcroft, who has worked as a trainer and manager for world champion fighters and was once an opponent of former world title challenger Amir Khan, was convicted of offences that prosecutors say were committed through the use of encrypted communications. The court heard messages sent via the Encrophat network, under the alias "Yummycub," were linked to purchases of cocaine described by investigators as "significant amounts." Bulcroft had pleaded not guilty.

His co-defendant, Benjamin Williams, pleaded guilty in February to a string of drug offences, including conspiracy to supply cocaine, possession of cocaine with intent to supply, possession of cannabis with intent to supply and possession of criminal property. Williams has been released on conditional bail ahead of his sentencing and is expected to receive a reduced term because of his early guilty plea, the court was told.

Sentencing for Bulcroft had originally been scheduled for May but was delayed because of the availability of his legal team. At the hearing that imposed the 10-year term, the judge took into account the role prosecutors attributed to Bulcroft in the alleged supply chain and the scale of the offending.

The case forms part of a wider pattern of prosecutions in which law enforcement has used intercepted communications from encrypted phone networks to build evidence against accused drug suppliers. Defence counsel had argued that the messages alone were insufficient to prove Bulcroft’s involvement and maintained his innocence during the trial.

Bulcroft’s conviction and sentence mark a significant development in the British boxing community, where he had worked as a trainer and manager for fighters at the highest level. The court record does not indicate whether Bulcroft intends to seek leave to appeal the conviction.

Williams’s sentencing date was set to be determined by the court; any reduction to his eventual term will reflect the timing of his guilty plea and the factors the judge deems relevant under sentencing guidelines.