Two drug lords convicted of murder plot and cocaine smuggling via EncroChat
James Harding and Jayes Kharouti found guilty at the Old Bailey of conspiracy to murder and importing millions in cocaine, uncovered by EncroChat investigators.
Two drug lords convicted of murder plot and cocaine smuggling via EncroChat
James Harding, 34, and his "loyal right-hand man" Jayes Kharouti, 39, were found guilty on Tuesday of conspiracy to murder a rival courier and running a cocaine smuggling operation worth millions of pounds — the result of one of the largest EncroChat investigations, The Guardian reports.
The pair used the encrypted messaging platform favoured by organised crime networks to plan what prosecutors described as a "full M" — a murder — targeting an unnamed courier they wanted put "permanently out of business." Kharouti offered a potential hitman £100,000 for the job, the Old Bailey was told. Harding, monitoring events from Dubai, instructed that the killing should involve a "double tap" to the head and chest.
The murder plot was foiled after Scotland Yard officers gained access to the defendants' EncroChat communications. The alleged hitman was arrested in the early hours of 3 June 2020, though the defendants were unaware of this at the time. That man was subsequently cleared.
£5m in drug profits over ten weeks
Beyond the murder conspiracy, Harding was also convicted of conspiring to import cocaine — a charge Kharouti had already admitted. Prosecutors told the court the pair discussed importing a tonne of cocaine over a period of just ten weeks in 2020, generating £5m in profits. Harding used the EncroChat handle "thetopsking"; Kharouti operated under "besttops" and "topsybricks", according to the prosecution.
Harding, who claimed publicly to work as a high-end watch sales executive, was at the time living in Dubai, staying in five-star hotels and driving Bugatti and Lamborghini sports cars. He had previous convictions for drugs offences and possession of false documents.
Armed escort and heightened security
The trial took place under exceptional security conditions. Armed police officers wearing balaclavas were stationed at strategic points around the court, and the defendants were transported to and from the central London court and prison under armed escort.
Harding was arrested at Geneva airport on 27 December 2021 and extradited to the UK on 27 May 2022. Video footage of his arrival at Heathrow shows an officer greeting him: "Mr Harding, welcome back," to which Harding replied: "Oh, thanks very much." He was fitted with a bulletproof vest before being driven away in an armoured vehicle. Kharouti was extradited from Turkey on 25 June last year.
Giving evidence, Harding denied using the "thetopsking" handle, claiming it belonged to an "intimate" male partner he identified only as TK and refused to name.
'Substantial' sentences expected
The judge, Anthony Leonard KC, warned both men they faced "substantial" custodial sentences. Harding and Kharouti were remanded in custody ahead of sentencing on Thursday.
Three other men — Calvin Crump, 29, of Redhill, Surrey; Khuram Ahmed, 38, of Slough; and Peter Thompson, 61, of south-west London — had previously admitted the cocaine conspiracy charge.
Detective Chief Inspector Jim Casey, who led the investigation, said the conviction delivered a clear message. "No matter how sophisticated the methods, criminals cannot hide behind encrypted software," Casey said.
The case forms part of a broader law enforcement operation targeting criminal networks that relied on EncroChat, a platform dismantled by European authorities in 2020.
Source: The Guardian