Leicester drug dealer jailed 14 years after EncroChat data exposes 27kg cocaine supply

Chaitanya Sharma, 33, was sentenced at Leicester Crown Court after police found cocaine, cannabis, cash and gold bars at his home.

Leicester man sentenced to 14 years for cocaine supply linked to EncroChat

A Leicester drug dealer has been jailed for 14 years after police uncovered large quantities of cocaine, cannabis, cash and gold bars at his home, BBC News reports.

Chaitanya Sharma, 33, was sentenced at Leicester Crown Court on Friday after investigators from the East Midlands Special Operations Unit (EMSOU) linked him to nearly £500,000 worth of cocaine through the encrypted messaging platform EncroChat.

When officers raided Sharma's address on Babingley Drive in November 2025, they seized four kilos of cocaine valued at more than £400,000, cannabis worth £58,000, more than £110,000 in cash, and gold bars estimated at £70,000. Designer handbags and sunglasses were also recovered at the property.

EncroChat data traced two usernames to Sharma

EMSOU detectives identified two EncroChat usernames belonging to Sharma after analysing data recovered from the platform. Records showed that between March and June 2020, he was involved in supplying large quantities of Class A drugs, including at least 27kg of cocaine. Investigators estimate he handled £489,500 in cash connected to drug deals during that period.

EncroChat was a top-secret communications system used almost exclusively by organised crime groups worldwide. It was dismantled in early 2020 as part of a major international law enforcement operation involving specialist officers from France, the Netherlands and the UK, giving police access to previously hidden communications.

Sharma pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply Class A drugs and possession with intent to supply Class A and Class B drugs.

Detective: 'He was profiting immensely from this illegal activity'

Detective Sergeant Chris Sewell, from Leicestershire Police, said: "Sharma had been involved in the supply of cocaine to the value of at least nearly half a million pounds, and it is clear from the cash and designer goods found at his address he was profiting immensely from this illegal activity."

Sewell added that the intelligence derived from EncroChat, combined with work by officers, had allowed them to dismantle Sharma's operation. "We will continue to target and disrupt organised crime groups who cause harm in our communities," he said.

Source: BBC News