Drug kingpins plotted rival's murder while running criminal empire
Two drug kingpins have been found guilty of plotting to murder a rival as well as smuggling millions of pounds worth of cocaine into the UK.
In what is being described as one of the largest EncroChat investigations in history, James Harding, 34, and his 'loyal right-hand man' Jayes Kharouti, 39, ran a vast criminal empire which made £5 million in profits from importing drugs over 10 weeks in 2020 alone.
Old Bailey heard how the pair tried to recruit a hitman to put an unnamed rival courier 'permanently out of business', arming him with a gun and ammunition for the 'full M' – a murder.
During this time, Harding, who claimed to be a high-end watch sales executive, was living in luxury in Dubai, staying in five-star hotels and driving Bugatti and Lamborghini sports cars.
The plot was scuppered by Scotland Yard officers who accessed the defendants' discussions on EncroChat and trawled through thousands of messages.
Officers were handed the data after French police smashed the encryption code to the service favoured by the criminal underworld.
Their Old Bailey trial was held amid heightened security, with an armed police escort to and from the central London court and prison.
On Tuesday, they were found guilty of conspiracy to murder while Harding was also convicted of conspiring with others to import cocaine, which Kharouti, of Epsom, Surrey, had admitted.
They were remanded into custody to be sentenced on Thursday.
Three other members of the organised crime group had previously admitted drugs offences.
Prosecutor Duncan Atkinson KC told the trial that the defendants discussed on EncroChat importing a tonne of cocaine over a period of 10 weeks.
Harding used the nickname 'thetopsking' while Kharouti went by the handle 'besttops' and 'topsybricks', the prosecution alleged.
In EncroChat messages the pair discussed the robbery of a drugs courier and Kharouti reported back on whether six or seven kilograms of cocaine had been delivered to a client the day before.
Mr Atkinson said it was Harding who first raised the idea of a 'cryp robbery' – taking drugs from a courier – which became a plan to kill a courier instead.
The defendants discussed how and where the murder would take place, with Kharouti offering the potential hitman £100,000.
Kharouti kept his boss informed about the plan who told him it should involve a 'double tap' shot to the head and chest.
Despite a delay over transport for the hitman, the defendants worked on alternative solutions even arranging the shooting near to the proposed gunman's home.
The alleged hitman was arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to murder in the early hours of 3 June, 2020, which the defendants were unaware of.
Kharouti increased the offer to £120,000 but an EncroChat user trying to locate an individual for him said the price should be no less than £200,000.
Harding, who had previous convictions for drugs and false documents, was arrested at Geneva airport in Switzerland on 27 December, 2021 and extradited from Switzerland.
Kharouti was extradited from Turkey to the UK on 25 June last year.
Giving evidence, Harding denied using the handle 'the topsking', saying it belonged to an 'intimate' male partner called TK, who he refused to identify.
The case formed part of a wider operation targeting criminals who used EncroChat.
Detective Chief Inspector Jim Casey, who led the investigation, said: 'This conviction sends a clear message: no matter how sophisticated the methods, criminals cannot hide behind encrypted software.
'This operation dismantled a major supply chain and is a testament to the relentless work of our officers.
'We monitored their drug-dealing activity but then we saw the group discussing the contract killing of a rival. We moved fast to protect those in danger.
'Harding and Kharouti planned to kill, we stopped that and put them before the courts.'
Detective Inspector Driss Hayoukane, who oversaw the Met 's EncroChat operation, said: 'Thanks to the tenacity and commitment from Met officers, over 500 criminals have been successfully convicted since the EncroChat platform was cracked back in 2020, leading to well over 5,000 years of sentences being handed down to those involved.
'This represents our commitment to combating illegal drug supply, as well as the serious violence that comes with it.
'Our work doesn't stop here – we will continue to pursue those who profit from bringing harm to our communities and will continue to deliver our mission of reducing crime.'
Previously, Calvin Crump, 29, of Redhill, Surrey; Khuram Ahmed, 38, of Slough; and Peter Thompson, 61 of south-west London, had admitted the cocaine conspiracy charge with Thompson also pleaded guilty to possession a pistol. A man alleged to have been the proposed hitman was cleared.
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It was Clarke rather than the prime minister, Tony Blair, or the Met commissioner, Sir Ian Blair, who was on our televisions every day keeping us informed. He was unflustered and reassuring. He had an air of competence and confidence. He steadied our nerves. Was he actually that calm? 'It's funny, but when you're in the middle of something as enormous as this, it's as if you're in the eye of the storm. In the centre, it did feel quite calm.' He says the calmness stemmed from having confidence in his team. 'It makes life so much easier. You can focus on what leaders should be doing, which is not getting down in the weeds but thinking about two days ahead, three days ahead. Dealing with the politics and creating an environment in which your specialists are able to do their job unhindered, uninterrupted, undistracted.' Politically, there were tense moments. For several days there were genuine fears that the bomb gang had had a fifth member who was at large and might try to strike again. 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Clarke is now 69 and retired after a significant career in public service during which he become HM Chief Inspector of Prisons after he left the Met. Over the years, I have met two Peter Clarkes: the deadly serious one respected throughout law enforcement and the convivial one with a passion for cricket, a taste for red wine and a gift for telling a story. Surely, the intense events of July 2005 must have had a personal and emotional impact? 'I'm probably the wrong person to ask.' But I can only ask him. It is a question about him. 'I don't know,' he says. 'It must have done, I suppose, but don't ask me to describe what it is or was.' I press on. Is he the sort of bloke who just doesn't go there? 'Yeah, probably.' He hasn't had any counselling or anything? How does he let go? 'Cricket, red wine, golf, holidays, family. All of those things.' 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