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Men guilty of plotting murder and running drugs empire on EncroChat
- On Tuesday at the Old Bailey, James Harding, aged 34, along with his associate Jayes Kharouti, aged 39, were convicted of plotting murder and conspiring to import cocaine.
- The convictions followed a major investigation after French police cracked the EncroChat encrypted platform in 2020, enabling authorities to access their communications.
- Scotland Yard officers trawled thousands of messages revealing the men's criminal empire made £5 million in profits over 10 weeks, and their attempt to recruit a hitman for a murder.
- Detective Chief Inspector Jim Casey emphasized that this verdict demonstrates criminals cannot rely on encrypted technology to evade justice, regardless of how advanced their tactics are.
- The case demonstrates ongoing commitment to dismantling drug networks and violence, with sentencing scheduled Thursday after the judge warned the men face substantial jail time.
12 Articles
12 Articles
Son of alleged caterer-turned-crime lord on Staten Island resolves case
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.— The son of an alleged caterer-turned-drug kingpin on Staten Island has resolved his own case by way of a plea deal in state Supreme Court, St. George, the Advance/SILive.com has learned.
The Herald Scotland
Drugs kingpins guilty of plotting murder and running drugs empire on EncroChat
The plot was scuppered by Scotland Yard officers who accessed the defendants’ secret discussions.
Drugs kingpins guilty of plotting murder and running drugs empire on EncroChat - Banbury FM
A pair of drug kingpins are facing jail for plotting to murder a rival and smuggling millions of pounds worth of cocaine into the UK following 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. They tried to recruit a hitman to put an unnamed rival courier “perman…
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