Latest news with #JamesHarding
BBC News
27-06-2025
- BBC News
Drugs kingpins James Harding and Jayes Kharouti jailed
Two men who ran a multi-million pound drugs-smuggling operation have been jailed for life for plotting to murder a Harding, 34, from Alton in Hampshire, and his "loyal right-hand man" Jayes Kharouti, 39, from Epsom in Surrey, ran a vast criminal empire and imported £30m worth of cocaine into the were sentenced after being found guilty of conspiracy to murder following a trial at the Old Bailey. Harding had also been convicted of conspiring to import cocaine, which Kharouti, had messages showed them discussing recruiting a hitman to put an unnamed rival courier "permanently out of business". The pair's operation made £5 million in profit from importing drugs over 10 weeks in 2020 Police officers trawled through thousands of messages on encrypted communication service showed Harding and Kharouti planning to arm the hitman with a gun and ammunition for the "full M" - a data came from French police who broke the encryption code to the service favoured by the criminal messages showed the defendants discussing violence against anyone tempted to speak to the police about their drug one message, Harding said: "Bro u just have to know where their nan lives. They all love their nans. Then when they act up they know granny gonna get one in the head lol. Keeps them in check."In turn, Kharouti had threatened to arrange to "get a prisoner's head bust open" if he talked to the the 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 footage released by the police showed the moment he was arrested at Geneva airport in Switzerland on December 27 2021 and extradited to the was extradited from Turkey on 25 June 2024. Judge Anthony Leonard KC ordered Harding should serve a minimum term of 32 years and Kharouti at least 26 sentence, he said it was "hard to comprehend" the amount of cocaine imported and the profits would have been "very substantial"."Without the benefit of EncroChat your scale of offending would never have been apparent."The case formed part of a wider operation targeting criminals who used Ch Insp Jim Casey, from Scotland Yard, said the sentences reflected "the severity of the crimes the duo committed"."Following one of the largest EncroChat investigations in the Met's history, I am pleased that both criminals are serving the time they deserve." You can follow BBC Hampshire & Isle of Wight on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
The Sun
26-06-2025
- The Sun
Botched hitman plot, a ‘gay love triangle' & school bullies… how calamitous drug lords' £100m cocaine empire fell apart
AT the height of their success, drug baron James Harding and his 'loyal right-hand man' Jayes Kharouti ran a vast £100million criminal empire - raking in a staggering £70,000 a DAY. Now, Harding and his cohorts have been jailed for plotting the murder of a gangland rival from his luxury base in Dubai after cops blew open one of the biggest EncroChat investigations in history. 16 16 When cyber cops snared Harding, 34, who claimed to be a high-end watch sales executive, he was living in luxury at the The Nest apartment complex in Al Barari, Dubai, staying in five-star hotels and driving Bugatti and Lamborghini sports cars. The flashy narco's illicit business empire made a staggering £5million in just ten weeks, but it emerged he was prepared to do anything to keep his strangehold on the cocaine trade. Along with his henchman Kharouti, 39, he hatched an evil plot to murder a rival, going so far as to try to hire a hitman for £100,000. But the pair were scuppered by Scotland Yard detectives who cracked open the EncroChat messaging system - and tracked down the kingpin using vain shirtless selfies he had snapped on the same phone he used to arrange the hit. On the platform favoured by underworld criminals, Harding used the nickname 'thetopsking', while Kharouti went by the handle 'besttops' and 'topsybricks'. The pair, who were jailed at the Old Bailey this week, make an unlikely narco double act - with Harding insisting he was no murderer, but rather a suppressed homosexual involved in a bizarre love triangle, who had been bullied at school over his facial deformities. He denied using the handle 'thetopskiing', claiming instead it was actually used by his secret male lover. Meanwhile, The Sun can reveal Kharouti is an Afghan national who travelled to Britain as an asylum seeker in the Nineties with his mother - and has previously been busted over a nightclub drugs trafficking ring. In 2008 Kharouti, from Wallington in Surrey, was sentenced to four years in jail after pleading guilty to supplying more than half a kilo of cocaine to nightclubs across London. Using five different aliases, and five different dates of birth, he made £200,000 in just 18 months, with thousands of pounds found stashed inside a milkshake carton at his home. Moment drug-smuggling pals DIVE into water during boat chase as they attempt to flee Border Force with cocaine in hull Cops raided his home and unearthed more than £4,000 in cash – £1,000 stashed in his bedroom and £3,000 tucked a box in a kitchen cupboard. Officers also searched his car and found a staggering 620g of cocaine with a street value estimated at around £34,000. But after being released from jail he formed a murky friendship with Harding, who had been born with hemifacial microsomia, a condition causing the left side of his face to be under-developed. He endured multiple surgeries as a child and teenager to correct a deformed left ear, cheek and jaw. "I was alienated by everyone at school because of it," he confessed at his Old Bailey trial, which ended this week. Jurors heard Harding had feelings for "boys and girls" as a teenager, but "suppressed" his homosexual desires. 16 16 16 16 As a teenager, Harding, who grew up in Hampshire, began to sell legal highs to make money. He advertised the drugs using online classified adverts. But the scam backfired and in August 2012 he was arrested and charged with drugs offences and possession of false ID documents. In his bombshell Old Bailey this month, Harding returned to his childhood struggles for an extraordinary and elaborate defence. 16 16 16 16 The court had previously heard from cops that Harding used the handle 'thetopskiing' while hatching plans on EncroChat. In a remarkable twist, Harding insisted he did not use the handle - but was sleeping with the man who did. Harding's lawyer Clare Montgomery KC explained: "He (Harding) has for a long time been too ashamed to admit, and has always wanted to keep private, until this case has forced him to reveal his secret life. "That secret is that he had an intense and sexual relationship with 'thetopsking'." Before he was sent to prison the first time, Harding had fathered a child in 2010. His relationship with the little girl's mother broke down while he was in jail - when she apparently told Harding that he was not the child's biological father. But when Harding was released from prison in 2016 his ex-girlfriend contacted him to apologise for the way she had treated him. "I'd always felt rejected," he moaned. "And I wanted to know why she would leave me like that. "She explained to me she wouldn't have just left me for anyone. Her daughter's dad had got back into contact with her and wanted to rebuild a relationship with his daughter." Despite this, Harding said he went on to rekindle his relationship with the mother and she and her daughter moved into his home in Alton, Hampshire. But three years later, he claimed his girlfriend and her daughter left the UK and moved to Dubai where the real father, 'thetopskiing' , was living. 16 16 Harding later joined them - and recalled how HE fell for the mystery man too. He said he always found 'thetopskiing' or TK, good-looking and charming, but things changed after a boozy night out at the end of 2019. "We went to brunch at a place called Mama Zonia in Dubai, and after that a group of us went back to TK's villa, and after some time people were leaving," he said. "TK and I were drinking, and drinking quite a lot, and we ended up becoming intimate. "I wasn't proud of myself at all. I felt disgusted with myself." Harding claimed he was taken advantage of and used by 'thetopskiing' to book flights and restaurants. 16 Despite his denials, cops since proved that in fact Harding was 'thetopskiing' following a major cyber investigation. Harding gave away his true identity through a series of boastful selfies which showed his face, distinctive clothing and tattoos. They were able to prove that he and Kharouti had teamed up to import vast quantities of drugs. Their messages from 2020 revealed that "thetopsking" told other users when "lands" of cocaine were going to happen, and provided them with co-ordinates to collect the drugs close to Dover, where they had entered the UK by lorry. As a result Harding was arrested at Geneva Airport in Switzerland in December 2021, and extradited back to the UK. His second in command Kharouti was extradited from Turkey to the UK last June.
Yahoo
26-06-2025
- Yahoo
Drug kingpins who plotted murder of rival jailed for life
A pair of drug kingpins have been jailed for life for plotting to murder a rival and smuggling £30 million 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 'permanently out of business', arming him with a gun and ammunition for the 'full M' – a murder, the court was told. At the 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. They were handed the data after French police smashed the encryption code to the service favoured by the criminal underworld. 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. On Thursday, Judge Anthony Leonard KC jailed the defendants for life, handing Harding a minimum term of 32 years and Kharouti a minimum term of 26 years. Judge Leonard said the wholesale value of one tonne of cocaine imported was £30 million and the scale of the operation was 'unimaginable'. The judge noted messages in which the defendants discussed violence against anyone tempted to speak to the police about their drug business. In one message, Harding said: 'You just have to know where their nan lives. They all love their nans. They know granny is going to get it in the head lol.' Harding had only been out of prison for four years when he opted to 'trade up' from supplying Class B to Class A drugs which reaped greater rewards. Kharouti also had previous convictions for the supply of cocaine and cannabis, the court heard. Their Old Bailey trial was held amid heightened security, with an armed police escort to and from the central London court and prison. Three other members of the organised crime group had previously admitted drugs offences. Prosecutor Duncan Atkinson KC told the trial 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, the court was told. 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. 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, the court was told. The alleged hitman was arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to murder in the early hours of June 3 2020, which the defendants were unaware of. Harding, who had previous convictions for drugs and false documents, was arrested at Geneva airport in Switzerland on December 27 2021 and extradited from Switzerland. Kharouti was extradited from Turkey to the UK on June 25 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. 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 pleading guilty to possession a pistol. A man alleged to have been the proposed hitman was cleared.
Daily Mail
25-06-2025
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE The chilling messages revealing how cocaine kingpin plotted rival's brutal murder...and the moment gang realised the police were on to them
Chilling EncroChat messages reveal a British cocaine kingpin plotting the murder of a rival from his luxury Dubai villa - and the moment his gang realised police were on to them. James Harding, 34, and his 'loyal right-hand man' Jayes Kharouti, 39, ran a vast criminal empire that trafficked an estimated £100million worth of cocaine into the UK. They 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' - meaning murder. Following their conviction at the Old Bailey trial, MailOnline has obtained EncroChat logs which reveal how they went about planning the hit. Harding is shown offering £100,000 for the murder and ordering that the assassin carry out a 'double tap' shot to the head and chest. He was of course unaware that the Met could read EncroChat messages after the platform's encryption was cracked by French police. But after the arrest of an associate, Harding gang are seen panicking as they realise 'the feds' are closing in on them. At the time he was putting together the plot, Harding was posing as a high-end watch salesman and enjoying a luxury lifestyle in Dubai, where he stayed in five-star hotels and drove Bugatti and Lamborghini sports cars. On EncroChat, Harding used the nickname 'thetopsking' while his deputy Kharouti went by the handles 'besttops' and 'topsybricks', prosecutors said. A message sent on April 3, 2020 shows Harding discussing the idea of a 'cryp robbery' - meaning taking drugs from a courier. This later escalated into a murder plot. The defendants are seen talking about how and where the murder would take place, with £100,000 offered as payment to the hitman, who was to be recruited by their associate Jimmy Gottshalk, 37, known on EncroChat as 'Notnice' The proposed location was an isolated car park near Nower Wood nature reserve in Leatherhead, Surrey, with Kharouti saying this was 'the perfect location' because the victim would 'be dead for hours' without anyone coming across his body. Kharouti tells Gottshalk that he already has a gun and a Yamaha TMAX scooter with 'legit plates' ready, prompting Gottshalk to reply that it was 'a dream job for a killer'. Subsequent messages show Kharouti keeping his boss informed about the plan. At one point, Harding tells him the hit should involve a 'double tap' shot to the head and chest. The original plan to kill the courier by the Surrey nature reserve was later called off due to a delay over transport for the hitman. But the men 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 June 3, 2020, which the defendants were unaware of. However, they became suspicious after two drug runners were arrested on May 20, 2020 with 10kg of cocaine hidden in the back of their car. 'Feds onto encros bro,' Kharouti writes, describing the arrest as 'not normal'. He later adds that he is going to 'switch off' his device and describes himself as 'f****d'. On Tuesday, Harding and Kharouti 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 previously admitted. They were remanded into custody to be sentenced on Thursday. The duo's Old Bailey trial was held amid heightened security, with an armed police escort to and from the central London court and prison. Prosecutor Duncan Atkinson KC told the court how the defendants discussed importing a tonne of cocaine over a period of 10 weeks. Harding, who had previous convictions for drugs and false documents, was arrested at Geneva airport in Switzerland on December 27, 2021 and extradited from Switzerland. Kharouti was extradited from Turkey to the UK on June 25 last year - arriving on a private jet at a London airport, where he was met by armed police. In the video, an officer says 'Mr Harding, welcome back,' to which the criminal replies: 'Oh, thanks very much.' The kingpin was then arrested, handed a bulletproof vest and bundled into an armoured police van. Mr Atkinson told an earlier hearing that the pair were responsible for 'approximately 50 importations of cocaine into the UK with a total weight of approximately 1,000 kilograms. Harding sent selfies on the EncroChat encrypted service while using the same phone to arrange the hit The barrister said the gangsters made £60-70,000 per importation, and about £5m in profit overall in just 10 weeks. However, the total street value of all the drugs they sold was thought to be around £100million. Giving evidence, Harding denied using the handle 'the topsking', saying it belonged to an 'intimate' male partner called TK, who he refused to identify. He had shared selfies on the device at the same time as arranging the plot. Harding also used his EncroChat handle to book a table for his family at the Nusr et Steakhouse in Dubai - a creation of internet superstar Nusret 'Salt Bae' Gökçe. The handle was linked with a number ending '9627' which was used to book flights in Harding's name to Dubai and Geneva in Harding's name between 9 February and 4 March 2020. He also booked a Mother's Day meal at a restaurant at the Four Seasons resort in Dubai using the handle and bragged about taking his 'mrs' out to the Zumas Japanese restaurant using the same name. 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 pleading guilty to possession of a pistol. A man alleged to have been the proposed hitman was cleared.
Scottish Sun
25-06-2025
- Scottish Sun
Flashy drug kingpin snared in hitman plot by OWN designer clothes & tats in supercar selfies he shared from Dubai hotels
The vain villain also hired a hitman to take out a rival drug lord KING CASTLED Flashy drug kingpin snared in hitman plot by OWN designer clothes & tats in supercar selfies he shared from Dubai hotels Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A FLASHY crime lord was snared for a murder plot and major cocaine smuggling racket by his clothes and tattoos featured in selfies he posted from Dubai. Drug baron James Harding, 34, masterminded a drug empire which made £5 million in profits during a 10-week period. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 9 James Harding, 34, was the mastermind behind a drug empire Credit: PA 9 Harding boasted of the luxury life he was living abroad Credit: PA 9 He was arrested at Geneva airport and extradited to the UK Credit: PA But the vain villain took selfies of himself posing shirtless in front of the mirror flexing his muscles and sitting in supercars while living a life of luxury in the desert kingdom. Harding sent the photos and messages about his opulent lifestyle to criminal cronies on the EncroChat encrypted mobile phone system believing it was totally secure. But the swaggering poser's boasts rebounded on him when the communication network was infiltrated by cyber cops in 2020. Messages uncovered Harding's cocaine empire - and his plan to rob and kill a rival drug courier. Harding was yesterday convicted at the Old Bailey of conspiracy to supply class A drugs and of conspiracy to murder following a heavily-guarded eight-week trial. His right hand man Jayes Kharouti, 39, earlier admitted the same drug offence and was also found guilty of the murder plot. Jurors heard how Harding used the EncroChat handle 'thetopsking,' while Kharouti went under the tags 'besttops' and 'topsybricks.' They sent 9,136 messages to each other via EncroChat between March and June 2020, detailing their vast shipments of cocaine from the Netherlands into the UK, where it was distributed across the country. The pair spelled out how they were laundering their money - as every message was read by Scotland Yard detectives following the penetration of the EncroChat platform by French law enforcement. Harding, originally from Alton, Hampshire, and his lieutenant Kharouti were making £70,000 every day during the period their phones were being hacked by cops, jurors heard. Prosecutor Duncan Atkinson, KC, said the pair were responsible for 'approximately 50 importations of cocaine into the UK with a total weight of approximately 1,000 kilograms.' He went on: 'The messages also show that once the cocaine was in the UK, it was broken into smaller parcels, of between 5kg and 10kg, and distributed across the UK to wholesale purchasers, who would then sell to end users. 'An analysis of the messages that discuss money and financial gain suggests that the conspirators made £60-70,000 per importation, and about £5m in profit overall in just 10 weeks.' The messages also revealed how Harding and Kharouti tried to hire a hitman for £100,000 to rob and kill a drug mule. Watch 'movie-style' masked gang raid to spring Brit drugs boss from custody in Spain while he was being taken to dentist They arranged a gun and ammunition for a hitman to carry out the 'full M' - murder, jurors heard. Cops moved in and arrested the alleged hitman before the contract murder could be carried out. Harding claimed in court he was not the EncroChat user known as 'thetopsking' - and claimed the handle belonged to a mystery gay lover he identified in court only as 'TK.' But cops were able to prove Harding was the 'thetopsking' because of his love for selfies and boasts about his luxury lifestyle. A phone seized from an associate had a video showing Harding in the driver's seat of a £2.5 million Bugatti Chiron car with a tattoo on his leg clearly visible. There were pictures of him living it up in his lavish villa at The Nest development in Dubai, with floor-to-ceiling glass windows, a swimming pool and rooms for maids and drivers. Harding lived there with Liverpudlian girlfriend Charli Wylde, 33, and her daughter Milly-Mai, 15, who he treated as his own. 9 There were photos Harding living it up in Dubai with his £2.5 million Bugatti Credit: PA 9 The vain villain sent messages of himself sitting in the supercar Credit: PA 9 Harding sent messages to his criminal cronies via an encrypted mobile phone system Credit: PA The court heard that on May 6, 2020, EncroChat user 'thetopsking' boasted to pals how he was taking his 'Mrs' out that evening to Zuma, an award-winning Japanese restaurant in Dubai. Investigations found that two days earlier Harding made the booking from a personal email account. And eight days later 'thetopsking' boasted in messages how he was staying at the five-star Waldorf hotel in Ras Al Khaimah, UAE, and sent an image of the hotel pool area via EncroChat. Mr Atkinson said: 'Enquiries with the Hilton Hotel Group showed that Harding stayed at the Waldorf Astoria in the United Arab Emirates and gave (his) mobile telephone number and produced a UAE identification card. 'During the stay, thetopsking had sent an image of James Harding relaxing on a sun lounger at, of all places, the Waldorf.' One March 26 2020, thetopsking also wrote a message about how he had got back a Lamborghini Urus and sent an image of the dashboard. Mr Atkinson said: 'The person who took the image caught their leg in the photograph, and on that leg is a tattoo which matches the tattoo on James Harding's leg.' Kharouti's home in Epsom, Surrey, was searched in 2020 after he was linked to the messages. Police found a handset with the same number he gave to Harding. He fled the country before being found in Turkey and extradited back to the UK. Harding was arrested on 27 December 2021 at Geneva Airport, Switzerland, and from there Switzerland to the UK the following May. The pair will be sentenced on Thursday. Met Detective Chief Inspector Jim Casey, 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.' Harding was previously jailed for nine years when he was aged 21 for running a drug racket. Previously, Calvin Crump, 29, of Redhill, Surrey, was jailed for 13 years and six months while Khuram Ahmed, 38, of Slough, Berkshire, got 15-and-half-years after admitting conspiracy to smuggle cocaine. Peter Thompson, 61, of South-West London, received 21 years after he pleaded guilty to the same drug charge and possessing a pistol. A man alleged to have been the gang's proposed hitman was cleared. 9 The drug kingpin made £5 million in profits in a 10 week period Credit: PA 9 Packages of drugs smuggled in 2020 Credit: PA
