Latest news with #RedonBushi
Sunday World
11-07-2025
- Sunday World
Drugs kingpin who smuggled €95m of cocaine stamped with ‘Rolex' logo is jailed
Redon Bushi was sentenced to 24 years and 10 months in prison. Redon Bushi (32) of Cherry Crescent, Brentford in England, headed up a major criminal operation which distributed cocaine across the UK. Bushi controlled a network of couriers to deliver 832 kilos of Class A drugs – worth £81m (€95m) – under the username 'Sealvermouth' on Encrochat. Metropolitan Police detectives discovered runners would only be provided with postcodes, times and a loose description of the buyer to try and keep detectives off his tail. But Met officers were, ultimately, able to uncover the group's lines of communication by reviewing each and every device and trawling through hours' worth of CCTV. Using this evidence, officers stopped one of the vehicles belonging to Bushi's couriers, Ahmad Jabarkhill in June 2020 and found nearly £700,000 on him. The Met and NCA officers also used covert tactics and intelligence to identify three more of Bushi's couriers - Arline Sida, Luke Ferguson and Kelvin Hoxha, gathering evidence to show the scale of the enterprise. They also discovered fake identity cards were also found, as well as a van with a sophisticated concealment. Redon Bushi There was also a camera set up at the location where drugs were being stored so it could be remotely monitored. Acting on this information, Sida and Hoxha were both arrested in Brentford in August 2023. Searches were carried out at the address and they were found in possession of six kilograms of cocaine. Luke Ferguson, another member of the criminal enterprise, was then arrested at a 'safe house' in Brentford and found in possession of 72kg of cocaine, worth an estimated street value of £6.24 million. Police and the NCA then launched a manhunt for Bushi after his team were arrested. Kelvin Hoxha He stayed in a series of hotels to evade officers, bought a new phone, clothing, and had more than £3,000 in cash. Whilst the manhunt was ongoing, Bushi directed others to check cameras at various addresses to identify any police attendance or surveillance. Yesterday, he was sentenced to 24 years and 10 months in prison. Detective Constable David Leitner, who led the investigation on behalf of the Met, said: 'This case demonstrates our relentlessness in pursuing organised crime, while utilising the unprecedented opportunity that Encrochat represent to its fullest effect. 'Bushi clearly believed that these messaging platforms protected him from law enforcement, but they only served to provide us the very evidence to convict him and his associates. 'This shows the Met's commitment to tackling offenders who are instrumental in supplying drugs to the streets of London.' Jabarkhill pleaded guilty to the possession of criminal property at Isleworth Crown Court on July 22, 2020, and was sentenced to two years and three months in jail on the same day. Sida, from Amersham, Buckinghamshire, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply Class A drugs on January 17, 2024 at Kingston Crown Court and was yesterday handed a sentence of 12 years and 9 months. Hoxha, from Brentford, west London, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply Class A drugs and driving while disqualified on October 26, 2024 at Kingston Crown Court and was sentenced to 11 years and 8 months on Wednesday. Ferguson, from Shepherd's Bush, west London, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply Class A drugs on November 21, 2024, at Kingston Crown Court and was jailed for 14 years and 5 months.
Daily Mail
10-07-2025
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Revealed: The EncroChat messages that got cocaine gang jailed for 65 years as they flooded Britain's streets with £81m of 'Rolex'-branded narcotics
The EncroChat messages that got a gang that smuggled £81milion worth of 'Rolex'-branded narcotics into Britain jailed for 65 years have been revealed. Redon Bushi, 32, from Brentford, west London, was found to be acting as the leader of a widespread cocaine-smuggling group over a number of years. Newly revealed messages sent by the gang leader indicated his plans to supply a minimum of 832kg of cocaine, with a street value of up to £81,640,000, across London and the rest of the UK. Meanwhile, images sent by Bushi also showed a large block of cocaine branded with the word 'Rolex' while another was printed with the numbers '039'. In the EuroChat correspondence one drug smuggler asks Bushi: 'Is it good product?' to which the kingpin responds: 'Yes, it looks good brother. It is not bad at all'. Bushi, who acted under the username 'Sealvermouth' then asks: 'Do you want me to send about 18 over there?'. The messages, revealed by police investigations into the smuggling operation, uncovered how the kingpin had been using encrypted communications platforms EncroChat and Signal to discuss his drug enterprise. Signal is similar to other secure messaging apps such as Telegram, whereas EncroChat was a communication service only accessible via modified 'EncroPhones' and primarily used by organised crime groups. In 2020, Operation Venetic - a joint effort between the UK, France and the Netherlands - infiltrated the platform, leading to thousands of later arrests. Bushi pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs, conspiracy to transfer criminal property and possessing criminal property at Kingston Crown Court. Yesterday, he was sentenced to 24 years and 10 months in prison. Bushi was only caught after Met detectives identified and arrested four other members of his gang by piecing together information from their EncroChat messages and hours of CCTV. In the messages, Bushi is shown to refer to his fellow gang member as 'brother', remarking: 'I have got about 25 pieces' (of narcotics). The gang boss had taken extra steps to protect his dodgy dealings, only providing the couriers with postcodes, times, and a vague description of the customer they would be dropping drugs to. In another message seen by police, Bushi asks an anonymous gang member for the 'password' in order to secure a deal. The gang member answers: 'The password is: cafe' before Bushi replies: 'Coffee, I said to him. Because he is not Albanian, he does not understand cafe'. Arline Sida (pictured), 23, from Amersham, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply Class A drugs on January 17, 2024 at Kingston Crown Court and was yesterday handed a sentence of 12 years and 9 months Kelvin Hoxha (pictured), 23, from Brentford, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply Class A drugs and driving while disqualified on October 26, 2024 at Kingston Crown Court and was sentenced to 11 years and 8 months on Wednesday Other tactics used in an attempt to go under the radar included fake identity cards, a van with sophisticated concealment and a camera monitoring the location where they stored the drugs. Despite his efforts, police managed to track down and arrest runner Ahmad Jabarkhill, 32, in June 2020 after stopping one of the vehicles belonging to Bushi's couriers and found him carrying nearly £700,000 in cash. Covert investigations and intelligence were then used to identify three more runners - Arline Sida, 23, Kelvin Hoxha, 23, and Luke Ferguson, 32. In August 2023, Sida and Hoxha were both arrested at an address in Brentford where they were found to be in possession of six kilograms of cocaine. Ferguson was then arrested at a 'safe house' in the same area and was found to be carrying 72kg of cocaine, worth an estimated street value of £6.24million. A manhunt was then launched for Bushi who was evading officers by jumping between different hotels and directing others to check cameras at various addresses for any police snooping around. He had also bought a new phone, different clothing, and was carrying over £3,000 in cash. The gang leader was located and arrested a few days later in Reading. Jabarkhill pleaded guilty to the possession of criminal property at Isleworth Crown Court on July 22, 2020, and was sentenced to two years and three months in jail on the same day. Sida, from Amersham, Buckinghamshire, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply Class A drugs on January 17, 2024 at Kingston Crown Court and was yesterday handed a sentence of 12 years and 9 months. Hoxha, from Brentford, west London, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply Class A drugs and driving while disqualified on October 26, 2024 at Kingston Crown Court and was sentenced to 11 years and 8 months on Wednesday. Signal is similar to other secure messaging apps such as Telegram, whereas EncroChat was a communication service only accessible via modified 'EncroPhones' and primarily used by organised crime groups Ferguson, from Shepherd's Bush, west London, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply Class A drugs on November 21, 2024, at Kingston Crown Court and was jailed for 14 years and 5 months. Detective Constable David Leitner, who led the investigation on behalf of the Met, said: 'This case demonstrates our relentlessness in pursuing organised crime, while utilising the unprecedented opportunity that Encrochat represent to its fullest effect. 'Bushi clearly believed that these messaging platforms protected him from law enforcement, but they only served to provide us the very evidence to convict him and his associates. 'This shows the Met's commitment to tackling offenders who are instrumental in supplying drugs to the streets of London.'
Daily Mail
10-07-2025
- Daily Mail
Gang who smuggled £81m of cocaine into Britain as they flooded the streets with class A drugs are jailed for 65 years - after police hacked into their EncroChat messages
A drug smuggling gang who flooded Britain's streets with £81million worth of cocaine have been jailed for a total of 65 years after police hacked into their EncroChat messages. Redon Bushi, 32, from Brentford, west London, was found to be acting as the leader of the group over a number of years. Investigations into his operation revealed the kingpin had been using encrypted communications platform EncroChat and Signal to discuss his drug enterprise. Signal is similar to other secure messaging apps such as Telegram, whereas EncroChat was a communication service only accessible via modified 'EncroPhones' and primarily used by organised crime groups. In 2020, Operation Venetic - a joint effort between the UK, France and the Netherlands - infiltrated the platform, leading to thousands of arrests since. Bushi's messages revealed he had conspired to supply a minimum of 832kg of cocaine, with a street value of up to £81,640,000, across London and the rest of the UK. The kingpin, who acted under the username 'Sealvermouth', pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs, conspiracy to transfer criminal property and possessing criminal property at Kingston Crown Court. Yesterday, he was sentenced to 24 years and 10 months in prison. Bushi was only caught after Met detectives identified and arrested four other members of his gang by piecing together information from their EncroChat messages and hours of CCTV. The gang boss had taken extra steps to protect his dodgy dealings, only providing the couriers with postcodes, times, and a vague description of the customer they would be dropping drugs to. Other tactics used in an attempt to go under the radar included fake identity cards, a van with sophisticated concealment and a camera monitoring the location where they stored the drugs. Despite his efforts, police managed to track down and arrest runner Ahmad Jabarkhill, 32, in June 2020 after stopping one of the vehicles belonging to Bushi's couriers and found him carrying nearly £700,000 in cash. Covert investigations and intelligence were then used to identify three more runners - Arline Sida, 23, Kelvin Hoxha, 23, and Luke Ferguson, 32. In August 2023, Sida and Hoxha were both arrested at an address in Brentford where they were found to be in possession of six kilograms of cocaine. Ferguson was then arrested at a 'safe house' in the same area and was found to be carrying 72kg of cocaine, worth an estimated street value of £6.24million. A manhunt was then launched for Bushi who was evading officers by jumping between different hotels and directing others to check cameras at various addresses for any police snooping around. He had also bought a new phone, different clothing, and was carrying over £3,000 in cash. The gang leader was located and arrested a few days later in Reading. Jabarkhill pleaded guilty to the possession of criminal property at Isleworth Crown Court on July 22, 2020, and was sentenced to two years and three months in jail on the same day. Sida, from Amersham, Buckinghamshire, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply Class A drugs on January 17, 2024 at Kingston Crown Court and was yesterday handed a sentence of 12 years and 9 months. Hoxha, from Brentford, west London, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply Class A drugs and driving while disqualified on October 26, 2024 at Kingston Crown Court and was sentenced to 11 years and 8 months on Wednesday. Ferguson, from Shepherd's Bush, west London, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply Class A drugs on November 21, 2024, at Kingston Crown Court and was jailed for 14 years and 5 months. Detective Constable David Leitner, who led the investigation on behalf of the Met, said: 'This case demonstrates our relentlessness in pursuing organised crime, while utilising the unprecedented opportunity that Encrochat represent to its fullest effect. 'Bushi clearly believed that these messaging platforms protected him from law enforcement, but they only served to provide us the very evidence to convict him and his associates. 'This shows the Met's commitment to tackling offenders who are instrumental in supplying drugs to the streets of London.'
