ENCROCHAT: Alleged Brit 'coke kingpin plotted murder from Dubai base on same phone he sent selfies on and planned family events'

A British alleged "drugs kingpin" known as "The Tops King" plotted the murder of a rival from his base in Dubai through an encrypted phone that he also used to send selfies of himself and discuss family occasions on, a court heard today.

James Harding, 34, dubbed "the brains" and "senior" by other gang members was so confident of the security of the EncroChat mobile phone communication system that he openly discussed his crimes on it at the same time as chatting with relatives, the Old Bailey heard.

Harding, whose username on the device was "thetopsking" was in control of a cocaine importation operation that generated £5 million of profits in the space of just ten weeks, the court heard at the opening of his trial today, April 29 2025.

He is charged with conspiring with others to evade a prohibition on the importation of cocaine and plotting the murder of an unknown rival.

The court heard that Harding paid 350,000 Dirham (£71,108) for alleged right hand man Jayes Kharouti, 39, to fly back to the UK after his father died.

Kharouti has admitted conspiring with others to evade a prohibition on the importation of cocaine, but denies any involvement in the conspiracy to murder.

The court heard how the EncroChat system was used almost exclusively by organised criminals across the globe at the time it was intercepted by French police through a sophisticated implant in April 2020.

French investigators provided the National Crime Agency (NCA) in the UK with access to historic and real-time messages being sent on EncroChat devices used by alleged British users, leading to several separate investigations, including the one into Harding's alleged crime network.

Duncan Atkinson KC, prosecuting, said: "This concerned the importing of cocaine in relation to which the level of profit to those involved could be counted in millions of pounds... the conspirators made approximately 50 importations of cocaine into the UK with a

total weight of approximately 1,000 kgs.

"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."

He said Encrochat messages showed the group bought cocaine for about £30,000 per kg and sold it for up to £40,000 per kg.

He said: "The conspirators made £60-70,000 per importation, and about £5 million in profit overall in just ten weeks."

Harding denies being the user of the EncroChat device in question known as thetopsking, who masterminded the importations and plotted the murder.

However, Mr Atkinson said he had been so assured by the EncroChat encryption, that he sent "pictures of himself to people who clearly knew him" and "made reference to locations and events" at which he could be shown to have been present.

He said that on March 21 2020, thetopsking messaged a handle called "best.accountant", who was later discovered to be his brother George Harding, saying "going Nusret (a restaurant at the Four Seasons Resort in Dubai) 4pm tomoz for mothersdsy with dad if u wanna come".

On April 4 2020 thetopsking messaged an associate that his grandfather had died at the age of 87.

Investigators discovered that Harding’s maternal grandfather died that day, just shy of 87, Mr Atkinson said.

He said: "He used his actual name, or other details connected directly to him, in connection with communications. This network of connections personal to this defendant used in ways and in contexts that only the real person behind the handle would have had the remotest reason to use them, demonstrates that ‘thetopsking’ and James Benjamin Harding are in fact one and the same."

Mr Atkinson told the court that Kharouti, who was based between Dubai and Slough, had already admitted being the EncroChat user known as ‘besttops’ who also sent pictures of himself to others who knew him over the system.

Although Kharouti admitted on 8 November 2024 his involvement in the conspiracy to evade a prohibition in relation to the illegal

importation of cocaine, he denies being involved in the conspiracy to murder the unknown individual.

Mr Atkinson said: "It also, in the context of that significant and profitable drugs operation, involved a plan to commit murder using a firearm... with Jayes Kharouti as his second in command, (they) were in communication using EncroChat encrypted devices in the context of their criminal activity.

"That activity primarily related to the wholesale importation of cocaine, but in the context of that operation also included the planning of a murder.

"James Harding observed on a number of occasions that he considered EncroChat communication to be safe in just such a manner. He was therefore very frank, and thus very clear, about the criminality in which he was engaged, with others, and about which he talked with those others.

"Simiarly, Jayes Kharouti continued to use Encrochat, albeit changing his handle from ‘besttops’ to ‘topsybricks’ in May 2020. It was a serious business which was treated seriously.

"It was in the context of that largescale criminal enterprise that the handle who the prosecution alleges was the defendant Harding, thestopsking, determined that an unnamed individual who was involved in the drug importation and distribution business, had to be killed. Just as he enlisted others to help him via the defendant Kharouti, besttops, and to undertake tasks in relation to the drug business, he turned to Kharouti and through him to others in the syndicate to provide necessary assistance in relation to this deadly contract."

The court heard that Encrochat exchanges in April 2020 showed that thetopsking and besttops initially discussed what Harding called the "cryp robbery", a plan to rob a rival drugs courier.

Mr Atkinsoin said: "That plan developed over time, and then on 25th May 2020 there was further communication involving Harding and Kharouti about this plan. Kharouti referred to a hit, locations for it, and the use of a bike and a strap (gun)."

Kharouti contacted an associate using the handle "brickmover", asking for assistance to source a stolen car and Glock machine gun, before Brickmover also offered to source a gunman, the court heard.

Brickmover identified a regular courier for the drugs importation operation, who used the handle "logicaldemon" as a source for a firearm, Mr Atkinson said.

He said attribution analysis showed logicaldemon to be Peter Thomspon, 61, who was arrested at his home address, during the operation and found to be in possession of a handgun and a quantity of ammunition.

On November 4 2021, Thompson pleaded guilty to conspiracy to evade a prohibition in relation to the illegal importation of cocaine, and possession of the firearm and ammunition, he said.

He added: "The evidence shows that the firearm was identified as being available to be used in the murder planned by the

conspirators to murder."

Forty minutes after the messages with Brickmover, Kharouti contacted another associate with the handle "notnice" to asked him to provide a 'shooter' to undertake "full M" (murder), Mr Atkinson said.

He said that Notnice, at the instigation of Harding and Kharouti, later recruited Michael Ematuwo, 29, whose EncroChat handle was "Randommist", to carry out the murder.

Mr Atkinson said: "It is of relevance to his being identified as someone suitable to undertake the shooting that Ematuwo was convicted of manslaughter when he was 14 years old... Terms for the hit were agreed, with contact between Kharouti and notnice, and between both of them and the identified hitman.

"In other words, in late May and early June 2020, Kharouti was discussing actual logistics for the planned murder with a number of persons trusted from the drugs operation, and serious players in that operation.

"While it was Kharouti who discussed the plan with notnice, brickmover and randommist, he reported back to and took

instructions from thestopsking, that is from Harding.

"As we shall examine in detail, ‘thetopsking’ ordered the murder."

The trial continues.