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Threat To Life: How EncroChat cops swooped to thwart UK drug courier’s murder

Threat To Life: How EncroChat cops swooped to thwart UK drug courier’s murder

Who was The Tops King?

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Chris Summers
Jun 28, 2025
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Totalcrime Substack
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Threat To Life: How EncroChat cops swooped to thwart UK drug courier’s murder
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In June 2020 police who had broken into the encrypted phone network EncroChat were monitoring it for “Threats To Life” (TTLs) when they spotted one emanating from a British drugs kingpin, based in Dubai, using the handle Thetopsking.

They stepped in and arrested Thetopsking’s UK-based right-hand man, Jayes Kharouti, who had tried to hire a hitman to kill a courier for a rival drugs dealer, Cryp, and steal 80 kilos of cocaine.

On Tuesday (June 24) Kharouti, and his boss, James Harding, were convicted of conspiracy to murder and in today’s Substack I will tell the full story after two trials which my sources tell me have been jam-packed with courtroom drama.

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