Playboy Drug Boss James Harding Found Guilty in £100M Cocaine and Murder Plot
James Harding, 34, a self-styled playboy and convicted drug kingpin, has been found guilty of orchestrating a £100 million cocaine smuggling operation and plotting murder, all while flaunting a life of excess from Dubai to London.
Known to use the encrypted EncroChat network under the alias “thetopsking”, Harding coordinated one of Scotland Yard’s largest Class A drug importations and attempted to recruit a hitman to murder a rival courier. His lavish lifestyle included driving a Bugatti Chiron and Lamborghini Urus, living in a luxury Al Barari villa in Dubai, and chartering private jets—even during the pandemic.
Harding, originally from Alton, Hampshire, was arrested in May 2022 by armed counter-terrorism police after being extradited from Switzerland. Footage from the dramatic arrest shows officers greeting him with, “Mr Harding, welcome back,” to which he casually replied, “Oh, thanks very much.”
The trial at the Old Bailey revealed that Harding and co-defendant Jayes Kharouti, 39, conspired to import one tonne of cocaine into the UK over a 10-week period in 2020—earning an estimated £5 million in profit. Sold at street level, the drugs’ value reached a staggering £100 million.
Harding and Kharouti also conspired to murder a rival courier, supplying a hitman with a weapon and ammunition for what was referred to as the “full M”—slang for murder—between May and June 2020.
Investigators linked Harding’s EncroChat handle to detailed plans involving firearms, escape vehicles, and precise locations. Despite claiming to be a watch sales executive, Harding was exposed by the Met’s EncroChat taskforce.
Kharouti was extradited from Turkey and also convicted. Police found a phone matching his EncroChat number during a search of his home in Epsom. Three other gang members previously admitted to related drug offences.
Harding denied being the man behind “thetopsking,” claiming instead that he was in a secret relationship with a user known only as TK. He revealed in court that he is bisexual but had never come out publicly, adding, “I did not want to come out in this way.”
Harding has a prior conviction from 2013, when he was sentenced to nearly 10 years for drug trafficking.
Detective Chief Inspector Jim Casey said:
“This conviction sends a clear message: no matter how sophisticated the methods, criminals cannot hide behind encrypted software.”
Detective Inspector Driss Hayoukane added that over 500 criminals have been convicted and 5,000 years of jail time issued since EncroChat was cracked in 2020.
Harding and Kharouti remain in custody and are due to be sentenced on Thursday. Other members of the organised crime group will be sentenced at a later date.
