Overview

• Redon Bushi pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply over 800kg of cocaine and received 24 years and 10 months in prison at Kingston-upon-Thames Crown Court.
• Four couriers—Ahmad Jabarkhill, Arline Sida, Luke Ferguson and Kelvin Hoxha—admitted drug offences and were sentenced to terms ranging from two years and three months to fourteen years and five months.
• Operation Venetic hackers breached the EncroChat network in mid-2020, triggering a joint investigation by the Metropolitan Police and National Crime Agency.
• The probe’s first arrest came in June 2020 when officers found nearly £700,000 in cash on courier Ahmad Jabarkhill, followed by the August 2023 arrests of Sida and Hoxha with six kilos of cocaine and the later detention of Ferguson at a safe house with 72 kilos.
• Detective Constable David Leitner said the case demonstrated a relentless pursuit of organised crime and showcased the unprecedented investigative power of the EncroChat breach.