Julian Agalliu and his wife Rasvinder Agalliu, who worked for the Metropolitan Police
(Picture: Facebook)A Metropolitan Police officer’s husband used the EncroChat system to trade large quantities of cocaine and cannabis including drugs packaged with the Hublot luxury watch brand, a court has heard.
Julian Agalliu, 47, is accused of being unmasked as a major supplier of class A and class B drugs when the encrypted phone network – popular with organised crime – was cracked by international law enforcement in 2020.
It is said he boasted to associates about being married to a Metropolitan Police officer and was even asked to seek inside information from her as the net closed in on the EncroChat system, Woolwich crown court heard.
Cocaine was found at the luxury north London home he shared with PC Rasvinder Agalliu, a former beauty queen, while officers uncovered messages referring to 100kg packages, cocaine parcels stamped with the ‘Hublot’ brand, suspected drug exchanges, and possible gun deals, jurors heard.
Agalliu, who claimed to work in ballet as an “artist” when arrested in June 2020, denies using the Encrochat system and insisted to officers that he had been “set up” by a stripper.
Prosecutor William Davis told the court Agalliu is accused of being the EncroChat user ‘Nicemoon’, while co-defendant Daniel McNeil-Duncan, 37, is the user ‘Ekspinoza’ in thousands of messages seized from the system between March and June 2020.
“Julian Agalliu and Daniel McNeil-Duncan were identified by police as the users of two Encrochat phones. They used those phones to organise the supply of large amounts of cocaine and cannabis”, he said. “They made substantial profits from doing so.
“They thought their communications were encrypted, so secure and police would never be able to read them. As a result, they were somewhat careless with messages they sent to each other.”
He said the evidence against Agalliu including pictures posted on EncroChat of his children, his home and garden, and he allegedly posted a message containing his home postcode while organising a meeting.
In one exchange, ‘Nicemoon’ says “I’m driving my wife to work” and an associate replied: “Oh good to station police?”
“The reference to the police station is of interest”, said Mr Davis. “Mr Agalliu’s wife Rasvinder Agalliu was a serving police officer with the Metropolitan Police at the time.”
He said ANPR data tracked their Audi to the police station in Kensington where PC Agalliu was working on that day.
In another exchange, Agalliu is accused of boasting that his wife has been promoted to Sergeant in the Met, and it is said he sent her a copy of a police report for verification when a friend had been arrested.
When it had become clear the EncroChat network had been infiltrated by law enforcement, Agalliu was allegedly asked if his wife knew about the operation.
“Do she have any information?”, an associate said, adding: “What if she gets hold of the EncroChat? Tell her to hide the papers.”
Mr Davis also showed jurors a conversation where ‘Nicemoon’ was sent a picture of two guns and bullets, and he replied: “How much?”
Jurors heard a block of cocaine was found in a drawer containing passports at the Agalliu family home in the exclusive Hadley Wood area of Barnet, while more of the drug was inside a Louis Vuitton box under the bed in the master bedroom.
Police seized £27,000 in cash from the home, and officers also recovered a book from Agalliu’s rented second home nearby which contained the ‘nicemoon’ name handwritten alongside alleged drug deal records.
The prosecutor said in interview Agalliu “said he paid his taxes and appeared to suggest a woman who he described as a stripper and a prostitute had set him up and ruined his life and also ruined his wife’s life.
“He said he worked in ballet, was an artist, and people tried to judge him on how he looked and spoke.”
McNeil-Duncan, from Brentwood in Essex, pleaded guilty to two charges of conspiracy to supply drugs mid-way through the prosecutor’s opening remarks.
Agalliu, from Hadley Wood, denies conspiracy to supply class A drugs, conspiracy to supply class B drugs, possession with intent to supply cocaine, and possession of criminal property.
The trial continues.
