Ealing Man Jailed Over Gun and Drug Plots

25 years in prison for former pro footballer Harly Wise

Harly Wise. Picture: NCA

Harly Wise, a 29-year-old from Ealing who arranged drug deals, weapons transfers and even a planned kidnapping, has been jailed for 25 years following a major National Crime Agency NCA) investigation.

Wise, whose address was given as Wyndham Road, is a former professional footballer who was at one time on the books of Queens Park Rangers but never played in a competitive match for them, He was one of three offenders sentenced at Bolton Crown Court after investigators uncovered extensive evidence of firearms trafficking and large-scale drug supply on the encrypted EncroChat platform. The court heard that Wise, alongside co-defendants Carl Ian Jones, 59, and Naginder Gill, 47, played a central role in facilitating the movement of Class A and B drugs and arranging access to military-grade weapons.

EncroChat was cracked by law enforcement agencies in 2020, triggering Operation Venetic – the UK-wide law enforcement response led by the NCA. Data recovered from the platform revealed the scale of offending and the level of violence the group was prepared to use.

Wise, who operated under the aliases ‘bluffcheatah’ and ‘hungrykiller’, admitted conspiring to supply cocaine, methylamphetamine and cannabis, as well as conspiring to transfer prohibited weapons. He also pleaded guilty to conspiracy to kidnap, after discussing plans to abduct a rival drug dealer from Birmingham over a £350,000 debt suggesting “the paddys” would help. In encrypted messages, he suggested bringing in associates to assist and attended a meeting in Greenwich Park to advance the plot.

Wise wrote of the intended victim, that he: “can sleep mate u understand what I mean if u want”.

The court was told that Wise worked closely with Jones to source and trade firearms, including AK-47s and an Uzi submachine gun. In May 2020, Wise brokered the sale of two 9mm handguns and 50 rounds of ammunition to another EncroChat user, arranging an exchange near Eltham in south London. Two men involved in that deal were later jailed for 12 and six years.

NCA investigators analysed thousands of lines of EncroChat data showing Wise and Jones acting as facilitators in the drug trade, moving consignments to contacts for profit. Jones, who used the handle ‘stalehead’, was jailed for 30 years after being convicted of multiple drug and firearms offences. Gill, known as ‘indianocean’, received a 20-year sentence after admitting a series of drug conspiracies.

NCA branch commander Jon Hughes said the case demonstrated the danger posed by organised crime groups operating behind encrypted platforms. “These men are extremely dangerous offenders and the streets are safer now they’re in prison,” he said. “Drugs and firearms crimes are often interconnected, and entirely innocent victims can be caught in the crossfire. We will continue working with partners at home and abroad to protect the public from these threats.”