ENCROCHAT EXCLUSIVE: Long-serving Met Police officer's husband charged with drug supply offences

A LONG-serving Metropolitan Police officer's husband has been charged with a major conspiracy to supply drugs as part of the country's biggest ever operation against organised crime.

Julian Agalliu, 45, (above right) was among about 750 people arrested across the UK after the Encrochat encrypted phone messaging system, suspected of being used by thousands of organised criminals, was cracked by international investigators.

The Albanian national was arrested at the home he shares in Hadley Wood, near Enfield, north London with Met Police officer Rasvinder Agalliu, 43, (above left) and their three children.

WORK OUT: Body builder Agalliu takes gym selfie (Facebook/Agalliu)

He was subsequently charged with conspiracy to supply class A drugs and using and possessing the proceeds of crime after £10,00 cash was seized at the property.

The alleged conspiracy involved movements of three to four kilograms of drugs at a time, according to prosecutors. French and Dutch investigators cracked the Encrochat encryption in April and then allowed the National Crime Agency (NCA) and British police forces to monitor the exchange of messages in real time, allowing for large numbers of seizures of drugs and firearms arriving into the country and arrests of suspects.

The arrests under "Operation Venetic" have been called the single biggest act of police action against organised crime that the UK has ever seen. It is not clear who was behind Encrochat which has since been closed down.

PLEDGE: Met Police officer Rasvinder Agalliu vowed husband's name will be cleared (Facebook/Agalliu)

A local newspaper article published in January 2014, about the birth of one of her children on Christmas Day, said she was a police officer based in Haringey, north London, and Mr Agalliu had just opened up a restaurant in Shoreditch.

Mrs Agalliu, also known as Rajni, vowed her husband's name would be cleared. She said in a message: "I am so upset my kids are crying since his arrest. I am so angry now and I can’t bear my children’s pain. My husband has never been arrested before in his life. "I have been in the Met Police 17 years and this is how we as a family, who have tried our best, get treated. "I have had no support from the police who have left me vulnerable. "I want Justice, but the police just want to pin the blame on my husband just to show they have caught someone for the sake of it with little evidence. "My children’s hearts are broken and mental health disturbed, but I will fight all the way to clear his name."

SUNSET: Couple soak up some evening rays on holiday (Facebook/Agalliu)

It is alleged that between November 27 last year and June 26 2020 Mr Agalliu conspired with Daniel McNeil-Duncan, 35, and other unknown individuals to supply a quantity of cocaine. McNeil-Duncan, from Brentwood, Essex, was arrested separately as part of Operation Venetic and also charged with conspiracy to supply class A drugs. A Met Police spokeswoman said: "On June 25 2020 Julian Agalliu, 45, of EN4, was charged with conspiracy to supply Class A drugs and an offence under the Proceeds of Crime Act. "This came following a search warrant carried out by officers at an address in EN4 on June 25."The force said another man had been arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs following the search of the Agalliu's property and released under investigation.

TRIAL: Agalliu was remanded in custody ahead of the next hearing (Facebook/Agalliu)

At a Woolwich Crown Court preliminary hearing for Agalliu and McNeil-Duncan, the arrested man was named as another Albanian national Arguing Agalliu should be bailed, Alastair Smith, representing him, said the defendant was a family man with no previous convictions and 20 years in the UK, where he has worked continuously. Judge Michael Evans QC said Agalliu was a family man with links to "reputable institutions," but an "extremely serious conspiracy" had been alleged. Agalliu and McNeil-Duncan were remanded in custody ahead of a further hearing later this year.