The kingpins who really run Britain's drug trade: TikTok gangsters might look scary... but in reality they are terrified of the 'Mr Bigs'

With their societal media videos flaunting luxury cars, diamond-encrusted Rolexes and guns, they are the repugnant (and precise public) look of British gang crime.

But portion they are the astir evident motion of the UK's conflict with cause peddling gangsters, a acold much almighty menace remains retired of sight.

Away from the satellite of drill rap disses and postcode rivalries that characterises overmuch of street-level cause dealing successful the UK, experts pass determination are acold much superior criminals operating nether the radar. 

Unlike their 'foot soldier' counterparts who thin to radical into gangs named aft their section area, these 'Mr Bigs' effort to enactment anonymous and unrecorded lives that - astatine archetypal glimpse - look utterly ordinary.

And not lone bash they marque acold greater profits than their street-level counterparts: they are often the astir feared elements successful the transgression hierarchy.  

A uncommon penetration into this hidden satellite has emerged successful caller years acknowledgment to a drawstring of large cause busts following the palmy hacking of EncroChat, an encrypted messaging level utilized by organised criminals.

This exposed a bid of improbable cause barons who had built immense transgression empires portion masquerading arsenic honorable businessmen, with those brought to justness including a affluent haulage boss, a cafe proprietor and a car dealer.

Gary Carroll, an adept successful organised transgression who runs the consultancy Claymore Advisory Group, described the divided wrong Britain's transgression underworld. 

'The thoroughfare gangs are each astir bravado, YouTube fame and BBC vigor euphony slots,' helium told MailOnline. 

'But astatine the higher extremity of the marketplace they don't amusement disconnected connected societal media oregon person slang titles - they're excessively astute for that and cognize it draws attention.

'That's what EncroChat truly showed america - it proved to america that guys bringing successful loads of cocaine were conscionable overweight achromatic guys sitting successful a location determination who similar a pint successful the pub.' 

More than 1,200 criminals person been jailed acknowledgment to the infiltration of EncroChat by Dutch and French officials, who past granted entree to their counterparts astatine the UK's National Crime Agency (NCA).

This threw airy onto the concealed satellite of high-level British cause kingpins and quality to contiguous arsenic honorable men juggling household responsibilities with engaged morganatic careers.  

They see the likes of Thomas Maher, an Irishman surviving successful a suburban location successful Warrington. 

An seemingly thriving businessman with a haulage firm, galore neighbours indispensable person glanced successful envy astatine his £200,000 of luxury cars and glitzy lifestyle. 

The world was exposed erstwhile messages connected EncroChat revealed however helium had been moving a transgression empire from his surviving country that oversaw the transport of £1.5million of cocaine from the Netherlands to Ireland. 

Another cause boss, Richard Weild, posed arsenic the honorable brag of Gas Works Motor Company successful Liverpool - while taking to EncroChat nether the sanction Blackable to boast that his concealed drugs empire was turning implicit £30,000 a week.

Messages suggest helium directed his associates to usage Highways Maintenance vehicles and removal trucks to determination drugs astir without detection during lockdown - further impervious of his quality to disguise his transgression activity. 

Weild, who told 1 interaction helium was 'not putting myself retired there' and had an 'easy life' is present serving a 19-year situation sentence, portion Maher received 14 years.

According to Dr David Holmes, a transgression psychologist, the quality of transgression bosses to juggle outwardly mean lives with superior offending whitethorn beryllium aided by a peculiar intelligence profile. 

'Generally speaking these are radical with a definite level of psychopathic oregon schizoid traits - not precocious level oregon brutal, but the benignant of idiosyncratic who mightiness conscionable arsenic easy person made wealth investing oregon arsenic a precise palmy concern person,' helium told MailOnline. 

'These are radical who whitethorn themselves person utilized drugs socially and been fixed the accidental determination down the enactment to get progressive successful the concern broadside oregon import oregon export. 

'It tends to beryllium thing that comes up arsenic an enactment for making wealth quickly.  They are the akin benignant of radical who could go addicted to gambling.' 

The kingpins' quality to harvester large-scale criminality with a beingness of evident respectability could hardly opposition much with the brash, publicity-seeking behaviour of thoroughfare gangs successful cities similar London.

They see the likes of Jake Fahri, who was sentenced to beingness with a minimum of 14 years successful 2009 for murdering London schoolboy Jimmy Mizen by throwing a solid oven crockery astatine him during a enactment astatine a bakery.

After being released from situation successful June 2023, Fahri - present 35 - has been recalled to situation aft allegedly boasting successful rap videos astir murdering Jimmy, including with the line: 'Watched him melt similar Ben and Jerry's.'

Despite his transgression past, Fahri was showcased connected BBC 1Xtra and lauded by DJ Theo Johnson arsenic idiosyncratic who 'really stands out'.

Another London pack member, Isaac Donkoh, precocious released a euphony video mocking Sir Keir Starmer aft helium was released from jailhouse aboriginal for kidnapping and torturing a teenage boy.

The thug, who calls himself 'Young Dizz', was jailed successful April 2019 for seizing the schoolboy a twelvemonth earlier earlier posting footage of his horrific ordeal connected Snapchat.

He was acceptable escaped 2 weeks aboriginal successful October nether Labour's aboriginal merchandise strategy and posted a opus connected Christmas Day successful which helium said: 'Keir Starmer fto maine retired present helium wants maine back, got maine scratching my caput similar marque up your mind, mate.'

Equally attraction seeking are groups similar the Hellbanianz pack successful Barking, East London, who flaunt their wealthiness sharing videos to societal media of their flash sports cars, jewellery and wads of money.

The Albanian gangsters person adjacent shared euphony videos showing armoured vehicles fitted with dense instrumentality guns parading astir a lodging estate. 

By contrast, higher level bosses stayed distant from the limelight, redeeming their connection for EncroChat – which they assumed was uncrackable.

Among the criminals who person been imprisoned are 2 who lone gave themselves distant aft sending photos of their dogs.

Frankie Sinclair, 35, from Cardiff, was jailed for beingness with a minimum of 18 years aft plotting a revenge murder. 

A photograph helium sent to an subordinate showing his bulldog helped constabulary beryllium helium was linked to the plot.

And Danny Brown, 56, was brought down by a photograph of his favored that showed his girlfriend's telephone fig connected the collar. 

Brown, from Bromley, south-east London, and 5 associates were jailed for a full of 140 years implicit a crippled to smuggle £45million of ecstasy.