Romford toilet rental boss led a double life as international druglord

An Essex man who rented out portable toilets for a living has been unmasked as a major East London drug dealer who conspired to use Bitcoin to launder his earnings. Nicky Bowers, 38, from Romford, was found guilty by unanimous verdict on three of four counts after a trial at Snaresbrook Crown Court that began in October this year. The same jury cleared the businessman of knife possession.

Bowers had previously denied conspiring to enter into the use of criminal property, conspiring to fraudulently evade prohibition on the importation of a Class B drug, and for conspiring to supply a Class A drug. But jurors heard how he used the encrypted messaging service EncroChat to arrange the movement of 300kg of raw ketamine to Germany for processing so it could be sold in the UK.

The trial also heard evidence that Bowers used the EncroChat to agree a discounted sale on a kilo of high-quality cocaine, and that he agreed to help convert dirty money into Bitcoin, while taking his own transaction fee. Bowers was linked to the EncroChat messages through a known nickname and geographic clues that were visible in some of the images found on the device, MyLondon reports.

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Prosecutor Gareth Munday told jurors that 'serious' organised crime groups made a 'worthwhile investment' in expensive EncroChat devices (worth up to £1,500) due to high levels of encryption that could shield their activities from law enforcement. But this stopped in June 2020 when agencies 'broke into the system', allowing police officers to snoop on the secret chats for the first time.

Of the money laundering allegation, Mr Munday said the EncroChat messages showed Bowers moved criminal money into accounts controlled by him, using fake invoices to justify the payments. Under the username LunarStem, Bowers said he knew someone who could move £100,000 at a time into Bitcoin for a cut of 5.5 per cent, but plus another three per cent for his own fee.

Bowers is among a number of criminals brought down by the hack which involved the UK's National Crime Agency and police forces from France and the Netherlands. He joins the likes of Ealing gun-dealer Samuel Black (caught out by a selfie) and coke dealer Lee Broughton who got a 10 year sentence for his third drug trafficking offence in 2021. The Met also used EncroChat evidence to convict footballer Jason Pusey, who led a double life running a drugs operation across South London.

Bowers was arrested on July 31, 2023 while driving his white Toyota Hilux down Whitechapel High Street in Tower Hamlets. Mr Munday told jurors police discovered a lock-knife during the stop, but Bowers denied it was his and he was eventually cleared on this count. Under questioning Bowers gave no comment and refused to hand over the access codes to his phone.

Bowers is currently listed as a director on LetLoos Ltd (the toilet hire company), Ovrflow Self Storage Ltd, for which the accounts are overdue, and Bowday Investments Ltd. His mobile toilet company Letloos was mentioned by Mr Munday during the trial opening and is rated 4.8 stars on Google, with reviews that suggest the company is indeed real.

Companies Bowers previously directed, but are now dissolved, include Growthaven Business Consultancy Ltd, Bowers Family Holdings Ltd, Business Coaching and Training Ltd, Master Security and Surveillance Ltd, and First4Supplements UK Ltd.

During the trial under Judge Paul Southern, associates of Bowers also requested MyLondon remove our court coverage due to the effect on his reputation and professional standing. Another defendant will go on trial next year, after which Bowers will be sentenced.