Footballers who turned to criminal underworld as ex-prodigy, international star and semi-pro gang jailed over drug plots

SEVERAL footballers who turned to transgression pursuing their sporting careers were prosecuted this year.

From an ex-Liverpool prodigy to a Dutch international, high-profile athletes person been implicated successful plots to proviso drugs - with a fig of them being jailed.

Here, we uncover the erstwhile footie stars who person been caught connected the incorrect broadside of the law...

Jamie Cassidy

Former Liverpool shot prodigy Jamie Cassidy, 46, was jailed for much than 13 years for being progressive successful a multimillion-pound cause conspiracy.

Earlier this year, Cassidy was jailed - on with 2 others - for engagement successful the crippled to proviso cocaine, dealing 356kg, worthy astir £26million.

He was sentenced to 13 years and 3 months.

His member Jonathan Cassidy, 50, and different man, Nasar Ahmed, 51, were each jailed for 21 years and 9 months.

Jamie Cassidy had played astatine Liverpool FC with Jamie Carragher and Michael Owen arsenic they went connected to triumph the FA Youth Cup successful 1996.

He was signed by Liverpool astatine property 9 and earned 1 of conscionable 16 places astatine the FA's centre of excellence, going connected astatine property 15 to go a starring scorer for England's under-16s.

But aboriginal successful his elder career, helium suffered superior injuries that "entirely wrecked his career", his defence barrister Paul Greaney KC told Manchester Crown Court.

Jason Pusey

Gibraltarian erstwhile footballer Jason Pusey, 34, was sentenced to 11 years and 3 months imprisonment connected July 2 astatine Kingston-Upon-Hull Crown Court.

The erstwhile Atletico Madrid subordinate was jailed aft a Met Police probe accessed his Encrochat instrumentality and discovered an cognition utilizing southbound London gangs to proviso cocaine and cannabis with an estimated thoroughfare worth of £3million.

Pusey, of Market Weighton, York, was sentenced for his relation successful the proviso of 107kg of cocaine, 235kg of ketamine, and 447kg of cannabis.

Detective Constable Duncan Askew, liable for the probe from the Met’s Specialist Crime squad , said“Pusey arranged "large-scale cause deals portion besides maintaining a well-respected shot career".

He added: "On the aboveground helium appeared arsenic a doting household antheral – but helium was making millions sending commercialized standard amounts of controlled drugs to southbound London gangs.

"He did this each with nary thought of the misery and devastation caused successful London communities by cause supply, and the unit it leads to.

“Operation Eternal investigations implicit the past 3 years person resulted successful the Met identifying and jailing large players successful the transgression fraternity, and stemming the travel of drugs and guns onto the streets.

"The drugs commercialized relies upon exploitation and unit to run and we volition proceed to relentlessly prosecute those involved, and enactment them earlier the courts.”

Detectives from the Met closed successful connected Pusey and began investigating the Encrochat grip ‘IrregularFog’ successful June 2020.

EncroChat is an encrypted connection network.

Evidence showed that betwixt March 2020 and June 2020 Pusey was the sole idiosyncratic of the encrypted EncroChat mobile telephone and was progressive successful the full merchantability organisation of people A and B drugs.

Passwords matched the names and day of births of Pusey’s household members,the locations of the EncroChat telephone matched those of his mobile phone, and messages connected the instrumentality matched Pusey’s highly circumstantial question details.

There was grounds wrong the EncroChat instrumentality which showed that Pusey had been moving a precise palmy cause operation.

The EnchroChat instrumentality besides had connected it galore messages regarding the importation of the Class A drugs into the UK and the precise elaborate routes being utilized by antithetic importers and couriers.

Pusey was arrested astatine his location code connected June 20, 2023 and charged connected June 21 with the offences.

He pleaded blameworthy to conspiracy to proviso Class A cause (cocaine), conspiracy to proviso Class A (Ketamine), and conspiracy to proviso Class B (Cannabis) astatine Kingston-Upon-Hull Crown Court connected Wednesday, 26 July 2023.

Quincy Promes

On September 5 this twelvemonth it was revealed that erstwhile Dutch planetary Quincy Promes was to resume his vocation successful the United Arab Emirates.

He has been warring extradition to the Netherlands aft being sentenced to six years successful situation successful absentia for cause trafficking.

The striker, who has 50 caps for the Netherlands, joined United FC of Dubai who play successful the 2nd tier, the nine said connected societal media.

A Dutch tribunal said earlier this twelvemonth that Promes had been straight progressive with the shipments of 1,360kg of cocaine from Brazil done the larboard of Antwerp, Belgium, to the Netherlands successful 2 shipments successful 2020.

The 32-year-old erstwhile Ajax Amsterdam and Sevilla guardant was arrested successful Dubai successful March astatine the petition of the Dutch nationalist prosecution work erstwhile helium was astatine a grooming campy with Russian nine Spartak Moscow.

Last year, Promes was besides sentenced successful absentia to 18 months successful jailhouse for battle successful transportation with a combat successful 2020 successful which helium stabbed a relative successful the knee.

Promes has denied each charges and has filed an entreaty successful some cases.

In May helium was released from detention nether restrictions, which see not leaving the United Arab Emirates.

Spartak Moscow terminated his declaration astatine the extremity of June.

Paul MacDonald

In November 2023, a erstwhile Scotland younker squad footballer who turned to superior organised transgression was jailed for 7 years aft being convicted of moving a monolithic drug-trafficking operation.

Ex-Hearts subordinate Paul MacDonald, past 35, hid thousands of pounds successful drugs wealth astatine harmless houses successful Glasgow and told accomplices successful encrypted substance messages helium could marque £1.9million a period from buying and selling cocaine.

In 1 message, helium claimed helium and co-accused Craig Balloch would “still get a cardinal quid aft bills are paid”.

Another connection revealed MacDonald discussing buying and selling costly watches and purchasing a £250,000 spot successful Spain.

MacDonald, who played for Hearts, was sentenced astatine the High Court successful Glasgow aft pleading blameworthy to being progressive successful superior organised crime.

Balloch, 30, of Rutherglen, was imprisoned for 7 and a fractional years aft helium besides admitted being progressive successful superior organised crime.

Sineidin Corrins, Deputy Procurator Fiscal for Specialist Casework astatine the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS), said: “These 2 individuals were liable for the proviso of drugs connected a immense scale.

“They failed successful their attempts to conceal the wealth they made from their crimes.

“They are present serving lengthy situation sentences acknowledgment to a palmy COPFS prosecution and an extended constabulary cognition to tackle and disrupt superior organised crime.

“I anticipation that these convictions and the condemnation nonstop a beardown connection to others progressive successful this benignant of transgression behaviour and demonstrates the quality of constabulary and prosecutors to investigate, hole and prosecute superior and organised transgression of this nature.

“We are targeting each radical who endanger communities crossed Scotland, not lone cause couriers but besides those who nonstop their movements.

“The Crown volition proceed moving with the constabulary and different agencies arsenic a subordinate of Scotland’s Serious and Organised Crime Taskforce to guarantee that these crimes are detected and those liable prosecuted utilizing each measures astatine our disposal.”

The tribunal heard however Balloch persuaded 1 idiosyncratic to let her location to beryllium utilized to store ample amounts of currency arsenic portion outgo of a indebtedness the erstwhile footballer was owed.

When constabulary officers searched the spot successful April 2020, they discovered £444,560 hidden successful bags, envelopes and packages, portion £146,750 was recovered astatine a 2nd property.

But MacDonald and Balloch’s amerciable strategy was thwarted aft constabulary decoded the encrypted messages and carried retired searches astatine some men’s homes.

Both men were acceptable to beryllium made the taxable of confiscation orders nether proceeds of transgression legislation.

Semi-pros

In May 2024, a pack of semi-pro footballers who planned to proviso £260million successful drugs were jailed.

Their crippled was smashed by constabulary erstwhile Luke Skeete, 36, was caught with 8 kilos of cocaine successful a van.

Officers recovered 123kg of the cause from retention units successful West London. Skeete, of West Drayton, and 5 others admitted conspiracy to proviso astatine Isleworth crown court.

He got 13 years successful jail.

Enfield Town centre-half Adam Pepara, 35, from Solihull, got 24 years.

Chesham striker Shaquille Hippolyte-Patrick, 29, of North Kensington, got 18 years, 9 months.

Jamarl Joseph, 28, of Wembley, who played for FK Senica successful Slovakia, got 17 years, six months.

Harrow Borough FC's Andrew Harewood, 34, of North Acton, got 16 years.

Margate's Melchi Emanuel- Williamson, 29, of North Acton, got 14 years.