Latest news with #drugdealing
The Sun
14 hours ago
- The Sun
Brazen Albanian drug dealer who posed flaunting £250k cash from heroin sales is allowed to stay in UK
AN ALBANIAN drug dealer who flaunted £250,000 in cash made from selling heroin has been allowed to stay in the UK. Olsi Beheluli, who was sentenced to 11 years behind bars in 2015, has been told he won't be deported. 4 4 The Albanian national, who arrived in England when he was nine-years-old, was caged after cops found him with eight kilograms of high-purity heroin. Beheluli, 33, played a "senior role" in the drug ring but, The Home Office and National Crime Agency (NCA) were informed he has to stay in the UK, as reported by The Telegraph. Officials were trying to deport the former model just eight months before his arrest in 2015. The National Crime Agency found a picture of him surrounded by an estimated £250,000 after raids in London. Beheluli was later found guilty of conspiring to supply class A drugs and sentenced at Blackfriars Crown Court. He appeared alongside fellow gang members Besim Topalli, then 29, and Azem Proshka, then 23. It was previously reported Proshka and Topalli would be deported after they serve ten years in prison. The duo admitted conspiring to supply drugs, money laundering and possessing fake ID documents. National Crime Agency branch commander Oliver Higgins said: "Beheluli seemed to enjoy the high life and gambling with the money he made from drug dealing, but in the end his luck run out. "These men were involved in supplying significant quantities of high-purity class A drugs, as demonstrated by the value of the cash, cocaine and heroin we have seized from them. "But they were unaware that they were being watched by the NCA, and their arrest and subsequent conviction should have the wider criminal fraternity looking over their shoulders." Home Office officials as well as the NCA, previously argued must Beheluli have been operating high up within the criminal organisation to be trusted with such large sums of cash. But a lower-tier tribunal judge threw out this allegation due to a lack of physical evidence or witness testimony. Beheluli arrived in the UK in November 2000, when his father claimed asylum. His father's applications were originally rejected, but in 2006 they were granted discretionary leave to remain - which later became indefinite leave to remain. Beheluli was granted British citizenship in April 2014, but caught with the drugs and wads of cash by October. The Home Office tired to deport him and argued he had lied on his citizenship forms when he stated there was nothing 'which reflected adversely on his character'. They claimed Beheluli must have held a "senior role" within the drug dealing enterprise. The court was told by the Home Office: 'It is beyond logic to accept that [he] would be trusted with such a consignment of drugs if [he was] not already involved in the supply of Class A drugs.' However, the lower tier tribunal ruled that there was insufficient evidence to reach such a conclusion. The tribunal ruled: 'There is, for example, no surveillance or other evidence from the NCA and there is no opinion evidence from a police officer, for example, to support the suggestion that only a senior and trusted member of an organised criminal gang would be entrusted with such a quantity of drugs. 'There was no evidence of sufficient cogency to establish that the appellant had been involved in criminality at the time that he said that there was nothing adverse to declare about his character.' However, the upper tribunal rejected this and has scheduled a re-hearing. It ruled: 'Whether or not there was a statement from a police officer, and whether or not there was further evidence from the NCA, that view was deserving of respect and was capable of supporting the common-sense stance of the Secretary of State.' 4 4
Daily Mail
14 hours ago
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE The hellhole London estate where film director was 'murdered for her Rolex': Families say area where 69-year-old was killed is terrifying 'hub for drug dealers' too threatening to go out in
Families living on the London estate where an award-winning film director was 'murdered for her Rolex' claim they are too scared to go out after it became a hub for drug dealers. Jennifer Abbott, 69, was stabbed to death in her council flat in Camden on Friday just days after she was last seen by neighbours walking her pet corgi Prince. She was discovered wrapped in a blanket with tape over her mouth by her niece and neighbours, who broke into her home amid growing concerns for her welfare, pals said. On Thursday afternoon, the Metropolitan Police arrested a woman, 66, over Ms Abbott's murder. It is thought that her diamond-encrusted Rolex may be missing from her address. The director, who counted Paris Hilton, Kate Hudson and Dan Ackroyd among her A-lister friends, moved to the capital after 'losing everything' from her life as a 'movie star'. And residents of the Mornington Place estate where she lived have now told MailOnline that the neighbourhood is dominated by crime, leaving people 'frightened'. Jean Moorcroft Wilson, 83, moved there with her publisher husband in 1979 when there was a friendly community in the area. She explained that cutting it off from the main road had encouraged drug dealing. Ms Wilson said: 'When I was asked what I thought about turning Mornington Place into a quiet residential area and cutting off access turning into Albert Street I said it will encourage druggies because there will be no traffic and that's exactly what it did.' The resident now sleeps downstairs due to an elbow injury but is kept up in the night thanks to people loitering by her property. 'At about 2 or 3 in the morning I am woken with great crowds of people chatting outside,' she added. 'I know perfectly well what's going on and when they come in the middle of the day there are people squatting on doorsteps. 'It's possible that it could seem threatening. When my husband died four years ago I became a lot more apprehensive coming home. 'It makes me intensely nervous coming home. I used to prefer to drive because I could park outside the house and go in with my keys at the ready. 'Years ago a group of young men twirled me around on my way home but if that had been now I would have been terrified. 'It used to be very much a community here I do feel the druggies are a threat to that because it means some people are frightened. 'Its a distinct change. They are slumped here in the day and come out at night. You have to be much more aware of drug takers in this area. It's so near to King's Cross and an established centre for drug taking.' Ms Wilson said there had been a man who overdosed in one of the flats a few years ago, adding that the woman living there at the time had been a drug taker. 'She of course was terrified it would be attributed to her,' the resident said. 'I can only assume she went and got her friends to wrap him up and dump him in a car park.' Sheila Bowyer, meanwhile, recalled that her son had found a body in the car park around eight years ago while on his way to work. 'He thought it was a statue that was left there,' she said, explaining that her son then headed home to get his father. 'Jim went out with him and said, "that's not a statue that's a body", and called the police.' Ms Bowyer moved into her home on the estate with her husband James on her birthday in 1981. She said it was a 'lovely present she will never forget' and that her 'neighbours were lovely' and it was a pleasant place. Things have changed, however, with the neighbourhood now a 'hub for drug dealers'. Flowers seen piled up inside the police cordon after the film director's murder Ms Bowyer said: 'We used to get druggies coming right outside years ago but it's even worse now. 'They sit in the ground and share their stuff around. I have a garden where they used to do it before. 'We are getting druggies back again. I think we need the police to patrol again like they used to. 'I think it's because it's an area where no one can see them. They are sort of hiding around here. I worry sick when I go out. I feel unsafe, I just don't go out. I'm also petrified especially now. 'When I'm in the kitchen I can see them waiting for drugs. I worry terribly for my grandchildren and son.' A 75-year-old woman, who has lived in the area for 41 years, said crime was now the worst it 'had ever been'. '[The druggies] come up and down,' she added. 'They sleep in doorways, they sleep near where she was found. They are all gone now because of the police. 'It's scary living here, especially on the ground level, you can't have windows open. 'I dont go out. I worry especially when it gets dark. This is the worst it's ever been. 'It's sad because it was such a nice lovely area. It's such a shame and sad to see it go down. 'But they will just go to another area if they are moved. It's not a problem you can solve. 'We never see security patrols.' She described Ms Abbott's death in the estate last week as a 'waste of life'. 'All she did was walk her dog,' the local added. 'He was her life all she did was talk about him. 'Why should this have happened to her, for a watch? What a waste of life.' Camden has the second highest crime rate of any London borough, according to Met Police figures, with 145,313 offences in the last year, an increase of 4.7 per cent on the 12 months before. The area of Camden where Ms Abbott lived appears to be a crime hotspot with the estate's LSOA (Lower Layer Super Output Area) the location of 32 thefts, two burglaries, three robberies and 22 cases of violence against the person in the most recent month's statistics alone. The April 2025 figures show the neighbourhood had 87 crimes in total, the 10th highest of 133 LSOAs in the borough and the 79th of 4,500 in the capital. Abul Khalam, 65, moved to the street in 2009. His house was broken into in 2019, where crooks stole money. 'Drug people come here, I have seen them taking drugs,' he said. 'A lot of people come here to do that, groups of four or five. But they haven't been around here for days because of the police.' Speaking of when his home was robbed in 2019, he said: 'It was around 5pm, I went to exercise and came back at 8pm and everything was a mess. 'They used a screwdriver to open the door and I forgot to double lock it. My neighbour has also had her house broken into. I do feel scared.' A 20-year-old local said he felt 'fairly fine' but that he felt less threatened as a man. 'There are a couple of shady characters here and there but I never feel threatened,' he added. 'I just go to the other side of the street. 'I think it's a reflection of the wider homelessness issue in Camden. 'They can't do their business on the high street they have do it in a quieter area. They just walk around, you see them about once a month. Announcing the arrest of a woman over the murder on Thursday, Detective Inspector Barry Hart, of Homicide Command, Specialist Crime North, said: 'Our deepest sympathies are with the victim's loved ones who are being supported by specialist officers at this time. 'We thank the local community for their patience as we continue to investigate this shocking crime. 'This arrest marks a significant step forward. There are several lines of enquiry ongoing, and we are working hard to establish the exact circumstances of this incident. 'Locals can expect to see an increased police presence in the area while we conduct our enquires.' Yesterday locals said that Ms Abbott, known professionally as Sarah Steinberg, had lived at the address for more than 10 years, having moved over from the US. Her next door neighbour Laura, 34, said: 'She was a movie star. She was in a couple of movies. She used to live in Beverly Hills. 'I live right next door to her. She was a friend of mine. I used to walk her dog when she was sick,' the hairdresser added. 'I wasn't here - I was at my boyfriend's when it happened. I am literally gobsmacked. Who would do that to someone? 'If I was there I maybe could have done something.' Forensics officers were seen carrying several bags of miscellaneous items from the victim's flat on Wednesday evening. Police officers were also spotted clearing an area next to the block of flats of branches and leaves. Neighbour Billie Currie, 63, said he had heard a dog barking for most of the night days before Ms Abbott's body was found. Mr Currie told MailOnline: 'She was always walking the dog and was really nice. She was quite reserved but very friendly.' Another neighbour, who did not wish to be named, said she heard screaming from Ms Abbott's niece while she was trying to gain entry to her flat. Her son then grabbed a metal pole to bash down the door before making the grim discovery. Ms Abbott's corgi Prince was found locked in the bathroom after miraculously surviving on its own for up to three days. The neighbour added: 'I heard the girls banging on the door and heard her shouting "help, help". 'She was a vibrant, spritely, and intelligent person. We would talk about a lot of things - politics, current affairs, her likes and dislikes, we knew what each other liked.' She told of Ms Abbott's colourful career, during which she has worked as a doctor, and was even involved in the film industry where she directed the movie War of the Gods. 'She got interviewed in LA about this movie,' she said. 'She was known as Jenny or Janet and was quite mysterious.' But heartbreakingly, the neighbour revealed Ms Abbott is thought have recently been diagnosed with stomach cancer. Another neighbour said the area had recently had issues with homeless people breaking down their doors. He said: 'I think she had an operation and it went wrong or something and they had taken out a part of her intestines. 'There used to be a lot of homeless, breaking in doors, sleeping inside, going to the toilet. 'Before it was all the time. Community police would come all the time. But not much anymore.' 'It was a dark day when that happened. It's not about me, I feel for her and her son and her niece who had to see her like that. I can't believe I'm not going to see her again. 'We will miss her running around. I mean she was indoors a lot but she made herself known. She'd talk to everyone. 'Her niece said she had a lot of jewellery so the police need to check if anything else is missing. 'To put the dog in the bathroom and then shut her up by putting the tape across her mouth and then they ransacked her house. 'I'm not surprised she had a Rolex. She was a woman of taste who liked to have a lot of nice things.' The Met are urging any witnesses to come forward with information that could help identify the attacker and the events leading up to her death. Chief Superintendent Jason Stewart, who leads policing in Camden, said: 'We are working closely with our colleagues in the homicide team to establish exactly what happened and it's incredibly important that we hear from anyone who may have knowledge about how this awful death occurred. 'Were you out in Camden on Friday? Perhaps you had been coming home from work, or at an event nearby? Did you see or hear anything around Mornington Place that struck you as being unusual? 'Someone must have seen or heard something and no piece of information is too small. It could be the crucial clue that leads us to identify Jennifer's murderer. 'Extra patrols continue in the area while my officers remain at the crime scene. I would urge anyone who has any information, or who may be worried, to speak to them.'
The Guardian
17 hours ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Pushers review – Rosie Jones's hilarious disability drug sitcom is pure silliness
Disabled people are routinely ignored, underestimated, overlooked and patronised. The perfect drug dealers, in other words. This is the gratifyingly sardonic concept behind comedian Rosie Jones's new sitcom – co-written with Veep's Peter Fellows – in which she stars as Emily Dawkins, a woman with cerebral palsy whose benefits are senselessly cut by the DWP. After a humiliating work capability assessment, she runs into old school mate Ewen in the loos. Once he remembers who she is (no, not the woman he shagged in the Co-op store room), Ewen is delighted to see her again – 'I thought you died!' – and is soon offering Emily 50 quid to deliver a mysterious package for him. Initially Emily declines; too dodgy. But with the prospect of an actual paycheck from her charity work dwindling, she reluctantly gets on with the job – and is pleasantly surprised to find that her disability allows her to get away with murder. Well, distributing cocaine, at any rate. Such a premise – impoverished disabled woman cornered into dealing drugs to survive contemporary Britain – could have produced an incredibly bleak show; criminal gangs do regularly exploit disabled people for financial gain. Yet Pushers comprehensively swerves sincere social commentary. Rather than being used by Ewen, Emily quickly becomes the enterprise's driving force. While her childhood pal wants to shift the £500k worth of cocaine he has somehow acquired, then bow out of the game for good, his new employee opts to diversify into the heinous synthetic street drug spice behind his back. She also insists on recruiting a team to distribute the drugs faster. Two are sourced from Wee CU, the disabled-toilet-monitoring charity Emily volunteers for: Harry (Ruben Reuter), a dance lover with Down's syndrome, and the stern, ruthless and neurodiverse-coded Hope (a brilliant performance from Libby Mai), who is keen to get stuck in (her qualifications include being 'the treasurer of the official The Bill fanclub' and spending '42% of my spare time playing drug dealer simulations'). Emily also brings in local alcoholic Sean (Jon Furlong), who passes his days scaring the public by ranting to himself in the street. After Ewen insists his tough-as-old-boots mum be involved too, their crack team is complete. The other thing that prevents Pushers from straying into seriousness is Ewen himself (Ryan McParland), whose astonishing stupidity suffuses the entire series. Physically, McParland bears more than a passing resemblance to the American comedian Tim Robinson, whose unhinged performances in his Netflix series I Think You Should Leave breathed new life into the sketch genre. The actor seems to be channelling a similar comic vibe too: Ewen is loud, weird and unpredictably intense. The individual jokes designed to demonstrate his idiocy might seem hacky on paper – 'name me one person who has ever died from drugs?!' – but McParland's exaggerated gormlessness makes such lines giddily funny. As Emily, Jones tones down her natural exuberance slightly – she is the straight woman to Ewen and his bonkers malapropisms and misapprehensions. Yet she's still an agent of farce; in all the many, many TV shows about drug dealing I have watched over the years, I can safely say I have never seen so much spilt cocaine in my life. And as hinted by the flash forward at the start of episode one – in which Emily is pursued through a hospital by a glowering gangster, before running straight into a doctor holding an open blood bag – no matter how dark things get, silliness still dominates. The first couple of episodes of Pushers are absorbing and frequently hilarious. Jones's ability to joke about disability is unparalleled ('I didn't breathe for 17 minutes' is how she explains the origin of her cerebral palsy to her benefits assessor. 'I really wouldn't recommend it'). And she is careful to ensure Emily's responses to Ewen are priceless in themselves. Yet as the series progresses, the comedy is overshadowed by a narrative that becomes increasingly hard to make sense of. Alongside the antics of Emily's unwieldy criminal crew, both she and Ewen have romantic subplots, with the former developing a confusingly chaste entanglement with Jo, her Insta-glam boss at Wee CU, who dangles payment and sex in front of Emily like two ghostly carrots. What's more, our hero's sudden switch from reluctant dealer to gang mastermind is never fully explained: did her conscience just evaporate? Meanwhile, the slapstick and cartoonish inanity do start to wear thin after a while. Although its lack of sentimentality and commitment to hard comedy is admirable, Pushers still could have done with leaning a little further into the scathing satire promised by its setup. Instead, what we ultimately get is a gag-strewn, generally lighthearted portrayal of small-town turf wars. Jones's action-sitcom certainly has its moments, but it could have had slightly more bite. Pushers is on Channel 4 now
Daily Mail
20 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Jailed Albanian heroin dealer who kept photo of himself posing with £250,000 in cash is allowed to stay in the UK
The jailed Albanian heroin dealer who posed with £250,000 in cash has been told he will not be deported. Olsi Beheluli, who came to the UK when he was nine, was sentenced to 11 years behind bars over his 'senior role' in a drug-dealing ring after he was caught with eight kilograms of high-purity heroin in 2015. But The Home Office and National Crime Agency (NCA) have been told the former-'model' has to stay in the UK, despite their efforts to prove he fraudulently secured his British Citizenship, it was reported in The Telegraph. They claimed that eight months before he was arrested for having £200-000 worth of heroin on him he said he was not involved in any criminal activities on his naturalisation application. However they believe that only a senior member would be entrusted with such a valuable assignment. Dealing with the huge amounts of drugs would go against his promise to officials at the time that there was nothing 'which reflected adversely on his character'. A lower-tier tribunal judge dismissed this argument, arguing that there was no witness evidence or surveillance to support this. The Home office said it was 'incredible' to presume this was his first time engaging in drug offences and that 'it is beyond logic to accept that [he] would be trusted with such a consignment of drugs if [he was] not already involved in the supply of Class A Drugs'. A judge ruled that he would not be deported despite attempts from the Home Office because there was not enough evidence to suggest he had been involved in criminal activities before (pictured with a stash of £250,000 in cash) When this went to a upper tribunal judge at a rehearing after the case was appealed, officials said Beheluli 'must have established a fairly senior role in the supply of heroin, since he was entrusted with more than eight kilograms of high-purity heroin with a street value of more than £200,000'. The judge responded that the lack of evidence did not 'amount to a complete and incontrovertible answer to the common-sense point made by the Secretary of State' Beheluli arrived in the UK in 2000 with his family who were granted discretionary leave to remain six years later. The gangster, , who claimed he appeared on Channel 4 dating show My Little Princess, was on his way to a 'stash house' in north London when the cops descended on him. Counterfeit identity documentation and scales were found at the Neasden address and when police searched Beheluli's phone, they discovered the shocking image of him next to £250,000 in cash - which he had also posted on X (then Twitter). Beheluli tried to claim it was a relative's money and the photo was taken in Albania but detectives matched the distinctive wallpaper and furniture in the image to a picture of a home that Beheluli used to rent. Beheluli stashed £24,000 in his bank account and told officers it was gambling winnings from the World Cup. Officers found betting slips showing he had recently placed £12,000 stakes at Ladbrokes and William Hill. The then-24-year-old enjoyed living the 'high life' and gambling with the money he made from the illegal operation, police said. National Crime Agency branch commander Oliver Higgins said: 'Beheluli seemed to enjoy the high life and gambling with the money he made from drug dealing, but in the end his luck run out. 'These men were involved in supplying significant quantities of high-purity class A drugs, as demonstrated by the value of the cash, cocaine and heroin we have seized from them. 'But they were unaware that they were being watched by the NCA, and their arrest and subsequent conviction should have the wider criminal fraternity looking over their shoulders.' Blackfriars Crown Court found him guilt of conspiring to supply class A drugs in April 2015 alongside fellow gang members Besim Topalli, then 29, and Azem Proshka, then 23 - the trio in total received a sentence of 31 years in prison. At the time, it was reported Proshka and Topalli will be deported after they serve ten years in prison after admitting conspiring to supply drugs, money laundering and possessing fake ID documents.
Daily Mail
21 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Chelsee Healey watches in court as the father of her 15-month-old daughter is jailed for two years for role in 'wholesale' drug-dealing operation
TV star Chelsee Healey 's partner has been jailed for his role in a 'wholesale' drug-dealing operation. The 36-year-old Hollyoaks actress was in court to see Eddie Rainford, 32- father of her 15-month-old daughter - sentenced for supplying large quantities of cannabis. Chelsee, who plays Goldie McQueen on the Channel 4 soap, had tried to keep his identity a secret after they began dating four years ago, with only his first name being revealed to fans. She had previously described him as 'The One' and 'marriage material', saying she wanted someone who brought her 'peace and is drama-free'. But Manchester Crown Court heard how former Royal Marine commando Rainford, along with another man Jay Boyd, 28, had allegedly 'headed' an OCG (Organised Crime Gang) that dealt 'multi-kilos' of cannabis. Gwen Henshaw, prosecuting, described it as 'boutique' operation that involved selling various varieties of the drug, including 'Cali weed', 'Oreo Cookies' and 'Orange Cake' She said police heard Rainford and Boyd discussing 'taking 33 per cent' at a Costa coffee shop and that taking '4.5' was a 'risk'. Ms Heshaw said it was 'clear' each played a role in the operation and when warrants were executed at an address in Salford various small amounts of the drug were seized. Phone records showed the pair discussing drug deals and money and there were photos of large amounts of cash. In a message to a dealer who wanted to 'shift' different varieties of the drug it they were 'decent', Rainford replied: 'They're decent bro.' Ms Henshaw said there were references to '£10,000 plus' quantities of the drug and the pair were sentenced for selling 4.54kg, with a value of 'between £32,000 and £45,000'. 'It was clearly wholesaling, the Crown say, there was buying to pass on to others for distribution,' she said. Both Rainford and Boyd had pleaded guilty to being concerned in the supply of a Class B drug between November 2022 and September 2023 - just four days after Chelsee was eliminated from ITV's Dancing on Ice. Rainford had been held on remand at HMP Forest Bank to await sentence after being recalled to prison. He'd previously been sentenced to six years for violent offences while serving with Royal Marines, court-marshalled and released from prison in July 2022. Mark Friend, defending Rainford who has three previous convictions for five offences, said it was not a 'sophisticated' operation and he disputed the pair had been part of an OCG. He said Rainford had served his county well in Africa, the Middle East and on the North Korea-South Korea border and been recommended for the special forces. He now wanted to lead a decent life with his partner and her two daughters and put his criminal past behind him, Mr Friend added. Tanya Alahi, defending Boyd, said, he was 'remorseful' and regretted his 'stupid mistake'. Judge Peter Horgan said it was 'inappropriate' to describe it as an OCG operation but nevertheless the drug dealing had spanned a ten-month period. The judge acknowledged that Rainford had served his country with distinction but said that 'for some reason' he became involved in dealing cannabis for financial gain. He sentenced Rainford to 24 months in prison and Boyd to 20 months saying only a custodial sentence - rather than a suspended one - was appropriate. Chelsee, who was sat in the public gallery, showed no emotion as her partner was jailed. 'Have you got what you want now?' she said to a journalist as she left court. 'Someone's misfortune'. After her Dancing on Ice exit, Chelsee had hinted at the tough time she had endured away from the cameras, saying: 'I feel, personally, there's been a lot going on with me that I've been struggling with, so I couldn't completely focus. 'I'm just really grateful, I've had the best time.' A source told The Sun that what Chelsee was desperately struggling with at the time was Rainford's being in court on drugs charges. She had had kept his identity under wraps since they began dating in 2021. His first name was revealed after the birth of of their daughter Cookie in December 2023 when Chelsee's Hollyoaks co-star Richard Blackwood shared photos of her baby shower on Instagram - with one showing Rainford. Chelsee also shared a selection of pictures on social media of Rainford on his birthday in April last year. And fans speculated that the pair, both from Salford, had secretly married when she referred to him as her 'husband'. Chelsee, who also has daughter Coco, seven, from another relationship, previously said that her relationship with Rainford was the 'most supportive' she'd ever been in. She told Closer Magazine in July 2023: 'My friends and family love him, and he's the first bloke I've introduced Coco to, which says a lot. I knew he was 'The One' within three to four months. I've kissed a few frogs, but he's definitely marriage material.' She said she'd bene in 'toxic and abusive' relationships in the past but with Eddie it was 'completely different' adding: I just want someone who brings me peace and is drama-free and this feels right. In April, Chelsee returned to filming for Hollyoaks after taking an extended break. But she sparked concern among fans after saying she was 'struggling', 'putting on a brave face' and was 'on a downward spiral' in a social media post the following month.
