Drug Dealing Footballers Used Chiswick Storage Unit
Gang conspired to supply cocaine with an estimated street value of over £200million
A member of the gang wheeling drugs into a storage unit. Picture: Met Police
May 28, 2024
Two local semi-professional footballers have been jailed after it was found they were part of a gang that conspired to supply cocaine with an estimated street value of £208 – £260m.
They operated distribution centres in storage units in Chiswick and Acton.
34-year-old Andrew Harewood of Woodhurst Road in Acton, who played for Harrow borough FC was jailed for 16 years and one month and 29-year-old Melchi Emanuel-Williamson of Wesley Avenue, Park Royal who played for Margate FC was jailed for 14 years.
They were part of a group of six men, who all played lower league football, who were convicted at Isleworth Crown Court on Friday, 17 May having pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing to conspiracy to supply controlled class A drugs (cocaine) and conspiracy to supply controlled class B drugs (ketamine).
They were all caught after police stopped 26-year-old Luke Skeete of West Drayton, in a white panel van on Richmond Road, Kingston in October 2022. Had been driving while disqualified and a search of the vehicle discovered 5kg of Class A drugs packed in the rear with 3kg in the footwell. A video recovered from a car involved in a deal showed Skeete parking up in his white van and passing over a holdall of drugs.
Officers then searched a storage unit leased by Skeete in Acton and found an organised distribution centre containing 123 kilograms of high purity cocaine. Further enquiries by the investigation team then identified another self-storage location in Chiswick which Skeete had been driving towards on the day of his arrest. In the storage locker officers found 244 kilograms of ketamine and 11 kilograms of a hybrid drug mixture of cocaine and ketamine.
Skeete’s phone was seized and sent for analysis which resulted in the discovery of a secure messaging platform. The police say that the group chats demonstrated a sophisticated, professional business model the group were operating to supply cocaine through the UK.
Further examination found the true identities of the other users who had been using handles to conceal who they were.
Andrew Harewood and Melchi Emanuel-Williamson. Picture: Met Police
Detectives spent an extended period examining CCTV which showed the gang coming and going from the storage unit with drugs concealed in holdalls and boxes.
It was found that between 10 April 2022 and 20 October 2022, they had all conspired to supply in excess of 2.7 tonnes of high-grade cocaine with an estimated street value of £208,160,000 to £260,200,000.
On 28 September 2023, Specialist Crime officers carried out arrest warrants at addresses linked to the group in London and Birmingham.
Skeete had previously been jailed for 15 years at the same court in July 2023 having pleaded guilty to two counts of possession with intent to supply class A drugs (cocaine), possession with intent to supply class B drugs (ketamine), supplying cocaine, and driving while disqualified.
As well as Skeete, Harewood and Emanuel-Williamson, the other men convicted were 35-year-old former Enfield FC defender Adam Pepara of Wharf Lane, Solihull, 29-year-old Chesham United forward Shaquille Hippolyte-Patrick of Delgarno Gardens, North Kensington and 28-year-old Jamarl Joseph of Lily Gardens, Wembley who had played for FK Senika in Slovakia.
Part of the cocaine stash found by police in a storage unit
Police Constable Perry, from Specialist Crime North, said, “The operation we’ve dismantled here is not some minor undertaking, involving a group of chancers – this is a highly organised criminal group who were supplying drugs on an industrial scale throughout the UK.
“The sentences received reflect the gravity of what they had been doing. This is a criminal group who had otherwise promising careers – semi-pro footballers with other jobs and courses they were undertaking – but they were motivated by making money from drugs that fuel misery and violence on our streets.
“Anyone else wondering if they can make cash from this type of activity should take a look at these sentences and think again, because it’s only a matter of time before you are caught.”
Detective Constable Janes, from Specialist Crime North, said, “With Skeete’s arrest we brought this house of cards down.
“After he was detained we secured valuable evidence on his mobile phone, helping us launch another investigation that led to us identifying his conspirators.
"Forensic examination of that device and invaluable CCTV evidence helped us compile a case so compelling that none of them had any choice but to plead guilty.”
Value Reading Articles Like This? Help Us Produce More This site remains committed to providing local community news and public interest journalism. Articles such as the one above are integral to what we do. We aim to feature as much as possible on local societies, charities based in the area, fundraising efforts by residents, community-based initiatives and even helping people find missing pets. We've always done that and won't be changing, in fact we'd like to do more. However, the readership that these stories generates is often below that needed to cover the cost of producing them. Our financial resources are limited and the local media environment is intensely competitive so there is a constraint on what we can do. We are therefore asking our readers to consider offering financial support to these efforts. Any money given will help support community and public interest news and the expansion of our coverage in this area. A suggested monthly payment is £8 but we would be grateful for any amount for instance if you think this site offers the equivalent value of a subscription to a daily printed newspaper you may wish to consider £20 per month. If neither of these amounts is suitable for you then contact info@neighbournet.com and we can set up an alternative. All payments are made through a secure web site. One-off donations are also appreciated. Choose The Amount You Wish To Contribute. If you do support us in this way we'd be interested to hear what kind of articles you would like to see more of on the site – send your suggestions to the editor. For businesses we offer the chance to be a corporate sponsor of community content on the site. For £30 plus VAT per month you will be the designated sponsor of at least one article a month with your logo appearing if supplied. If there is a specific community group or initiative you'd like to support we can make sure your sponsorship is featured on related content for a one off payment of £50 plus VAT. All payments are made through a secure web site. |