Latest news with #drugkingpin
Daily Mail
21-07-2025
- Daily Mail
Terminally-ill newsagent unmasked as real-life Breaking Bad £52million drugs kingpin
A terminally-ill newsagent has been unmasked as a £52million drug kingpin likened to the TV drama Breaking Bad. Michael Williamson, 77, was found to be behind the huge cocaine operation and led a gang which sold more than half a ton of the class A drug over ten years. In 2019, he was arrested when police raided his home in Salford and his newsagents in Poynton, Cheshire. Officers found £137,000 worth of cocaine, £33,000 in cash and 'meticulous records' of names, deals and debts. Williamson, who had no previous convictions and never married, was found guilty of conspiracy to supply drugs in January at Bolton Crown Court. However, his sentence was waived due to his illness and he died earlier this month. His decision to turn to crime was compared to the popular US series, which sees high school chemistry teacher Walter White, played by Bryan Cranston, produce and distribute meth after being diagnosed with terminal cancer. Judge Clarke said that Williamson, who was not in court, was at the 'very heart' of the conspiracy. 'There are similarities between Williamson and Breaking Bad,' a source told the Sun. 'On the surface, he was a shopkeeper. In reality, he was trading in a very different powder from the lemon sherbet on his shelves.' In connection with the drug operation, three others admitted conspiracy to supply cocaine last month. Former rugby league player Payden Candland, 33, was jailed for 19 years and nine months. While Leo Groves, 33, received 15 years and Ricky Lee, 32, got seven years.
The Sun
20-07-2025
- The Sun
Terminally-ill newsagent found to be a drug kingpin behind £52million sale of cocaine — just like TV drama Breaking Bad
A DYING newsagent was found to be a drug kingpin — just like TV drama Breaking Bad. Terminally ill Michael Williamson masterminded the sale of cocaine worth up to £52million. His decision to turn to crime has been likened to the hit US series in which chemistry teacher Walter White, played by Bryan Cranston, starts producing and distributing meth after being diagnosed with terminal cancer. Williamson, 77, led a gang which sold more than half a ton of cocaine over ten years. He was arrested in 2019 when cops raided his home in Salford and newsagents shop in Poynton, Cheshire. They found cocaine worth £137,000, £33,000 in cash and notebooks with 'meticulous records' of names, deals and debts. Williamson, who had no previous convictions and never married, was found guilty of conspiracy to supply drugs in January at Bolton crown court. His sentence was waived because of his illness and he died earlier this month. Last month, three others admitted conspiracy to supply cocaine. Former rugby league player Payden Candland, 33, got 19 years, nine months, Leo Groves, 33, got 15 years and Ricky Lee, 32, seven years. Sentencing them, His Honour Judge Clarke said the absent Williamson was at the 'very heart' of the conspiracy. A source said: 'There are similarities between Williamson and Breaking Bad. Breaking Bad's Bryan Cranston weighs in on 'fun' Malcolm in the Middle crossover fan theory 'On the surface, he was a shopkeeper. In reality, he was trading in a very different powder from the lemon sherbet on his shelves.'
RNZ News
01-07-2025
- Business
- RNZ News
Auckland money launderer Ye Hua has prison sentence reduced on appeal
By Ric Stevens, Open Justice reporter of Ye "Cathay" Hua was sent to prison for seven and a half years after a jury found her guilty of 15 money laundering charges. That has now been reduced to six years. Photo: NZ Herald / Jason Oxenham A convicted money launderer repeatedly complained to international drug kingpin Xavier Valent that cash her staff were handling was wet, sticky and covered with white powder. "I am scared of drug money," Ye "Cathay" Hua told Valent in a text message. "Our staff sick of counting wet money ... are you sure not drug money?" asked Hua, who at the time owned a legitimate money-handling business turning over tens of millions of dollars a year. The messages were sent to Valent, the former Auckland Grammar student whose international drugs empire has been described as making him a modern-day Mr Asia. He is now serving a life sentence for the importation and supply of methamphetamine and other Class A and B drugs. Hua warned Valent, also known as Harry Whitehead, she was worried police would search her premises if the money he was sending was linked to drug dealing. She asked the drug smuggler for a $100,000 deposit to offset that risk. He did not meet that request, but Hua went ahead and processed the transaction anyway. Hua was subsequently found guilty after a jury trial of 15 money laundering offences involving $18 million, which she processed on behalf of Valent and three other convicted drug dealers. She was sentenced to seven and a half years in prison in 2023, but took an appeal against both that sentence and her convictions to the Court of Appeal. The appeal court upheld the convictions but, in a decision released on Friday, reduced her sentence to six years in jail. The appeal court judges said her offending was tempered by the fact Hua did not know for sure the cash was drug money, and she had not made unduly large profits by handling it. The court was told that the $18m was laundered within the context of her registered financial services business, Quian Duo Duo (QDD), which turned over $357m between 2017 and 2020. About $70m of those transactions were in cash. "While we agree that the period of the offending and the amount of money laundered are serious aggravating factors, the lack of actual knowledge of the source of the cash and the lack of any unusual profits temper the gravity of the offending," the Court of Appeal decision said. "Another factor tempering the gravity of the offending is the lack of any involvement in the crimes committed by those utilising the appellant's money remittance business." Although QDD was a registered financial services provider, it had a history of non-compliance with anti-money laundering legislation. In addition to the criminal case against Cathay Hua, the Department of Internal Affairs has recently prosecuted the company for failing to report over $19m worth of transactions between New Zealand and China. It is facing a fine of $1.25m. It was fined $356,000 for similar offending in 2018. Although Hua never met Valent face-to-face, communications between the money launderer and the drug-smuggler were cited in evidence that she was "reckless" about where the cash was coming from. At one point, she told him not to send any money on Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday the following week, because she was due to have an on-site inspection by the Department of Internal Affairs on those days. On another occasion, vacuum-packed white powder was left at QDD by a person who dropped off the cash. Hua took a photograph of the powder and sent it to Valent, who replied that it was lithium. Hua messaged back to him: "As long as not drug". Valent was found guilty in 2023 of 86 charges including the importation, manufacture, supply and possession for supply of methamphetamine, cocaine, MDMA and ephedrine. He was sentenced to life imprisonment with no parole for 10 years - one of the stiffest sentences for drug trafficking and of a level normally handed down to people convicted of murder. The drugs involved amounted to more than 200kg and Valent ran his operation so tightly that he subjected his syndicate members to lie detector tests if he suspected they were stealing drugs or money. - This story was first published by NZ Herald
Daily Mail
05-06-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
Family of drug kingpin gunned down in Costa Del Sol pub say notorious rival gang are NOT responsible for killings as fears grow over 'revenge' attacks
The family of a drug kingpin murdered in a double shooting have spoken out to say their notorious gang rivals are not responsible, according to a bombshell new report. Ross Monaghan, 43, and Eddie Lyons Jnr, 46, were shot dead by a masked gunman while they were watching Saturday's Champions League final at an Irish pub on the Costa del Sol. Both men are senior figures in the Glasgow-based Lyons gang, and the incident prompted fears that their deadly rivals, the Daniels, were behind the hit. The two crime families have been locked in a bloody feud that has seen a series of tit-for-tat killings over more than two decades. Saturday's hit also coincides with an ongoing gang war in Edinburgh and Glasgow that has seen scores of firebombings and beatings - apparently targeting the Daniels and their associate, Mark Richardson. However, Police Scotland said in a statement earlier this week that there was 'no evidence' the Spain shootings had been ordered in Scotland or were linked to the recent unrest there. And now, a relative of Monaghan has appeared to absolve the Daniels of any blame for his and Lyons Jnr's deaths - suggesting gang rivals based abroad could be responsible. 'The one thing people need to know is the Daniels are not behind this,' The Sun reported one of Monaghan's relatives as saying. 'There are other theories about who is behind it, but the one thing we know for sure is it's got nothing to do with the Daniels or Mark Richardson.' Lyons Jnr's death came just weeks after his teenage daughter died from an illness, the relative revealed. Spanish police continue to hunt the gunman responsible for Saturday's shootings. After executing Lyons Jnr on the street outside, the killer ran in and cornered Monaghan before shooting him in the chest and stomach at close range. Monaghan - who is believed to have owned the pub, named Monaghans - tried to escape by running to the bathroom. But horrific CCTV shows him stumbling as he turns to face his killer, who calmly pulls the trigger four times. It comes at a time of high tension in Edinburgh and Glasgow, which have seen dozens of violent incidents linked to an ongoing gang dispute. Reports have suggested the war erupted after Richardson's associates stole a £500,000 stash of cocaine from an ambitious Dubai-based kingpin known as Ross 'Miami' McGill. The Lyons are now said to be supporting McGill in his war on Richardson and his close associate Steven 'Bonzo' Daniel. The dispute has even made its way onto social media, where one video showed a series of attacks on targets associated with Mark Richardson to the tune of Martha Reeves' and the Vandellas hit 'Nowhere to run'. Numerous reports have suggested the Costa del Sol shootings are directly linked to the ongoing unrest in Edinburgh and Glasgow. But this has been denied by police, who said there is 'no intelligence to suggest' this was the case. A Police Scotland spokesperson added: 'Police Scotland is supporting Spanish police where requested, however, at this time we have no officers deployed within Spain. 'There is currently no intelligence to suggest the deaths of these two men in Spain are linked to the recent criminal attacks in Scotland being investigated as part of Operation Portaledge. 'Any misinformation or speculation linking the events in Spain are not helpful to the ongoing investigations in either country. 'There is also nothing to suggest that the shooting in Fuengirola was planned from within Scotland.' Today's intervention by the Monaghan family suggests the Daniels are wary of being blamed for Saturday's killings. Their long-lasting war with the Lyons reportedly began when Lyons associates allegedly stole a £20,000 cocaine stash belonging to them. Five years later, gunmen James McDonald and Raymond Anderson walked into Applerow Motors in Lambhill, north Glasgow - owned by David Lyons - and opened fire in retaliation. David's nephew Michael Lyons, 21, was killed, while Steven Lyons - Eddie Jnr's brother - was shot in the leg and back. Robert Pickett was left in a coma and lost a kidney. Dozens of tit for tat shootings and killings have happened in the years since. Monaghan himself was a suspect in the 2010 murder of Daniels member Kevin 'Gerbil' Carroll in the car park of a Glasgow Asda. He was charged over the shooting but the case was later dropped. In August 2017, Monaghan and Lyons Jr were cleared of being involved in a brutal street attack on three men outside the Campsie bar in Bishopbriggs, East Dunbartonshire. Monaghan later fled to Spain after being shot in the shoulder while dropping his child off at a Glasgow primary school that same year. Monaghans, the pub where Saturday's shooting happened, describes itself online as a place 'where you can relax and spend the day enjoying great home cooked meals on a sunny terrace and watch live sporting events.' It also bills itself as a 'family friendly sports bar and restaurant located in Torreblanca, Fuengirola opposite one of the area's most popular beaches.' Torreblanca is to the east of Fuengirola town centre and a stone's throw from an area called Los Boliches. Saturday murders follow the fatal shooting nearly six weeks ago of a 32-year-old British man in nearby Calahonda a 15-minute drive from the Irish bar towards Marbella. He was shot dead around 8pm on April 21 in a professional hit as he headed back to his car after finishing a football match with friends. The killers fled in a getaway car that was later torched. Police are investigating the brutal assassination as a drug-related gang shooting but have yet to make any arrests. The victim has not been named but was known to come from Liverpool. Reports at the time described the incident as the fourth shooting so far that month on the Costa del Sol, where rival gangs have increasingly used extreme violence to settle disputes and a number of international mafias are known to have a base. Four days before the Calahonda shooting a 34-year-old man was rushed to the Costa del Sol Hospital in Marbella after being shot outside a nightclub in the famous Costa del Sol resort.
Malay Mail
01-06-2025
- General
- Malay Mail
IGP: Police probing Indian drug kingpin's links and visits after deportation, to root out possible drug syndicate here
KUALA LUMPUR, June 1 – Federal police said today they are investigating the movements of an Indian drug kingpin arrested at a hotel here and deported to India last month, amid concerns he was setting up a smuggling network. New Straits Times quoted Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Razarudin Husain saying that the suspect — which has been identified by Indian press — holds a background in criminal psychology and studied film and television in London. 'We are looking into everyone he met, all the locations he went to and exactly what he planned to do in Malaysia. 'We are not taking any chances. We do not want foreigners coming to Malaysia and setting up drug networks or conducting drug deals on our soil,' he reportedly said. Razarudin said intelligence indicated the suspect had been running a drug cartel from outside his home country. 'Through the Bukit Aman Narcotic Crime Investigation Department, we will liaise with our counterparts in India to exchange information and determine just how vast his operations were,' he added. Yesterday, Razarudin said the 30-year-old man was arrested by a team from the Bukit Aman Criminal Investigation Department together with the Narcotics Criminal Investigation Department when he was located in a hotel room at 1.35 am on May 27. The suspect, who was listed as a wanted individual or fugitive by the Indian government, was deported to his country on a flight at 6.54 pm the same day. The 'Indian Express' newspaper reportedon May 28 that the drug kingpin of an international drug syndicate was arrested by the Narcotics Control Bureau of India after being extradited from Malaysia. The international syndicate led by the man is believed to be carrying out drug smuggling worth 1,128 crore (RM635 million) including cocaine and marijuana obtained from the United States through cargo shipments.
