Moment east London drug dealer boasts of being 'like Pablo Escobar', as he is jailed for nearly ten years

1 October 2024, 13:59 | Updated: 1 October 2024, 14:00

Moment drug dealer compares himself to Pablo Escobar

An east London drug dealer who boasted of being like Pablo Escobar and "running the streets" has been jailed for nearly ten years.

Shahen Ahmed, 34, was sent to prison for nine and a half years earlier this month at Snaresbrook Crown Court for dealing heroin and crack cocaine.

Ahmed, of Stevedore Street in Wapping, ran a drug dealing network called 'Killah' from December 2021-June 2022.

After police worked out that he was involved, they raided his home in June 2022 and found a large amount of both heroin and crack, as well as £60,000 in cash.

He was arrested, charged and remanded in custody before being jailed on September 13.

Read more: Farmer’s wife added to ‘most wanted’ list for drug dealing offences finally behind bars after 16 months on the run

Read more: Drug dealer arrested at airport after jetting off on four luxury holidays in four months

Officers released a video of Ahmed boasting in the car to a passenger that he controlled the streets, and said that he was like 'Pablo', a reference to notorious Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar.

Police also said that Ahmed had hidden £600,000 of ill-gotten cash, which police are working to get hold of.

Detective Inspector Sam Bennett said after Ahmed was jailed: "My team seized a number of devices from Ahmed. On examination my officers found a video of Ahmed proudly bragging to an unknown passenger about his criminal activity, referring to himself as 'Pablo' and running the streets.

"Drugs are inextricably linked to violence and misery on our streets. They blight communities and ruin lives. To see Ahmed talk so casually and proudly about his involvement is a concern but it also motivates us and makes us even more determined to bring people like him to justice.

“Thanks to my officers and their hard work and diligence, Ahmed now has even more in common with his famed idol – a significant jail sentence.”

The investigation of Ahmed was carried out by detectives as part of Operation Yamata, a police initiative to dismantle complex drugs supply lines in London.

Drug baron Escobar controlled much of the flow of cocaine into the US in the 1980s and 1990s, gaining a fortune of around £22.5 billion before he was killed by police in 1993 aged 44.