Friday 27 January 2012

Smiley Culture's £400K Cocaine Gang Facing Grim Sentences


Two fellow-conspirators of deceased eighties pop star Smiley Culture - who stabbed himself to death during a police drugs raid - have been convicted of a £400,000 cocaine supply plot.


The star - real name David Emmanuel, 48, - masterminded the conspiracy from his gated Surrey mansion, where undercover police watched accomplices collect the drugs.


Emmanuel, (pic.top) who had hits with 'Police Officer' and 'Cockney Translation' was charged and on bail when he stabbed himself through the heart on March 15, last year during a separate 7am police raid at the property.


Today Lloyd McCalla, 51, (pic.2nd top) of Temple Avenue, Dagenham and 27 year-old Carlene Wilson, (pic.3rd top) of Chadwell Heath Lane, Romford were found guilty of conspiring with Mr. Emanuel and Lloyd's son Ryan, 30, to supply cocaine between June 30 and July 2, 2010.


During the Croydon Crown Court trial jurors were told Emmanuel funded an all expenses paid trip to Barbados for five drug mules, arrested at Grantley Adams Airport, with nearly 30kg of cocaine.


He had flown to the island with them and was booked on the same return flight on February 27, 2010. Four of the women, all British, were later convicted of drugs offences.


One of them told police Emmanuel had funded four previous similar cocaine-smuggling trips and police were investigating this allegation when he killed himself.


Prosecutor Mr. Tom Little told the jury: "This involves a well organised drugs conspiracy to supply a kilo of cocaine, involving at least four individuals.


"David Emanuel was the main organiser of the conspiracy and needed these drugs distributed and that is where the McCalla family come in."


On July 2, 2010 undercover police from the Met's Central Task Force were staking out Mr. Emanuel's home in Hillbury Road, Warlingham when Lloyd and Ryan, (pic.bottom) who pleaded guilty to the charge, arrived at 7.45pm.


"It must have been at this point the drugs were handed over by Mr. Emanuel to the McCalla's and taken out by Ryan," Mr. Little told the jury.


"Ryan walked with a bag containing the cocaine to a taxi, where Wilson was waiting and she was given the drugs and the taxi drove off.


"The McCalla's followed behind and the taxi was stopped by police and the drugs were found in the bag between the feet of Wilson."


When analysed the drugs were found to be 77% pure cocaine.


The three defendants will be sentenced on February 10 and Judge Heather Baucher announced: "I want to make it clear this is a very serious offence, it was a massive quantity of drugs.


"A custodial sentence is inevitable in this matter."

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