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Xhuljan Shehu sold 30 kilos of cocaine with a street value of £1.05 million, orchestrating international drug shipments from a flat in Whittington Way, Pinner.
The 30-year-old used Encrochat – an encrypted messaging platform that was mainly used by criminals and brought down after a Europe-wide investigation – to sell the drugs between March 23 and June 2 in 2020.
Shehu oversaw cocaine importations and distribution in the UK, and arranged for drugs to be sold in the Belgian cities of Anvers and Brussels before proceeds were laundered to Albania and the Netherlands.
He was first arrested at an address in High Street, Uxbridge, on November 24, 2021.
Investigations showed Shehu used a fake Greek passport to secure the tenancy on the Pinner flat.
When interviewed, the Albanian dealer denied any involvement in drug dealing and claimed he worked in construction and was studying part-time for a degree.
He said he only lived in Uxbridge and had no knowledge of the Pinner flat, but National Crime Agency (NCA) investigators found a photo on his phone of a TV showing an Albanian programme taken inside the Pinner flat, supporting the case the property was occupied by an Albanian speaker.
The phone also had other photos of drugs and cash taken inside the flat – with the pictures matching a rental advert for the flat on Rightmove.
NCA officers trawled through 20,902 messages on the phone and saw conversations about checking drug quality and deals.
Shehu was charged with conspiracy to import cocaine and pleaded guilty at Isleworth Crown Court on March 22 last year. He was sentenced to 11 years and three months at the same court today (September 29).
NCA Branch Commander Matt…
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