According to the Daily Mail, the former Crystal Palace defender was sentenced to 14 years in prison for harboring 19.7 kg of methamphetamine worth 2.36 million pounds. The former Crystal Palace player Michael Boateng, who played a "significant...
According to the Daily Mail, the former Crystal Palace defender was sentenced to 14 years in prison for harboring 19.7 kg of methamphetamine worth 2.36 million pounds.
The former Crystal Palace player Michael Boateng, who played a "significant role" in organized crime gangs, was arrested last Valentine's Day when police found 19.7 kilograms of Class A drugs in a sports bag in his apartment with his girlfriend and then two-month-old son.
The seizure is believed to be one of the largest methamphetamine seizures ever in the UK.
Michael Boateng pleaded guilty in September to possession and intent to supply methamphetamine, cocaine and ecstasy. He was a successful personal coach with clients including England football star Jayden Sancho, the court heard. The court heard that Boateng was “performing well” during his tenure as a personal trainer and personal bodyguard from 2018 to 2023. But in 2022, the London Police Department informed Boateng that his life was facing a direct threat, the so-called "Ottoman warning". The defense lawyer told the court: "He was told that his life was faced with credible threats. As a result, his partner at the time basically refused to let him contact their family. They completely cut him off from his son. This led to a period of stress and depression. One of the consequences was that he began to get involved in drug use.
"He started to take Class A drugs...and he then participated in a small-scale drug supply, basically people he knew...at that stage, it was to fund his own habit of taking Class A drugs. ”
In September 2023, Boateng was stopped by police in Bromley, South London for suspicious behavior. He ran into Cronford Lane from the police, and then a police dog squad found a discarded speed seal bag outside a garden wall containing 19 bags of cocaine. At the time of arrest, he had two iPhones and £102 cash on his body.
The prosecutor told the court that During a search of Boateng's apartment in Croydon, another 14 packs of cocaine, 32 tablets of ecstasy and a 22-gram piece of ecstasy were found. The court heard that the total street value of these cocaine and ecstasy was between £3,000 and £4,180. Police also found 26 bags of ketamine (K powder) with street value between £260 and £520, and £1,570 in cash.
Boateng, who was questioned, later pleaded guilty to allegations of possession and intention to supply cocaine and ecstasy and possession of K powder. He was released on bail on condition that he complied with the curfew and reported to the police station regularly.
But on 14 February 2024, police raided Boateng's new address in Croydon. A sports bag was found in the corridor of the residence containing 19.7 kilograms of methamphetamine. CCTV footage showed that Boateng arrived at the residence seven days ago and placed it in the corridor after taking the bag outside the residence. The court heard that the wholesale value of the methamphetamine was between £200,000 and £400,000 but the street value was between £1.18 million and £2.36 million. The prosecutor said: "He is obviously trusted in an organization and has a large amount of drugs in custody. ”
But the defense lawyer said that although there is no dispute over the weight of drugs held by Boateng, it cannot be ruled out that Boateng was a victim of "coercion or intimidation" by organized criminals when he kept the drugs. The judge told the court that it was obvious that Boateng played an "important role" in organized crime groups and that his position in the drug trafficking network was "not to be bargained".
He added: "He has a certain understanding and understanding of the operation." This does put him clearly in the category of important roles. At the moment I can't see how this can be classified as a secondary character. "The judge said in his closing statement: "You have played an important role in this drug trading activity. Your role is not trivial. The amount of drugs we are talking about, nearly 20 kilograms, can be worth millions of pounds on the street. The reason for the 14-year sentence was to reflect the enormous amount of drugs you kept during that time and remind myself that this crime was committed during your previous case on bail. ”
"When you are released, you will be bound by a license, and the license will come with conditions. You can go down now. ”
Right back Boateng was a member of his youth team during his 2005-2007 Crystal Palace Championship tournament. He later played for Bristol Wanderers, and later played for Bromley, Sutton United, Newport County and non-league Whitehawk. In December 2013, he was fired by Whitehawk for being charged after a counterfeit investigation. He was sentenced to 16 months in prison in June 2014 and was suspended for life in January of the following year. He was again imprisoned for drug trafficking in June 2015.
Boateng appeared as a co-host on the podcast series Banged Up, which explores life in the British prison system. He has been frankly expressing his desire to not commit crimes again and stay away from trouble.
