The fall of a Teflon don: How gangster drugs boss cleared of three murders was finally convicted for execution of father-of-two music boss after gunning him down in front of his sons

A drug-dealing gangster who was cleared of gunning down 2 revellers extracurricular a nightclub and beating and stabbing a begetter to decease astatine a day enactment has been jailed for beingness aft executing a euphony brag successful a drive-by shooting.

Nana Oppong, 43, masterminded and whitethorn good person carried retired a cold-blooded deed connected euphony manager, begetter of 3 and gramps of 2 Robert Powell, 50, who was known to friends arsenic 'Fox', connected June 13 2020.

Mr Powell, manager of rapper Dutchavelli, was changeable 8 times with a 9mm pistol arsenic helium near a backstage relation with his 2 big sons successful Roydon, Essex. Oppong past fled the state and became 1 of the country's astir wanted men.

He, on with Israar Shah, 40, denied execution but the brace were convicted by a assemblage astatine Woolwich Crown Court connected Tuesday earlier being jailed for beingness connected Friday.

It means prosecutors person yet snared Oppong, besides known arsenic 'Enz', aft charging him with 3 different murders - lone to spot charges dropped astatine tribunal successful favour of other, lesser offences.

The slayer had earlier been accused of murdering 2 men successful a shootout extracurricular a nightclub hosting his day enactment successful May 2010, and of slaying a begetter of 2 pursuing a enactment successful eastbound London in May 2014. 

In some cases the cause dealer, present described by constabulary arsenic a 'committed and high-level criminal' was convicted of lesser charges.

The May 2010 shootout took spot extracurricular a nightclub wherever Oppong was celebrating his birthday.

It saw the streets of Forest Gate covered successful humor and slug casings aft revenge attacks that jurors were told showed 'complete disregard for the public'.

Eugene Brown, 27, and Patrick Ford, 36, died successful the weapon conflict astatine the hands of Michael Smith extracurricular the Sugar Lounge venue.

Smith had been changeable six times by Powell during the firefight - including erstwhile successful the caput - and was dumped extracurricular a infirmary to beryllium treated aft the violence.

He was fixed 2 beingness sentences astatine the Old Bailey and ordered to service a minimum of 34 years pursuing the proceedings successful September 2012.

Kevin Powell, meanwhile, was recovered blameworthy of attempting to execution Smith and jailed for 24 years. 

William Boyce, then-QC, prosecuting, told the jury: 'Mr Smith indispensable beryllium 1 of the astir fortunate men alive. He has nary close to beryllium alive.

'Mr Powell had taken the instrumentality into his ain hands and had gone retired to nonstop his ain revenge. He peppered Mr Smith with bullets but inactive did not negociate to termination him.'

Oppong, however, initially got disconnected scot-free. He had been charged with execution and a firearms complaint astatine proceedings successful 2011 having allegedly handed a weapon to Smith and pointed retired Eugene Brown.

But 2 juries failed to scope verdicts connected the execution and weapon charges. Oppong was yet jailed for 2 years aft being recovered blameworthy of perverting the people of justness for lying to constabulary pursuing a 2012 retrial.

Two years later, Oppong was arrested again aft young begetter Ashley Latty was stabbed and beaten to decease extracurricular the Beaver Centre relation hallway successful Dagenham connected May 18 2014.

Mr Latty, 25, 'never stood a chance' against his attackers, who had been rounded up by thug Nicholas Terrelonge aft recognising the unfortunate arsenic having stolen from him successful the past.

As helium stepped retired of the Beaver Centre astatine 5.30am pursuing a day party, helium was acceptable upon by a radical of men who kicked, punched and stabbed him. The fatal weapon coiled pierced his bosom astatine the commencement of the attack, which lasted much than a minute.

Oppong was among the radical that laid into Mr Latty with what prosecutors called 'real, venomous hate-fuelled force'. 

But helium was cleared of the archetypal complaint of execution aft admitting a lesser complaint of causing grievous bodily harm with intent.

And arsenic Terrelong and Tyler Burton were jailed for beingness for murder, and co-conspirators Kestrel Dyer and Jerome Joseph were sentenced to six-and-a-half and six years for GBH with intent, Oppong was jailed for conscionable 4 years successful April 2015.

He denied knowing his co-conspirators - but said helium had been 'flattered' to beryllium asked to beryllium involved. He said helium had not been alert that 1 of the enactment was carrying a knife. 

Oppong past remained disconnected of the radar for six years - until helium and Israar Shah gunned down Robert Powell successful Roydon successful June 2020.

He had plotted to instrumentality retired Mr Powell for respective weeks, his proceedings astatine Woolwich Crown Court had heard - having considered a deed astatine a artifact enactment successful Beckton, eastbound London, a week earlier until enactment disconnected by the beingness of 'fed,' oregon police.

A connection sent connected 5 June to Oppong's Encrochat instrumentality read: 'So however bash we program to bash this if you mean to bash this? I'm sick of the acting bro. It's f****** annoying.'

He, Shah and different radical who person not been identified past travelled to the enactment connected Water Lane successful 3 cars: a Ford Kuga with a cloned fig plate, an unregistered Vauxhall Zafira and a Toyota Prius.

Shah, successful his Prius, was the lookout - and arsenic Mr Powell stepped retired of the venue with his 2 sons, the Kuga containing Oppong drove up the roadworthy towards the euphony boss. A gunman past stepped retired and fired astatine the unfortunate 8 times. 

Prosecutors described it arsenic an 'execution' - adding that 1 slug struck 2 pistillate bystanders.

Mr Powell died a time aft the deed aft being treated for his 8 slug wounds successful the backmost of a Ford Mondeo astatine the country - successful beforehand of his horrified sons.  

One of the women struck aboriginal told the proceedings that the slug passed cleanable done her earlier embedding itself successful her friend's ankle.

She said: 'I saw 2 holes, I could spot my flesh. I thought I was going to dice to beryllium honorable with you.'

With the execution complete, Oppong and Shah fled the UK. In the hours aft the hit, Oppong scrubbed a 'significant' magnitude of information from his Encrochat app. But constabulary traced Shah's Prius and the Kuga - and their inquiries began.

Oppong became 1 of Britain's astir wanted men. An Interpol Red Notice was issued urging planetary constabulary to apprehension him connected show and helium topped an NCA 'Most Wanted' list.

Scotland Yard wanted to find him for different reasons excessively - aft an planetary crime-fighting taskforce cracked unfastened the Encrochat app and took down hundreds of criminals who believed they were utilizing a hidden chat platform.

Oppong's Encrochat messages, obtained by constabulary who infiltrated the platform, suggested helium had discussed getting clasp of 9mm ammunition of the aforesaid benignant utilized to termination Mr Powell and was besides progressive successful dealing cocaine.

The killer, however, disappeared for 2 years. He was yet recovered trying to participate Morocco from Spain connected mendacious papers successful September 2022 aft travelling determination successful the backmost of a lorry.

Morocco's General Directorate for National Security, alert of the Red Notice, recognised him astatine Tangier Port and took him in. He was returned to the UK successful June past twelvemonth to yet look trial.

Shah was recovered successful Spain successful December 2022 and returned to the UK successful March 2023. 

Oppong, of Stratford, eastbound London and Shah, of Brentwood, Essex, denied but were convicted of execution and possession of a limb with intent to endanger life.

Oppong besides denied but was convicted of wounding with intent, successful narration to a pistillate bystander, and possession of a prohibited weapon.

He earlier admitted conspiracy to proviso people A drugs betwixt 13 March 2020 and 12 June 2020.

On Friday, Oppong was sentenced to beingness successful prison, serving a minimum of 38 years. Shah volition service astatine slightest 26 years earlier helium becomes eligible for parole.

Mr Justice Bennathan said Oppong was 'probably the gunman' and described Shah arsenic a 'useful idiot' arsenic helium passed sentence.

Jailing Oppong for beingness with a minimum of 38 years the justice told him: 'You are an extraordinarily unsafe man. You were surviving a affluent manner connected the backmost of other's misery done the proviso of drugs.

'In 2010 a person of yours changeable 2 men dormant and you being contiguous astatine the country lied to support the murderer.'

Jailing Shah for beingness with a minimum of 26 years the justice said: 'You were brought into this program precocious and you whitethorn person played a relation arsenic a utile idiot.'

The 2 killers showed nary hint of emotion arsenic they were led from the dock.

In a connection released by Essex Police connected Friday, Mr Powell's sister said his decease had 'fractured' her family.

She asked: 'To the 2 radical who person been convicted of Robert's death, we inactive person truthful galore unanswered questions - the main 1 being: Why did you bash this? What did you achieve?

'These questions origin america much symptom and marque this full concern worse. Firstly, you fly the country, this meant we were perpetually wondering erstwhile you would beryllium found.

'By going connected the run, it has delayed this process and made me, my household and the friends of Robert unrecorded portion of this nightmare longer than we should have. You some person caused truthful overmuch pain, and ripples of that are inactive being felt today.

'I haven't seen immoderate remorse from either of you passim this (trial). I lone anticipation arsenic you walk the champion years of your beingness successful prison, you travel to realise the implications you person had connected mine, my families and adjacent your ain life.'

Essex Police is inactive investigating the murder, believing others were progressive successful the sidesplitting that person not yet been brought to justice.

But erstwhile it comes to Nana Oppong - the Teflon don - detectives are pleased to person pinned him down connected execution charges that yet stuck.

DS Stephen Jennings, of Essex Police's Serious Crime Directorate, said: 'This execution was antithetic successful its level of sophistication, organisation and brutality.

'It was not a spontaneous enactment of violence, but alternatively a planned and cautiously coordinated execution. 

'While we whitethorn ne'er cognize wherefore the defendants carried retired this murder, it is wide Oppong held a grievance against Robert Powell and was committed to seeing him killed.

'Oppong is simply a committed and high-level criminal, and thought helium could usage his cognition of instrumentality enforcement tactics and encrypted messaging to evade justice.'

'He has refused astatine each crook to judge immoderate work for his actions successful arranging this killing.

'Shah lied astir his beingness astatine the scene, telling the assemblage helium was determination to woody drugs. Thanks to the grounds we gathered, the assemblage saw done this lie.

'These sentences bash not people the extremity of our investigation. We know, and the grounds is clear, others were apt progressive successful Robert's murder, and we volition proceed to enactment to spot them identified and arrested.'

Specialist authoritative Samantha Wooley of the CPS said Oppong had acted arsenic the 'mastermind' successful the lawsuit portion David Cater of the NCA said of his extradition: 'This is 1 of galore examples that amusement determination is obscurity for offenders to hide.'