Two erstwhile winners of Come Dine With Me person been convicted of being successful a drugs pack who attempted to smuggle ample quantities of cannabis.
Nicholas Panayiotou, Eleanar Attard, Constantinos Zavros, Luke Wileman and Koby Haik planned to smuggle 58kg of cannabis into the London from America, but were foiled pursuing a theft astatine a London airport, the Metropolitan Police said.
Panayiotou and Attard appeared connected Channel 4's Come Dine With Me: The Professionals with their Touch of Greek edifice successful Chingford, eastbound London successful July 2022.
Two women reported their suitcases and passports had been stolen aft arriving successful London from Los Angeles in January past year, the unit said. CCTV inquiries led detectives to 2 suspects, a antheral and woman, and a car registered to Attard.
Officers attended Haik's location connected April 5 past twelvemonth to apprehension him, but footage shows him equipped with a shot bat arsenic helium fires 2 shots from an imitation firearm erstwhile they entered the code earlier helium was safely detained.
Former Come Dine With Me winners Nicholas Panayiotou, left, and Eleanar Attard, right, were convicted of being successful a drugs gang
The pair, circled, appeared connected Channel 4 's Come Dine With Me: The Professionals with their Touch of Greek edifice successful Chingford, eastbound London successful July 2022
Panayiotou was sentenced to 4 years and 1 period successful situation portion Attard was sentenced to 8 months successful prison, suspended for 12 months
Panayiotou and Attard had travelled to a edifice successful Chingford and their Touch of Greek edifice aft the theft was carried out.
When officers examined Panayiotou's phone, they recovered grounds connected a WhatsApp radical chat that the theft was portion of a wider conspiracy to import and bargain a ample magnitude of cannabis, the Met said.
The chat contained details of a program to smuggle the cannabis into the UK, and a crippled to bargain the cannabis from the 2 women recruited to import it by posing arsenic customs officers.
Three videos taken the time aft the theft astatine the edifice were besides recovered connected the telephone which showed ample quantities of cannabis.
Three different radical were identified successful the WhatsApp radical - Zavros, who was connected to the drugs suppliers successful the US, Haik and Wileman, who advised the pack connected however to merchantability the drugs, the unit said.
Zavros and Wileman were arrested aft recognition past April and past July respectively.
Koby Haik, pictured, was sentenced to 7 years successful prison, the unit said
Constantinos Zavros, pictured, was connected to the drugs suppliers successful the US
This is the infinitesimal officers attended Haik's location connected April 5 past twelvemonth to apprehension him
Footage shows Haik equipped with a shot bat arsenic helium fires 2 shots from an imitation firearm
Zavros, 34, of Carlton Avenue, Southgate, was convicted of conspiracy to import cannabis, conspiracy to proviso cannabis and conspiracy to steal.
Haik, 31, of Ashfield Road, Southgate, was convicted of conspiracy to import cannabis, conspiracy to proviso cannabis, conspiracy to bargain and possession of an imitation firearm with intent to origin fearfulness of violence.
Wileman, 32, of Faygate Lane, Horsham, and Panayiotou, 43, of Sawells, Broxbourne, were some convicted of conspiracy to proviso cannabis and conspiracy to steal.
Zavros was sentenced to six years and 11 months successful prison, Haik was sentenced to 7 years successful situation and Panayiotou was sentenced to 4 years and 1 period successful situation astatine Isleworth Crown Court connected Friday, the unit said.
Attard, 45, of Sawells, Broxbourne, was charged with theft of suitcases and passports and was sentenced to 8 months successful prison, suspended for 12 months, ordered to transportation retired a 10-day Rehabilitation Activity Requirement and implicit 100 hours of unpaid enactment astatine Isleworth Crown Court connected March 15.
Haik was convicted of possession of an imitation firearm with intent to origin fearfulness of violence, arsenic shown successful the video
Panayiotou, pictured connected Come Dine With Me, was convicted of conspiracy to proviso cannabis and conspiracy to steal
Wileman is owed to beryllium sentenced astatine the aforesaid tribunal connected May 9.
Met Detective Chief Inspector Inderjit Kaur said: 'This probe highlights immoderate fantastic detective enactment by Met Police officers to place and uncover a unsafe radical progressive successful drugs importation and supply, which we cognize tin person a unspeakable effect connected section communities.
'We besides saw unthinkable bravery and professionalism from TSG officers who were changeable astatine arsenic they arrested 1 of the suspects.
'Thankfully, lone blanks were fired, but acknowledgment to this investigation, a unsafe limb is disconnected the streets and a radical of unsafe criminals are present down bars.'
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