Nine and a half years in prison have been inflicted upon a British drug dealer from east London, who compared himself to the infamous Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar.

Nine and a half years in prison have been handed down to an east London heroin dealer who compared himself to infamous Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar.

Following a focused police operation, Shahen Ahmed, 34, of Tower Hamlets, was found guilty at Snaresbrook Crown Court of his role in the distribution of Class A drugs.

Ahmed was apprehended as a component of Operation Yamata, a law enforcement campaign aimed at disrupting cocaine distribution networks around London.

Ahmed was discovered to be operating three drug lines under the alias "Killah" between December 2021 and June 2022, distributing crack cocaine and heroin throughout the Tower Hamlets region.

In June 2022, after conducting an investigation, Metropolitan Police officers carried out a warrant execution at Ahmed's Stevedore Street address. They found a significant amount of drugs and more than £60,000 in cash, which Ahmed had hidden. He was promptly arrested, charged, and held in custody.

Further investigation revealed that Ahmed had been concealing over £600,000 of illicit cash through his business accounts. Detectives from the Met’s Economic Crime Unit are now working to seize these assets under the Proceeds of Crime Act.

During the court proceedings, it was revealed that Ahmed styled himself as a kingpin, boasting about his control over the streets of east London.

In a video recovered from his devices, Ahmed compared himself to Pablo Escobar, proudly claiming that he “ran the streets” much like the Colombian cartel leader, who dominated the global cocaine market in the 1980s.

Detective inspector Sam Bennett, who led the operation, expressed concern over Ahmed’s casual attitude towards his criminal activities.

“My team seized a number of devices from Ahmed. On examination my officers found a video of Ahmed proudly bragging to an unknown passenger about his criminal activity, referring to himself as ‘Pablo’ and running the streets,” he said.

“Drugs are inextricably linked to violence and misery on our streets. They blight communities and ruin lives. To see Ahmed talk so casually and proudly about his involvement is a concern but it also motivates us and makes us even more determined to bring people like him to justice.

"A big jail sentence is something Ahmed now shares with his well-known idol, thanks to my officers' hard work and diligence." The proceeds of crime act is being used by detectives from the Met's Economic Crime Unit to retrieve the money.