Two men jailed for life for murdering drug dealer

Romanian national Stefan Moraru died from a single stab wound to his heart

Two men who robbed and stabbed to death a drug dealer in north London have been jailed for life with minimum 27-year terms.

Romanian national Stefan Moraru, 44, died from a single stab wound to the heart in Chandos Avenue, Barnet, in March 2023.

Two men, Armand Tafa, 40, and Migen Emilova, 36, both of no fixed address, were found guilty on Wednesday of murder following a one-month trial at the Old Bailey.

At a hearing on Friday, Tafa was also sentenced to 10 years for robbery, which he denied, while Emilova, who had previously pleaded guilty to that charge, was sentenced to seven and a half years - all to run concurrently.

Judge Philip Katz KC said the defendants' appearances in the witness box had been "some of the most shamelessly untruthful performances I have ever seen".

"I have not detected an ounce of remorse from either of you and you were only sorry for yourselves."

'Cruel and unfair death'

Both defendants appeared by video link from separate cells at Belmarsh prison for the sentencing hearing.

The judge said said both defendants had needed to be kept apart and that they "deserved each other."

The court also heard a victim impact statement from the victim's brother, Adrian-Daniel Kaufmann.

He said: "It was a senseless, cruel and unfair death.

"Two men took our little brother from us. Nobody deserves to die like this."

During the trial, prosecutor Hugh Davies KC told the jury there was "no issue" that Mr Moraru was a victim of robbery.

The attack had left banknotes "littering the road" in Barnet, he said.

The defendants believed Mr Moraru had provided them with sub-standard drugs, the court heard.

As a result, the defendants had arranged to ambush and rob him, the court heard.