Aram Sheibani: International drugs boss with luxury lifestyle jailed

Aram Sheibani was sentenced to 37 years

A man who was the "very head" of a large-scale international drugs conspiracy with links to Colombia has been jailed.

Iranian refugee Aram Sheibani, of Trafford, Greater Manchester used money from fraud and drugs to fund lavish yacht parties and luxury cars, Manchester Crown Court heard

Sheibani, 40, built a £5m ($7m) property empire masquerading as a legitimate businessman.

He was sentenced to 37 years.

Banksy and Warhol

Between 1999 and 2010, Sheibani only declared his income on five occasions when he attempted to explain his amassed wealth with forged documents, the court heard.

When police raided his luxury apartment in Delamer Road, Bowdon, Altrincham, in April 2019, officers found a safe containing £167,000 in cash.

A total of £1.2m in cash was seized from searches at various properties belonging to the defendant, as well as cryptocurrency valued at £1.3m and original artwork from Banksy and Andy Warhol gained through illegitimate means.

Cash-counting machines - commonly used in drugs production - and cocaine, ketamine and ecstasy were also seized, Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said.

The court heard Sheibani enjoyed lavish yacht parties and had luxury cars, including two Bentleys, a gull wing Mercedes and a Porsche.

He also paid $45,000 (£31,781) for a hair transplant in Los Angeles in 2013.

'No boundaries'

In December 2013, he had visited Colombia where he "mixed business with pleasure" as he soaked up the lifestyle of an international drugs supplier, the court heard.

Sentencing, Judge Anthony Cross QC told him: "Your greed knows no boundaries."

He said he was at the "very head" of a large-scale drugs conspiracy and close to the source of production in Colombia and the international drugs trade, which includes the supply of drugs in Europe, Belgium, the Netherlands, Spain and throughout the UK.

"You were not just a supplier but a processor of drugs."

Sheibani, who had pleaded not guilty, was convicted after a 10-week trial of numerous offences including conspiracy to supply cocaine, fraud, money laundering, forgery and perverting the course of justice.

Det Sgt Lucy Pearson of GMP said Sheibani was a "calculated, deceitful and scheming criminal who believes he is above the law".

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