Semi-pro footballer’s plunge into world of cocaine deals ends in jail term of more than 18 years

A semi-pro footballer from North Kensington is among a group of six to have been jailed for conspiring to supply cocaine with an estimated street value of £208-£260m.

The group were sentenced to over 104 years in total at Isleworth Crown Court on Friday, May 17, having all pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing to conspiracy to supply controlled class A drugs (cocaine) and conspiracy to supply controlled class B drugs (ketamine).

Shaquille Hippolyte-Patrick, 29, of Delgarno Gardens, North Kensington was handed a term of 18 years and nine months. He was an attacking midfielder on the books of Chesham United – a non-league team from Bucks. The others also have a background in semi-pro football.

The five other who made up the drugs gang were: Adam Pepara, 35, of Wharf Lane, Solihull (sentenced to 24 years in jail); Jamarl Joseph, 28, of Lily Gardens, Wembley, (17 years and six months); Andrew Harewood, 34, of Woodhurst Road, North Acton (16 years and one month); Melchi Emanuel-Williamson, 29, of Wesley Avenue, North Acton (14 years); and Luke Skeete, of Evergreen Drive, West Drayton (13 years and one month).

Police Constable Perry, from the Specialist Crime North division, said: “The operation we’ve dismantled here is not some minor undertaking, involving a group of chancers – this is a highly organised criminal group who were supplying drugs on an industrial scale throughout the UK.

“The sentences received reflect the gravity of what they had been doing. This is a criminal group who had otherwise promising careers – semi-pro footballers with other jobs and courses they were undertaking – but they were motivated by making money from drugs that fuel misery and violence on our streets.

“Anyone else wondering if they can make cash from this type of activity should take a look at these sentences and think again, because it’s only a matter of time before you are caught.”

Detective Constable Janes, from Specialist Crime North, said: “With Skeete’s arrest we brought this house of cards down. After he was detained we secured valuable evidence on his mobile phone, helping us launch another investigation that led to us identifying his conspirators.”

Skeete had previously been jailed for 15 years at the same court in July 2023 having pleaded guilty to two counts of possession with intent to supply class A drugs (cocaine), possession with intent to supply class B drugs (ketamine), supplying cocaine, and driving while disqualified.

He had been stopped by police in October 2022 as he drove a small van. When officers searched it they found 8kg of cocaine in the rear of the vehicle. A video recovered from a car involved in a deal showed Skeete parking up in his white van and passing over a holdall of drugs.

Skeete was arrested and a further 123kg of cocaine and 224kg of ketamine was recovered from storage units in west London he had control of.

The group chats exposed a sophisticated, professional business model the group were operating to supply cocaine through the UK.

Detectives spent countless hours examining CCTV which showed the gang coming and going from the storage unit with drugs concealed in holdalls and boxes.

It was found that between April 10, 2022 and October 20, 2022, they had all conspired to supply in excess of 2.7 tonnes of high grade cocaine with an estimated street value of £208,160,000 to £260,200,000.

Pictured top: Shaquille Hippolyte-Patrick (Picture: The Met)