Ex-Crystal Palace footballer Michael Boateng jailed for massive drug bust

A former professional footballer whose career was derailed by a match-fixing scandal has been sentenced to 14 years in prison in what authorities are calling one of the most significant crystal meth seizures in UK history.

Michael Kwame Adusei Boateng, a 34-year-old former defender for Crystal Palace, was sentenced at Croydon Crown Court after admitting to his role in a major drug trafficking operation.

Boateng’s arrest on Valentine’s Day 2024 with 19.7kg of crystal meth marked a dramatic and tragic turn for a man who had previously found redemption as a personal trainer to elite athletes, including England football star Jadon Sancho.

The seized drugs were valued by prosecutors to be worth between £1.18 million and £2.36 million.

“He was wearing a blue prison ‘Mental Health Ambassador’ t-shirt and grey tracksuit bottoms,” a reporter noted, detailing the court scene. “Boateng was sentenced to 14 years in prison in the presence of his girlfriend and the mother to his now 18-month-old son.”

The court was told that the offense was committed while Boateng was out on bail for earlier drug charges. In a hearing in September 2024, Boateng had admitted that he intended to supply not only the crystal meth but also cocaine and MDMA.

This is not the first time the former athlete has faced legal trouble.

In 2014, Boateng was at the center of a match-fixing scandal. For his part in a bribery plot, he served a 16-month prison sentence and received a lifetime ban from professional football.

A report filed by the Daily Mail described his recent arrest as “thought to be one of the biggest ever crystal meth busts on UK soil.”

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