Khan Gorgulu was identified using this selfie he sent to Giovanni Spada
By Jonny Humphries
BBC News
The head of a drug trafficking ring was identified after sending a selfie at the dentist to his partner in crime.
The image was sent by Khan Gorgulu to Giovanni Spada and later used by police to prove his involvement in supplying cocaine and cannabis to Alderley Edge.
Gorgulu, 23, from Wilmslow, was jailed for six-and-a-half years after a jury at Chester Crown Court found him guilty of drug supply offences.
Spada, 37, was jailed for six years in October after admitting his guilt.
The two men were brought down by a Cheshire Police investigation into the supply of drugs in the upmarket area, popular with top-flight footballers, between January 2021 and February 2022.
The pair sourced bulk quantities of the Class A and B drugs from across the UK, including Rochdale, Essex and Wales, before selling them on locally.
Cheshire Police said Spada was shown to accept payments for drugs into his bank account and over a two-year period, evidence showed he received more than £47,000.
Image source, Cheshire Police
Khan Gorgulu (left) and Giovanni Spada were identified as the heads of an organised crime group
Gorgulu, of Wingfield Avenue, Wilmslow, also received payments of more than £33,000 over two years, while also gambling large sums of money and investing in stockbrokers and crypto-currency.
The investigation began after Spada was arrested on 29 January 2021, for an unrelated matter.
A search of his address in Shaw Drive, Knutsford, revealed quantities of cash, cannabis, and cocaine, as well as scales and snap bags.
The investigation also uncovered mobile phones used to send mass “flare” texts advertising drugs.
‘Crime doesn’t pay’
Gorgulu had used an alias to keep his identity private, however among messages related to drug-dealing, police found a picture of him at the dentist which he had sent to Spada, enabling him to be identified.
After further investigation, Gorgulu was arrested on 15 May 2021.
PC Sam Needham described the sentences as a “great result”.
He said: “Our investigation placed both Spada and Gorgulu at the head of the organised crime group, pocketing large amounts of money from their criminal activities.
“However, this case makes it clear that crime does not pay – both were brought to court to be held accountable for their actions and, despite Gorgulu’s efforts to deny his involvement, both are now behind bars.”
Gorgulu was found guilty of conspiracies to supply cocaine and cannabis and jailed on Wednesday. Spada pleaded guilty to the same offences and was sentenced on 26 October 2023.
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