Post exclusive: Former Crystal Palace defender arrested for 19.7 kg of methamphetamine worth £2.36 million

Hupu, August 11, The Daily Mail exclusively reported that former Crystal Palace defender Michael Botten was sentenced to 14 years in prison for playing an "important role" in an organized crime group. Police seized £2.36 million worth of methamphetamine at his residence.

Boten was arrested last Valentine's Day when police found a Slesinger sports bag in a Croydon apartment shared with his girlfriend and then-two-month-old son, containing 19.7 kg of Class A drug methamphetamine, one of the largest methamphetamine drug seizures ever in the UK.

Boten, 34, was a successful personal coach with clients including Manchester United striker Sancho, who pleaded guilty in September to supply methamphetamine, cocaine and ecstasy (MDMA) at the Croydon Criminal Court. The Croydon Criminal Court heard Botten’s case on June 20, who “performed well” as a personal trainer and personal bodyguard between 2018 and 2023. But in 2022, the Metropolitan Police Department issued an "Ottoman warning" to Boten that his life was immediately threatened.

Defense attorney Paul Cranping told the court: "He was told there was a real life threat. The partner at the time basically refused to let him contact the family. They completely cut him off his connection with his son. This put Botten through a period of stress and depression, and one of the results was that he started taking drugs. He started using A-grade drugs...and then got involved in a small-scale drug supply, basically sold to people he knew...at the time was mainly to fund his own A-grade drug habits."

This is not the first time Botten was arrested for drugs. Botten was intercepted by the police in the Bromley area in south London for suspected behavior. After he ran into Crown Puford Lane, a police dog team found a plastic bag behind the garden wall with 19 bags of cocaine. He was arrested with two iPhones and £102 in cash.

Prosecutor John Carmichael told the court that 14 packs of cocaine, 32 ecstasy and a 22-gram ecstasy were also found during a search of the apartment in Croyden Boten. The court heard that the total street value of cocaine and ecstasy was between £3,000 and £4,180. Police also found 26 bags of ketamine, with street values ranging from £260 to £520, and £1,570 in cash.

Boten remained silent during the interrogation and later pleaded guilty, pleading guilty to intent on supplying cocaine and ecstasy and possessing ketamine. He was granted bail on condition that he complies with the curfew and reports to the police station regularly.

But on February 14, 2024, police raided Botten's new residence in Croydon, where he lived with his new girlfriend and his then two-month-old son, who was born on Christmas 2023. Police found a Slesinger sports bag containing 19.7 kg of methamphetamine in the residence hall. Surveillance video shows Botten arrived at the residence seven days ago and dropped the bag outside the door in the same location. The court heard that the wholesale value of the methamphetamine was between 200,000 and 400,000 pounds, but the street value was between 1.182,000 and 2.364 million pounds. "He is clearly trusted by the organization and has a large amount of drugs in custody," said Prosecutor Carmichael. Judge Daniel Fraheff told the court that Boten played a "significant role" in organized crime groups and that his position in the drug trafficking network was "unnegotiable". He had a certain understanding and understanding of the entire operation, which clearly classified him into an important role in the gang. "The judge said in the summary of the verdict: "You have played an important role in the drug cartel, which is by no means insignificant. The number of drugs involved is close to 20 kilograms and the street value may reach millions of pounds. You were sentenced to 14 years in prison because you had such a large amount of drugs during this time and the crime occurred during your previous case. ”

Boten played for Crystal Palace as a teenager (2005-2007), when the team participated in the Championship. He then played for Bristol Wanderers, and then went to Bromley, Sutton United, Newport County and non-league team Whitehawk. In December 2013, Boten was fired by Whitehawk for suspected manipulation of the game. He was sentenced to 16 months in prison in June 2014 and was suspended for life in January of the following year. He was again jailed for drug trafficking in June 2015.