Brazilian crime queen, 35, who ran £2.4m drugs network of moped riders disguised as DHL workers faces jail after being busted with UK's biggest ever haul of chemsex narcotics
A Brazilian kingpin and her gang are facing jail today after they were caught with the largest ever haul of chemsex drugs seized in the UK.
Suellen Miguez, 35, and her associates fuelled the underground chemsex trade through an elaborate network of moped riders and WhatsApp groups.
Miguez was convicted alongside Isabella Braga Da Silva, 22, and her boyfriend Bernardo Salles, 27, who dubbed themselves a 'modern Bonnie and Clyde.'
The high-living dealers blew tens of thousands of pounds on designer goods, with more than £50,000 spent at shops including Prada, Louis Vuitton and Harrods.
They also rented out properties through Airbnb to store drugs for a few days at a time to avoid detection.
Customers were offered a 'menu of narcotics' to chose from, including cocaine, ecstasy and the chemsex drug GBL, with riders disguised as DHL deliverers dropping them off within 10 minutes of an order being made.
Police smashed the operation when they stopped one of the moped delivery men for a routine driving matter.
Suellen Miguez, 35, was arrested and found with 53 individually wrapped bags of heroin in her handbag
Drugs gang convicted of series of offences
Suellen Miguez, of Upper Norwood, Libardi Da Silva, of Bristol, and Braga Da Silva, of Brixton, denied but were convicted of five counts of conspiracy to supply a controlled drug of Class A, six counts of conspiracy to supply a controlled drug of Class B, and three counts of conspiracy to supply a controlled drug of Class C.
Salles, of Docklands, east London, admitted seven counts of conspiracy to supply a controlled drug of Class B, and two counts of conspiracy to supply a controlled drug of Class C.
Miguez further denied and was convicted of one count of removing criminal property and one count of acquiring criminal property.
Libardi Da Silva and Salles each denied and were convicted of one count of acquiring criminal property.
Andre Alvez, of Streatham, south London and Thanaira, of no fixed address, both denied and were cleared of five counts of conspiracy to supply class A drugs, six counts of conspiracy to supply class B drugs and three counts of conspiracy to supply class C Drugs.
Andre was further cleared of three counts of money laundering.
The jury had failed to reach verdicts against two other alleged members of the ring - Andre Alves, 22, and sister Thainara Alves, 25.
But the Alves siblings were today cleared of a series of drug supply charges after a retrial at Inner London Crown Court.
Met officers later seized drugs worth more than £3m, recovered mobiles used to run a dedicated 'drugs line' and evidence of at least £2.4m in transactions.
Last year a jury at Inner London Crown Court convicted Miguez and three others, including Isabella Braga Da Silva, 22, of a total of 14 drug offences and seven money laundering charges.
Braga Da Silva, and her boyfriend Bernardo Salles, 27, described themselves as a 'great duo' in WhatsApp messages and made references to the Columbian drug lord Pablo Escobar.
When Miguez was arrested at on 30 July, 2018 police found 53 individually wrapped bags of heroin in her handbag.
Detectives seized drugs including MDMA, methamphetamines, LSD, cocaine, ketamine, GBL and cannabis from self storage lockers in King's Cross, Hoxton, Southwark and Battersea.
They also recovered fake identity documents and £40,000 cash at a Novotel hotel room in Docklands.
Peter Finnigan, QC, prosecuting, said a 10-page staff manual was seized, including a code of conduct with performance-based pay incentives. The handbook said it was crucial that each delivery takes 'only 10 minutes'.
The manual added: 'The aim of the company is to be number one. We count on your professionalism to achieve that and always grow in income, and that way increase your salary and bonuses.'
Judge Nigel Seed, QC, will sentence Miguez, Braga Da Silva, Salles and Carlos Libardi Da Silva, 35, on a date to be fixed.
Earlier Mr Finnigan told jurors: 'It was nothing less than a high-tech drugs delivery service operating here in London. Customers would place their orders on a dedicated drugs line number.
'Once the order had been placed, they could expect rapid delivery by a moped or motorbike courier who would exchange a seemingly innocent package, often disguised as a DHL or TNT delivery.'
Jurors heard the dealers all had different roles, with Miguez leading while others organised drivers or hired places to store and package the drugs.
Mr Finnigan said a key part of the operation was the use of Airbnb and self-storage facilities across the capital where the drugs would be stored and packaged.
He said: 'The trail of money in this case firmly supports the fact that Souellen Miguez was at the top of this conspiracy.
'As you might expect for someone who had a leading role in the conspiracy, she was receiving more money than her co-defendants.'
Isabella Braga Da Silva and her boyfriend Bernardo Salles, 27, who dubbed themselves a 'modern Bonnie and Clyde'
Da Silva worked in an office matching couriers to customers across London and cell site data placed her with other members of the group.
Mr Finnigan said she became involved through Salles and they saw themselves as a 'modern Bonnie and Clyde'.
He added: 'Miss Braga Da Silva sends him a message saying: 'I'll be a great wife, mother, girlfriend, secretary lol'.
'There is then a reference to being paid £3,000, Salles states 'I'm not the boss yet' before Miss Braga Da Silva responds with 'Pablo scobarrr' thought to be a reference to Pablo Escobar.'
Carlos Libardi Da Silva, described as 'a trusted lieutenant' to Miguez, helped launder the money and organised the couriers along with Salles.
'The key to their success was the use of technology allied to careful planning and attention to detail.
'Police investigating their activities had a lucky break when one of their moped delivery men was stopped for a routine driving matter.
'Drugs were discovered but also, more importantly, his phone was seized. Police discovered a number of WhatsApp groups which were concerned with the manner in which the drugs were distributed and accounted for.'
Delivery drivers were also told to be polite and 'conduct yourself with adequate posture'.
The manual also claimed the drug ring had the 'help of ex-police officers and a solicitor who informs us and helps us to build security structures that work'.
A sentencing date is yet to be fixed.