For nearly a decade, Aram Sheibani lived a life of luxury. He jetted around the world, stayed in luxury hotels and drove top-of-the-range cars – including a £250,000 white Bentley. He’s said to have bought the flash motor with cash. Sheibani, now 43, was a fan of cosmetic surgery. He had veneers, hair transplants and a nose job. He also had a £5m property empire, including a £675,000 luxury apartment inside a converted church in leafy, Bowdon, Trafford, and an exclusive £1.74m apartment in Kensington, London, where he had original artwork by Banksy and Andy Warhol. He visited Hollywood and posed with bikini-clad women on a yacht. An image of Sheibani in shades showing off his bright white fake teeth emerged at his trial. Born in Iran, his family settled in Manchester in the mid-1980s. Later in life, Sheibani would masquerade as a legitimate businessman. His playboy lifestyle was in fact funded by fraud and drugs. His world came crashing down when in 2019 police raided a number of properties connected to him and he was arrested. READ MORE: Drugs boss who hid his crime empire behind luxury playboy lifestyle makes desperate bid for jail release READ MORE: A ‘Saudi prince’, parties with ‘footballers’, model girlfriends and a very expensive hair transplant – the hedonistic life of luxury of an international cocaine boss During a trial lasting over two months, Sheibani maintained his riches came from legitimate sources. Jurors didn’t believe him. It took them just five hours to convict him of 20 charges – including money laundering; and conspiracy to supply cocaine. In June 2021, he was sentenced to 37 years in prison. This week a panel of three judges at the Court of Appeal dismissed renewed appeals against both his conviction and sentence. Sheibani will serve half of his sentence in custody, meaning he will not be released at the earliest until he in his in his 50s. Passing sentence following his trial, Judge Anthony Cross KC told Sheibani: “I am satisfied that you are at the very head of a large-scale, international drugs conspiracy.” The judge said the evidence showed he was ‘close to the very source of production in Colombia’ where he made numerous visits. Prosecutors said those were research trips. Sheibani bought items connected with the production of cocaine, including two 30 tonne industrial presses, plastic vacuum packing bags and acetone. A video of a similar industrial press being used in a cocaine production lab was discovered on a phone police found at his Bowdon apartment. Jurors were told Sheibani spent a number of years purchasing, re-mortgaging and selling properties in the UK and Spain. That was described as an ‘attempt to complicate and frustrate law enforcement and other agencies from fully understanding the basis of this wealth’. He was said to have lied about what his income was and where it came from; and forged documents, including bank statements and a P60, to support his false declared earnings. Sheibani evaded tax, failing to declare more than £3m in income to HMRC. When officers arrived at his property, he ‘attempted to delay efforts by police to secure access to his apartment by refusing to answer the door as he attempted to destroy evidence’. They eventually forced their way in through a communal door. As Sheibani was escorted away, he shouted to his girlfriend: “Don’t tell them anything, go ‘no comment’.” A safe was recovered, which contained over £160,000 in cash; a number of safety deposit keys; cryptocurrency recovery codes; and cocaine. Searches of Sheibani’s other properties and the safety deposit boxes also uncovered cash counting machines; various quantities of foreign currencies; an encrypted iron key USB – designed to be completely tamperproof; a number of electronic devices; a substantial amount of class A and B drugs – including cocaine, ketamine and ecstasy; and artwork which police said were ‘obtained through illegitimate means’. In total, over £1m in cash and cryptocurrency worth £1.3m were seized. Sheibani was asked in his police interview for the PINs and passwords for the recovered encrypted electronic devices and iron key USB, but refused. Even when served with a court order requiring him to disclose the information, he held firm. Sheibani, then Delemar Road, Bowdon, was convicted of five counts of obtaining a money transfer by deception; three offences of possession of criminal property; two offences of failing to comply with a notice; two offences of converting criminal property; two offences of fraud; forgery; using false instruments; conspiracy to supply controlled drugs; possession of a controlled drug of class A and perverting the course of justice. The judge said it was ‘impossible’ to determine the exact involvement of Sheibani’s involvement in drug dealing, but he was satisfied he was involved at a high level internationally. “I don’t believe that the police have been able to uncover all your dealings, the evidence is plainly to the contrary,” Judge Cross added. Sheibani was sentenced to 34 years for the charges, plus three years to be served consecutively after failing to provide the password to his devices. ‘A calculated, deceitful and scheming criminal who believes he is above the law’ Following his sentence, Sergeant Lucy Pearson from GMP’s Economic Crime Unit, said: “Sheibani is a calculated, deceitful and scheming criminal who believes he is above the law. “His greed shows no limits and he has been funding his materialistic lifestyle of luxury with fraud and criminality, masquerading as a legitimate businessman to conceal his ill-gotten gains. “He is a dishonest individual who has not shown any remorse for his actions throughout this entire investigation, refusing to co-operate with police and attempting to destroy evidence. “The extent of Sheibani’s criminality should not be underestimated, not only is he involved in tax evasion and money laundering which has a detrimental effect on the economy and society, resulting in honest taxpayers feeling that burden, but the source of his tainted income is as a result of a class A drugs conspiracy. “This has been a complex investigation which has included a number of international enquiries and I would like to thank the dedicated team of GMP detectives and financial investigators who have working alongside CPS to gather all the evidence which has allowed us to expose Sheibani’s fraudulent lifestyle and the criminal activity he had tried so hard to conceal, and ensure he faces justice. “May today’s sentencing serve as a warning to anyone thinking they can get away with such fraudulent and criminal activity, we will find you, and ensure that you face the full consequences of your actions.” At the Court of Appeal on Wednesday, Sheibani’s barrister dubbed evidence of drug dealing ‘circumstantial’ as he argued the conviction was unsafe. He said there was ‘no evidential basis’ for Sheibani receiving the lengthy sentence. Simon Csoka KC said it ‘was not a case where there was an identified conspiracy’, but that the prosecution’s case consisted of ‘circumstantial evidence’ which ‘could have been concluded to be consistent with drug dealing’. In relation to Sheibani’s sentence, Mr Csoka said it ‘wasn’t a case where the prosecution identified a quantity of the drugs’, which was ‘accepted by the judge in his sentencing remarks’. He said it was the ‘top quarter’ of cases that attracted sentences of more than 30 years and claimed there was ‘no evidential basis’ for the judge to conclude that the conspiracy was ‘of the very highest level’. Mr Csoka said it was a ‘wholly exceptional case which has produced a sentence which is completely out of scope with other cases’. Lady Justice Macur said: “This wasn’t an ordinary drugs conspiracy case. There was evidence that this applicant had over a very long period of time concerned himself in such a high level of expenditure that it suggested, and I am paraphrasing, the extent and scope of the conspiracy. “There was evidence of eye-watering wealth that this applicant could not explain beyond the mortgage frauds, and so was the judge wrong to say that this money, on that evidence, emanated to a significant degree from drug dealing?” Both appeals were thrown out by a panel of three judges. Lady Justice Macur said the full reasons for their decision would be published in writing in due course.
The life and crimes of Aram Sheibani – the playboy drugs boss desperate to get out of prison
