A former Love Island star has been jailed for 14 years after assisting with a major international drug smuggling operation.
Magdalena Sadlo appeared on the Polish version of ITV’s dating show in 2021.
The contestant was nicknamed Barbie, living in London at the time and describing herself to viewers as a ‘spontaneous, self-confident blonde who you can count on’.
Last July, she appeared at the Carlisle crown court, pleading guilty to conspiring to supply class A drug cocaine between March 2022 and May 2023.
The operation was known as one of the UK’s largest ever drug busts, with 30-year-old Sadlo originally detained by police last February after jetting into Heathrow from Dubai as part of an investigation codenamed Operation Matrix.
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At the time, she was flying first class with Emirates, sporting several flashy accessories purchased with profits from her crimes, including a £130,000 rose gold Patek Phillipe watch, a £30,000 Rolex, and Cartier jewellery.
Sadlo had been brought in as the ring’s financial director, aiding with the transportation of hundreds of kilos of cocaine across the world and documenting transactions worth millions via spreadsheets.
Additionally, she managed encrypted communications with senior cartel members and kept track of stock levels and expenses, as WhatsApp chats exposed.
She was working in hospitality in the Middle East, all while an ‘eye-opening’ amount of drugs made their way to UK streets.
As well as cocaine, she helped to organise shipments of ketamine and cannabis to Holland and then to Britain.
Explaining how significant her role was in the enterprise, prosecutor Tim Evans said the cartel could not have operated so effectively without her ‘efficiency’.
He said: ‘She not only manages the profits, costs, and expenses but also manages the stock levels.
‘She updates who has taken what, at what cost, from what batch, and the profit margins involved.
‘She is very much part of the inner circle… and is operating and seated at the very highest of tables.’
He added: ‘She clearly knew the scale and seriousness of the trade she was engaging in.
‘No organised crime group working at this level could operate or function without Magdalena Sadlo, or an equivalent, performing this role.’
Sadlo was also said to have been ‘enthusiastic’ and ‘relentless’ in her accounting, chastising other members when they did not meet her standards.
In contrast, her defence barrister, Peter Corrigan, argued that Sadlo played a lesser role than had been portrayed.
Sadlo also penned a letter expressing remorse for her actions, saying she had fallen on hard times.
The court heard positive character references from her family and friends.
Meanwhile, when over in the UK, Sadlo operated as a drug courier and collected cocaine when it was imported in Essex.
In total, it is thought to have been a £53million ‘Amazon-style drug dealing’ operation.
A further 12 men have been sentenced for their roles, with their stretches behind bars totalling more than 100 years.
Judge Nicholas Barker likened the activity to ‘unrolling a ball of wool around the world’.
Furthermore, Detective Superintendent Zoe Russo, of the North West Regional Organised Crime Unit (NWROCU), said: ‘Operation Matrix has resulted in the conviction of 13 individuals and prison sentences totalling over 140 years.
‘These convictions strike a significant blow to the supply of drugs across the Northwest and the UK as we continue to remove top-end controllers of international drug supply.
‘Magdalena Sadlo’s arrest and conviction highlight the reach and complexity of this operation. She played a key role in managing international drug supply and laundering criminal profits and will now face the consequences of her actions behind bars.
‘We hope this investigation sends a clear message that whatever your role is in drug trafficking, we will find you, investigate you, and bring you to justice.
‘We are committed to ridding the streets of drugs, robustly dealing with high-harm offenders to reduce crime and restore trust and confidence in communities across the Northwest.’
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