A former football prodigy from Liverpool has been sentenced to over 13 years in prison for taking part in a multi-million pound drug trade. Jamie Cassidy, aged 46, was lured into the business by his brother Jonathan Cassidy, who joked about sharing the same birthday with infamous drug lord Joaquín Guzmán, also known as El Chapo. Nasar Ahmed, aged 51, also played a leading role alongside Jonathan Cassidy in the international drug supply and money-laundering operation, according to Manchester Crown Court.
All three individuals were jailed for their involvement in a cocaine supply conspiracy, responsible for the trafficking of 356kg of the drug, equating to a value of £26m. Jamie Cassidy was imprisoned for 13 years and three months, while his brother and Ahmed both received greater sentences of 21 years and nine months each. All three were initially taken into custody following arrest in 2020. Jonathan Cassidy and Ahmed had previously confessed to imports of drugs during March and April of the same year.
Within the trial, Judge Nicholas Dean confirmed that “it would not be accurate to say you were an organised group. You operated independently of each other but cooperatively to your own benefit.” Historically, Cassidy played football for Liverpool FC with football stars Michael Owen and Jamie Carragher, who won the FA Youth Cup in 1996, beating a West Ham United squad which included Rio Ferdinand and Frank Lampard.
Cassidy’s defence argued that their client was an “exceptional talent and promise” in football. At the age of 15, Cassidy was top scorer in the under-16s England team, then subsequently broke into Liverpool’s first team; however, his blossoming career was cut short due to severe injuries. Despite this, within the drug trade, Jamie Cassidy had a significant managerial role, taking instructions from those above him, and distributing drugs to a wide range of dealers.
Ahmed primarily facilitated the transfer of money, allowing drugs to be purchased and sold on. Jonathan Cassidy, however, played a more significant leading position in the group, using a property development network for importing the drugs and supplying users in northwest England, Birmingham, and Leeds. With the group employing encrypted mobile phones, the business remained secretive. In 2020, however, data was shared with National Crime Agency sources by French law enforcement, leading to the arrests and charges of Jonathan Cassidy, Ahmed and Jamie Cassidy
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