{"id":676,"date":"2025-06-14T14:45:29","date_gmt":"2025-06-14T14:45:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.satecsite.org\/?p=676"},"modified":"2025-06-16T10:16:10","modified_gmt":"2025-06-16T10:16:10","slug":"love-island-star-jailed-for-14-years-after-role-in-huge-drug-smuggling-ring-exposed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.satecsite.org\/index.php\/2025\/06\/14\/love-island-star-jailed-for-14-years-after-role-in-huge-drug-smuggling-ring-exposed\/","title":{"rendered":"Love Island star jailed for 14 years after role in huge drug smuggling ring exposed"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Magdalena Sadlo has been jailed for 14 years after pleading guilty to drug smuggling (Picture: Polsat; Merseyside Police)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A former Love Island<\/a> star has been jailed for 14 years after assisting with a major international drug smuggling operation<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Magdalena Sadlo appeared on the Polish version of ITV<\/a>’s dating show in 2021.<\/p>\n

The contestant was nicknamed Barbie, living in London<\/a> at the time and describing herself to viewers as a \u2018spontaneous, self-confident blonde who you can count on\u2019.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

The operation was known as one of the UK\u2019s largest ever drug busts, with 30-year-old Sadlo originally detained by police last February after jetting into Heathrow<\/a> from Dubai <\/a>as part of an investigation codenamed Operation Matrix.<\/p>\n

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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 \u00a3130,000 rose gold Patek Phillipe watch, a \u00a330,000 Rolex, and Cartier jewellery.<\/p>\n

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She took part in Poland’s version of Love Island in 2021 (Picture: LinkedIn)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Additionally, she managed encrypted communications with senior cartel members and kept track of stock levels and expenses, as WhatsApp chats exposed.<\/p>\n

She was working in hospitality in the Middle East, all while an ‘eye-opening’ amount of drugs made their way to UK streets.<\/p>\n

As well as cocaine, she helped to organise shipments of ketamine and cannabis to Holland and then to Britain. <\/p>\n

Explaining how significant her role was in the enterprise, prosecutor Tim Evans said the cartel could not have operated so effectively without her ‘efficiency’.<\/p>\n

He said: ‘She not only manages the profits, costs, and expenses but also manages the stock levels.<\/p>\n

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The 30-year-old (far left) previously described herself as ‘spontaneous’ and ‘self-confident’ (Picture: Polsat)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Sadlo joins 12 other men involved in the drug ring serving prison sentences (Picture: Instagram)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

‘She updates who has taken what, at what cost, from what batch, and the profit margins involved. <\/p>\n

‘She is very much part of the inner circle\u2026 and is operating and seated at the very highest of tables.’<\/p>\n

He added: ‘She clearly knew the scale and seriousness of the trade she was engaging in.<\/p>\n

‘No organised crime group working at this level could operate or function without Magdalena Sadlo, or an equivalent, performing this role.’<\/p>\n

Sadlo was also said to have been ‘enthusiastic’ and ‘relentless’ in her accounting, chastising other members when they did not meet her standards.<\/p>\n

In contrast, her defence barrister, Peter Corrigan, argued that Sadlo played a lesser role than had been portrayed.<\/p>\n

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Sadlo played a key role in the \u00a353million drug ring (Picture: Polsat)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Sadlo also penned a letter expressing remorse for her actions, saying she had fallen on hard times.<\/p>\n

The court heard positive character references from her family and friends.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, when over in the UK, Sadlo operated as a drug courier and collected cocaine when it was imported in Essex.<\/p>\n

In total, it is thought to have been a \u00a353million ‘Amazon-style drug dealing’ operation.<\/p>\n

A further 12 men have been sentenced for their roles, with their stretches behind bars totalling more than 100 years.<\/p>\n

Judge Nicholas Barker likened the activity to ‘unrolling a ball of wool around the world’.<\/p>\n

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The criminal enterprise was compared to Amazon due to operating at such a high level (Picture: Merseyside Police)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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. <\/p>\n

‘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.<\/p>\n

‘Magdalena Sadlo\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

‘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. <\/p>\n

‘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.’<\/p>\n

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If you\u2019ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk<\/a> entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff<\/a> page – we\u2019d love to hear from you.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Magdalena Sadlo has been jailed for 14 years after pleading guilty to drug smuggling (Picture: Polsat; Merseyside Police) 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....<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":678,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[9],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.satecsite.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/676"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.satecsite.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.satecsite.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.satecsite.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.satecsite.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=676"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/www.satecsite.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/676\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":685,"href":"http:\/\/www.satecsite.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/676\/revisions\/685"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.satecsite.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/678"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.satecsite.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=676"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.satecsite.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=676"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.satecsite.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=676"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}