Ex-Atletico Youth Star Jailed for £3 Million Drug Empire
Jason Pusey, once a promising footballer at Atletico Madrid’s youth academy, has been locked up for masterminding a major drug ring in south London. The gang pumped out cocaine, ketamine, and cannabis worth a staggering £3 million on the streets.
Encrypted Chats Crack the Case
Originally from Gibraltar, Pusey ran his operation using EncroChat, an encrypted messaging service. Cops zeroed in on his handle “IrregularFog” following an investigation launched in June 2020. Evidence from March to June 2020 showed the 34-year-old was the sole user of the secret phone, coordinating wholesale drug supply with details matching his own movements and family info.
South London Gangs Targeted
Intercepted messages revealed Pusey’s clean image was a front. While keeping up appearances as a family man and ex-footballer, he was shipping huge loads of Class A drugs into the UK, supplying south London gangs with deadly cargo. The data detailed his import routes and courier networks.
Met Police Crackdown: Operation Eternal
Pusey, from York, was nabbed at home on June 20, 2023, then charged with conspiracy to supply cocaine, ketamine, and cannabis. He pled guilty in Hull Crown Court on July 26.
“He made millions by sending commercial-scale amounts of drugs to south London gangs, with no thought for the misery caused,” said Detective Constable Duncan Askew of the Met’s Specialist Crime team. “The drugs trade thrives on exploitation and violence — and we will relentlessly pursue those involved to put them behind bars.”
Operation Eternal, launched three years ago, has shut down key criminals fueling the UK’s drug and gun trade. Pusey’s fall exposes the dark overlap between professional sport and organised crime, and law enforcement’s relentless fight to protect communities.
