Express & Star

From blinged up to banged up: How Levi Watson's lavish lifestyle led to the drug dealer's downfall

From fast cars, gold watches and rap songs to seven years behind bars for his role in a cocaine and heroin ring - welcome to the world of Black Country drug dealer Levi Watson.

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He was a drug dealer jailed for seven years for his role in a drugs ring supplying cocaine and heroin.

Now today the Express & Star can exclusively reveal the lavish life of 29-year-old Levi Watson – featuring a Premier League footballer, Lamborghinis, and a host of Rolex watches.

In the sun – drug dealer Watson beside a swimming pool

Watson, from Wolverhampton, was jailed as part of a huge drugs bust by West Midlands Police, with the drugs ring he worked in getting sentenced to more than 130 years between them.

It is not the first time Watson will serve time behind bars, after being jailed for five and a half years a decade ago for death by dangerous driving after the car he was driving without a licence or insurance crashed, killing his friend.

In pictures and videos, posted onto his Instagram account, Watson regularly showed off his life abroad, despite telling West Midlands Police he had no steady income and lived in Park Village.

In a series of snaps taken six weeks ago he is seen enjoying a helicopter ride and posing on the bonnet of a white Ferrari.

The most striking image on his Instagram page, which has more than 4,500 followers, shows Watson, of Orslow Walk, Park Village, Wolverhampton, in a bubble bath surrounded by £20 notes.

Another image, featuring three watches wrapped around a Porsche Panamera gear stick, is captioned: "Have you seen a 100k well if you haven't this what a hundred k plus look like."

A third image, showing a gold watch surrounded by Jamaican thousand dollar bills, is captioned: "When your sitting on over quarter of a million but you tell them it's pennies."

Booze and bundles of cash in a music video and showing off his gold watch and chain

Despite having received his seven-year prison sentence last Friday, Watson has been posting on his Instagram account as recently as Tuesday evening.

In one post, alongside a picture of rapper Bobby Shmurda, he said: "They gave me Shmurda years, I smiled at the judge when he said 7".

Levi Watson with Burnley footballer Andre Gray

He was making reference to Shmurda, from Brooklyn, USA, who last week was also sentenced to seven years in prison for conspiracy and gun possession charges.

Shmurda is not the only famous face to feature on Watson's Instagram page, as he is regularly pictured with Burnley footballer Andre Gray.

The Wolverhampton-born striker features in several of Watson's pictures and videos.

One image shows Watson and Gray sitting in the stands at Turf Moor, the home of Burnley Football Club, while another shows the pair in a nightclub in Marbella.

The Premier League player, who is currently facing a misconduct charge relating to homophobic tweets four years ago, was praised by drug-dealing Watson for winning the Championship player of the year last year in one post where he described him as 'family'. Gray replied saying 'nothin but love fam'.

Burnley Football Club were contacted by the Express & Star but declined to comment.

Watson has even been posting on the account as regularly as Tuesday night, where he said he 'smiled' at the judge who handed down his sentence.

  • MORE: Class A Midlands drug gang locked up for 130 YEARS

Watson, on the right, flying high with friends

As well as his Instagram exploits, Watson has also had several rap music videos made under his music name Prezi. His most popular song, entitled Hells Kitchen (Gordon Ramsay), has been watched more than 27,000 times on YouTube.

In the song he raps about being 'Gordon Ramsay in my kitchen' and is seen mixing a white power, describing his 'food' as '10/10'.

In one lyric he says: "Remember when I used to sleep on floors, wash dishes, do chores, now I'm whipping up bricks. I'm head chef in my kitchen."

Watson's lyrics include 'If you're hungry we've got food galore, I'm Mr Gordon Ramsey, welcome to the chicken store'
Asmirald Miraka was the lynchpin of the network

Watson, from Orslow Walk, Park Village was jailed for his drug dealing last week, alongside 12 others. He pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply Class A drugs.

Following his sentence, police said Watson had produced an online rap video about drug dealing and bathing in money.

Richard Chapman, aged 22, from Ellerton Walk, Park Village, Wolverhampton, was sentenced to five years while Adam Whiteley, 35, of Wheatsheaf Road, Oldbury, was sentenced to eight years.

The other 10 sentenced were from Birmingham and Nottingham, including ring leader Asmirald Miraka, 25, from Margaret Grove, Harborne, who was locked up for 16 years and three months.

Detective Constable Warren Moore, from West Midlands Police's Serious and Organised Crime Unit, said: "This was a sophisticated operation involving large amounts of cocaine and heroin.

"Drugs can ruin lives and communities and these sentences should act as a strong warning that those involved in such crime will feel the full force of the law."

Drug dealers (L-R and top to bottom) Aaron Clemenson, Zarak Khan, Kieran Samuels, Clayton Stephenson, Levi Watson and Adam Whiteley

Back in 2006 Watson was sentenced to five and a half years in a young offenders institute for causing death by dangerous driving.

He pleaded guilty to the charge, as well as charges of failing to provide a specimen and assaulting a police officer, following the horror smash which killed 18-year-old Wolverhampton College student Jermaine Walker in November 2005.

As reported by the Express & Star at the time, Wolverhampton Crown Court heard that Watson was driving Jermaine and two teenage girls back from the Rose and Crown public house, Blakenhall on November 26.

He had not passed a driving test and had no insurance but still drove wildly and accelerated after being overtaken by two cars driven by his friends.

L-R and top to bottom: Shabaz Ali, Shazad Ali, Aleks Asllani, Desar Asllani, Arjol Cerriku, Richard Chapman

Mr Robert Price, prosecuting, said the Fiat Bravo he was driving skidded slightly. He was urged to slow down by the girls and 18-year-old Jermaine but Watson ignored them.

It was on Finchfield Road where he lost control of the car and crashed into a stationary vehicle killing Mr Walker at the scene and injuring the other two.

Sergeant Jon Jackson, from West Midlands Police, said Watson showed not a 'single shred of remorse for what he did'.

West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner David Jamieson said: "Hopefully the memory of his cash-filled bath and pink champagne will keep him warm at night while he spends the next seven years behind bars."

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