Spencer Benjamin was found dead at his luxury villa in Dubai on February 2, 2026 after leaving Liverpool several years ago, he was previously found to have worked with the notorious Cali Cartel
A drug runner who worked for the infamous Colombian Cali Cartel as their man in Liverpool was found dead in his luxury villa in Dubai.
Spencer Benjamin was jailed for 10 years for his role in the international drug ring after he was spotted by undercover police officers meeting a man at a Pizza Hut in central London.
The man he was Venezuelan drug lord, Ivan di Giorgio, who was said to be acting on behalf of the feared Cali Cartel – the Colombian drug gang who controlled more than 80% of the world’s cocaine market during the mid-1990s.
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A senior officer who led the investigation said Benjamin was the “organiser for the Liverpool end of the operation,” the Liverpool Echo reports.
Benjamin, formerly of Solway Street West in Toxteth, was found dead in his room at the Arabian Ranches, a high-end gated community in Dubai, on February 2, 2026. The 54-year-old is understood to have lived in the country for several years after leaving Liverpool.
At his inquest at Liverpool Coroners’ Court today (Tuesday, March 3), coroner Helen Rimmer said: “His friend attended the address in which he was found as his nephew had been unable to make contact with him. He had last seen him safe and well the day before.
“He was found in the front room unresponsive on the couch with a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAT) machine still attached to his face. Emergency services were called and on arrival he was confirmed deceased.”
A post-mortem examination found no evidence of foul play. Levels of cocaine and ketamine were found in his blood, suggesting Benjamin had ingested the drugs prior to his death “at levels capable of affecting vital body functions”.
The inquest heard Benjamin suffered from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, a progressive, incurable lung condition that causes breathing difficulties, and that this had contributed to his death.
A pathologist found the cause of death was cardiorespiratory arrest, combined with cocaine and ketamine use and COPD.
Ms Rimmer said: “Cocaine is a stimulant drug which is particularly dangerous in individuals whose lungs are already compromised as was the case with Spencer Benjamin.
“He had taken cocaine and ketamine which led to respiratory depression and death, his prior existing lung disease contributing more than minimally to his death.
“Given the consumption of drugs and the effects that that had on his respiratory system, it will be a conclusion of a drug-related death.”
Benjamin was under the watch of the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) in 1999 when he was seen to meet di Giorgio. On one occasion Benjamin was seen handing over a satchel to the South American, while at a second pizza parlour meeting a Wade Smith bag was passed to di Giorgio.
Police suspected cash was being handed over in return for drugs. When police finally raided di Giorgio’s London home, he jumped out of a first floor window in a doomed attempt to escape. When he appeared in court he needed a walking frame.
Benjamin went into hiding but undercover officers observed him spending thousands of pounds kitting out a flat above a Lodge Lane shop as a “safe house”. When arrested he told officers: “I’m innocent. I have got no involvement in drugs and I am not saying any more. I have no involvement in anything.”
Benjamin claimed to be legitimately employed as an “area manager” but the court heard that he was the Liverpool end of an international drugs chain. He lived in a £120,000 house on a new estate in Halewood, holidayed in Mexico and wore a £10k Rolex Ebel watch. His unemployed girlfriend cruised around Liverpool in a Honda Jeep.
Detective Superintendent John Kerruish, of Merseyside’s major crime unit which co-ordinated the inquiry, said at the time: “The problem that we faced was that at this stage we had not fully identified exactly who di Giorgio was but it was becoming apparent that he was working for the Cali Cartel.
“As far as we are concerned, Benjamin was the organiser for the Liverpool end of the operation. We regard his conviction along with that of di Giorgio’s as particularly significant in the ongoing fight to stem the tide of class ‘A’ drugs coming into Merseyside.”
The Cali Cartel was founded in the mid-1970s and broke away from Pablo Escobar and his Medellin associates by 1988. The organisation was a multi-billion dollar empire and was one of the most powerful criminal fraternities in the world. Its illicit activities were globally recognised following the hit Netflix show “Narcos”.
