Reality TV contestant helped flood UK with ‘eye-opening’ amounts of cocaine, ketamine and cannabis in ‘Amazon-style’ operation
A former Love Island star who became the financial mastermind of a £53million drug cartel has been jailed for 14 years after helping to flood UK streets with “eye-opening” amounts of narcotics.
Magdalena Sadlo, 30, who appeared on Poland’s version of the hit reality show in 2021, was brought in as financial director for the sophisticated smuggling ring while working in hospitality in Dubai.
Carlisle Crown Court heard that the blonde bombshell – who nicknamed herself “Barbie” – created spreadsheets to monitor drug stock levels, cash flows and debts while “enthusiastically” encouraging violence to enforce payments.
‘THE DEVIL WORKS HARD – BUT BARBIE WORKS HARDER’
In one chilling message to cartel members, Sadlo boasted: “The Devil works hard – but Barbie works harder.”
The reality TV contestant, from Bracknell, Berkshire, helped organise the shipment of cocaine, ketamine and cannabis from Holland to Britain in an operation so slick that investigators compared it to Amazon.
Prosecutor Tim Evans told the court: “This is Amazon-style drug dealing with that level of organisation and commerciality about it.
He added: “No organised crime group working at this level could operate or function without Magdalena Sadlo, or an equivalent, performing this role.
LUXURY LIFESTYLE FUNDED BY MISERY
The court heard Sadlo spent hundreds of thousands of pounds of drug money on designer goods, including:
- A £130,000 rose gold Patek Philippe watch
- A £30,000 Rolex
- Louis Vuitton bags and clothes
- Cartier bracelets and rings
She was arrested in May 2023 after flying first class into Heathrow Airport from Dubai, carrying the luxury jewellery as part of the gang’s money laundering operation.
OPERATION MATRIX
Sadlo was caught as part of Operation Matrix – one of the UK’s largest ever drug busts – which began when police seized 1kg of cocaine in Bowness-on-Windermere, Lake District, in February 2023.
The investigation revealed she was a “key player” in a cartel chat group called “ACCOUNTS,” where she:
- Managed stock levels and money balances
- Identified bad payers who needed “visiting”
- Scolded other criminals when they didn’t meet her “high standards of efficiency”
- Discussed sending “some lads” to collect debts
As a courier, Sadlo transported an estimated 280kg of imported cocaine around the country before expanding her role to become the cartel’s business brain.
FROM REALITY TV TO DRUG CARTEL
While appearing on Love Island Poland in 2021, Sadlo described herself as a “spontaneous, self-confident blonde who you can count on” and bragged that she had previously “stolen” someone’s partner.
After the show, she worked in sales before co-founding a luxury yacht rental company in Dubai in January 2023, which claimed to provide “Hospitality & VIP Experiences.
But behind the glamorous facade, she was documenting millions of pounds in drug transactions on spreadsheets for the Dubai-based cartel.
140 YEARS BEHIND BARS
Sadlo admitted conspiring to supply cocaine, cannabis and ketamine, and conspiracy to launder money. She penned a letter of remorse to the judge, claiming she had fallen on hard times against a background of drug addiction.
Judge Nicholas Barker likened the gang’s overall illegal activity to “unrolling a ball of wool around the world,” describing it as “eye-opening.
He told Sadlo: “You are an intelligent woman and well understand risk and reward.”
Twelve other gang members have already been sentenced to more than 106 years in prison for their roles in the operation, bringing the total jail time to over 140 years.
POLICE VICTORY
Detective Superintendent Zoe Russo, of the North West Regional Organised Crime Unit, said: “Operation Matrix has resulted in the conviction of 13 individuals and prison sentences totalling over 140 years.
These convictions strike a significant blow to the supply of drugs across the North West and the UK as we continue to remove top-end controllers of international drug supply.
Magdalena Sadlo’s 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.
The detective added: “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.
