Alex King, seen here with his wife Anna Shapiro, was sentenced in absentia for multiple drug charges in Britain. The couple previously claimed to have been poisoned by the novichok nerve agent. (Instagram)
A British drug dealer who falsely claimed to have been poisoned by the novichok nerve agent was sentenced to 11 years in prison on drug charges, despite being on the run since November.
Alex King, 42, did not appear in court on Friday for sentencing, with his attorney saying he has not had any contact with his client since he went on the lam last year.
He has been found guilty in absentia of two charges of conspiracy to supply illegal drugs, Sky News reported.
During his trial, prosecutors said King had a “bizarre” party lifestyle during which he sold drugs, including cocaine, ecstasy, and ketamine, and arranged high-class escorts to make money.
The drug charges date back to an arrest in June 2016 when police found cocaine, MDMA powder, ecstasy pills, crack cocaine, ketamine, and diazepam in his apartment. The drugs had the street value of more than $79,000.
FLASHBACK: NOVICHOK UNLIKELY AFTER RUSSIAN NATIONAL FALLS ILL IN UK EATERY, POLICE SAY
Throughout his trial, King gave more than nine excuses for not appearing in court, including several visits to the hospital but never providing any medical records for illnesses.
King and his wife Russian-born wife, Anna Shapiro, received international attention in September last year when they allegedly fell ill at an Italian restaurant steps away from where a Russian ex-spy and his daughter were poisoned by a nerve agent.
The couple was eating at Prezzo restaurant, which is a short walk from where Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia were found unconscious after coming in contact with the Soviet-grade nerve agent novichok months earlier.
They were taken to the hospital and quickly tested for exposure to the nerve agent – which claimed the life of another woman in Salisbury that summer.
Tests determined the couple had no poison, toxin or immediately obvious neurological reason to explain the symptoms, Sky News reported.
Wiltshire Police is still investigating the possibility of a hoax.
It seems that outlandish medical claims are part of King’s “bizarre” lifestyle.
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Sky News reported King told the courts he could not attend court proceedings at least four times, claiming various illnesses or injuries. He never provided medical information to support his claims of illness.
The BBC reported that Shapiro is a model and an Israeli citizen of Russian heritage, while King is a convicted criminal who pranked Prince Charles in 2006. According to the report, King inserted himself into an official line-up of stars being greeted by the Prince of Wales at a film premiere. He said at the time that the “prank” was carried out as part of a $132,000 bet from his employer.
Kind’s associate, Baljit Gill, 28, was also jailed for nine years after he was found guilty of two charges of conspiring to tell illegal drugs.
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