A Liverpool figure once linked to the Cali Cartel’s drug operations in the city has died in a luxury Dubai home, with the coroner confirming the cause. Spencer Benjamin, aged 54, was found unresponsive on a couch in his upscale villa at Arabian Ranches, a gated community, on February 2, 2026. He had spent several years living in the United Arab Emirates after leaving Liverpool and had previously served a ten-year sentence for his part in an international drug conspiracy after undercover officers spotted him meeting a man at a Pizza Hut in central London.
The individual he met was Venezuelan drug lord Ivan di Giorgio, said to act on behalf of the feared Cali Cartel—an Colombian gang that, at its peak in the mid-1990s, controlled a large share of the global cocaine market. A senior investigator described Benjamin as the “organiser for the Liverpool end of the operation.”
Benjamin, formerly of Solway Street West in Toxteth, was discovered in his Dubai room, where he had lived for some time. He was found by a friend after his nephew had not been able to contact him; his friend reported finding him in the front room, unresponsive, with a CPAP machine still attached. Emergency services arrived and declared him deceased.
A post-mortem found no signs of foul play. Cocaine and ketamine were detected in his bloodstream, suggesting he had ingested the drugs prior to death, at levels capable of impacting vital functions. The inquest also heard that Benjamin suffered from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a progressive lung condition that contributed to his death. The pathologist concluded the cause of death as cardiorespiratory arrest, combined with drug use and COPD.
Coroner Helen Rimmer noted that cocaine is particularly dangerous for individuals with compromised lungs, and that Benjamin’s cocaine and ketamine consumption likely led to respiratory depression which, together with his pre-existing lung disease, contributed meaningfully to his death. The coroner classified the death as drug-related given the drugs’ effects on his breathing.
In earlier years, Benjamin had been monitored by the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) after surveillance captured him meeting di Giorgio. He was observed handing a satchel to the Venezuelan during one pizza-parlour meeting and passing a Wade Smith bag to di Giorgio at another. Police suspected cash exchanges linked to drug deals. A raid on di Giorgio’s London home led to his dramatic escape by jumping from a first-floor window; he later appeared in court needing a walking frame.
Benjamin reportedly went into hiding but was later tracked by undercover officers, who observed him spending substantial sums on a flat described as a “safe house” above a Lodge Lane shop. Upon arrest, he claimed innocence and denied involvement in drugs, insisting he held legitimate employment as an “area manager.” Nevertheless, the court established that he operated as the Liverpool end of an international drugs network, living in a £120,000 Halewood home, taking vacations in Mexico, and wearing a £10k Rolex Ebel watch, with his unemployed partner driving a Honda Jeep around Liverpool.
Detective Superintendent John Kerruish of Merseyside’s major crime unit, which led the inquiry, stated that while di Giorgio’s exact identity was still being clarified, it was clear he was connected to the Cali Cartel. He emphasized that Benjamin’s conviction, alongside di Giorgio’s, marked a significant achievement in efforts to curb the inflow of high-level drugs into Merseyside.
Background context: The Cali Cartel emerged in the mid-1970s and, after splitting from Pablo Escobar’s Medellín cartel by 1988, grew into a multi-billion-dollar criminal empire. The cartel’s notoriety has been widely documented in media and has even been popularized through shows like Netflix’s Narcos.
Would you consider this case a clear example of how international networks operate, or do you think local policing overemphasized individual roles? Share your thoughts in the comments.
