A British drug runner who worked as the Liverpool contact for the notorious Colombian Cali Cartel has been found dead in his luxury villa in Dubai. Spencer Benjamin, 54, was discovered unresponsive at his home in the Arabian Ranches gated community on February 2, 2026.
Benjamin had previously been jailed for 10 years for his role in an international drug ring after being spotted by undercover police meeting a Venezuelan drug lord at a Pizza Hut in central London. The man, Ivan di Giorgio, was acting on behalf of the Cali Cartel, which controlled more than 80% of the world's cocaine market in the mid-1990s.
At an inquest at Liverpool Coroner's Court on Tuesday, March 3, coroner Helen Rimmer said Benjamin's friend found him after his nephew could not reach him. He was on a couch with a continuous positive airway pressure machine still attached to his face. Emergency services confirmed his death at the scene.
A post-mortem found cocaine and ketamine in his blood at levels capable of affecting vital body functions. The pathologist gave the cause of death as cardiorespiratory arrest, combined with drug use and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a lung condition Benjamin suffered from.
Ms Rimmer concluded: 'Cocaine is a stimulant drug which is particularly dangerous in individuals whose lungs are already compromised... He had taken cocaine and ketamine which led to respiratory depression and death.' She recorded a verdict of drug-related death.
Benjamin was described by a senior officer at the time of his conviction as 'the organiser for the Liverpool end of the operation'. He had lived in Dubai for several years after leaving Liverpool.
