Man who sniffed cocaine from Pablo Escobar's grave jailed

The man who was infamously filmed snorting cocaine from the grave of former drug lord Pablo Escobar has been jailed.

Steven Semmens, 39, vowed to never return to Colombia after he angered cartels with his shocking actions which were filmed and shared via Facebook Live.

The infamous footage - which was shared in 2018 - shows Semmens kneeling by Escobar's grave with the white powder, after he was dared to do so 'for a laugh'.

Little did he know the consequences that would follow.

Facebook

He said: "I was drinking with a friend and they said: 'Do you want to go and see the grave?'

"And then my friend said: 'Sniff cocaine off it' and bet me £200 I wouldn't do it on Facebook Live."

The video shows Semmens emptying a bag of white powder onto the gravestone and then rolling up a $5 note.

The footage soon spread across the internet, giving Semmens viral notoriety. This ultimately led to him shaving his head in a bid to change his appearance before going into hiding.

He was discovered by local police before being kicked out of Colombia.

South Wales Police

Semmens said the incident made it ‘awkward’ for him when trying to get a job, adding that he’d received death threats.

“I just thought it would be a laugh,” he said at the time. “I didn’t think it would go this far.

“I was drunk at the time. I’ve been bombarded with threats that I’m going to get skinned.”

He's now been slapped with a prison sentence of 13 years and six months, along with members of a drug gang, after he was found to be involved in an international drug smuggling ring who trafficked cocaine into South Wales.

IanDagnall Computing / Alamy Stock Photo

Speaking during his trial, Semmens’ lawyer said the cocaine snorting incident came to the attention of Escobar’s ‘criminal confederates’ and they were ‘not pleased’ about the footage.

The plot to smuggle drugs into South Wales took place between April 2020 and August 2021.

Semmens and Andrew Botto, 34, Shane White, 34, and Ieuan Emlyn Williams, 37, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply cocaine during the coronavirus lockdown.

They were sentenced to a total of more than 52 years in jail for their involvement in dealing the Class A drug.