Elie Mey, a 25-year-old drug dealer from Erdington, has been sentenced to 11 years in prison for helping his brother Israel Mey flee the United Kingdom following a deadly drive-by shooting in Wolverhampton. The shooting resulted in the death of 24-year-old Neo Graham, a rival drug dealer, as parents were collecting their children from a nearby primary school.
Shooting Details
The incident occurred on Eastfield Road, near East Park, on the morning of March 4 last year. Israel Mey fired six shots from a Glock handgun through the front passenger window of a stolen Renault Clio, targeting three men. One bullet struck Neo Graham in the head, killing him instantly. The perpetrators fled the scene rapidly, according to Wolverhampton Crown Court.
Elie Mey, who was not present at the shooting, later assisted his brother's escape. Israel Mey remains at large after flying abroad from Northern Ireland. The following day, police disrupted an active drug deal and discovered the loaded firearm in a car driven by Elie.
Convictions and Sentence
Elie Mey pleaded guilty to assisting an offender, possession of a prohibited firearm, possession of ammunition, two counts of possession with intent to supply class A drugs (heroin and crack cocaine), and possession of criminal property. He was convicted of a second count of assisting an offender and acquitted of possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life after a trial earlier this year.
Sentencing Elie on Friday, July 17, Judge Michael Chambers KC stated he was satisfied that the defendant knew there was a loaded gun in the vehicle. However, he noted there was 'no suggestion' Elie was involved in the shooting, as he had been in Birmingham at the time.
Judge Chambers described the shooting as 'clearly a conflict between two rival groups involved in the supply of class A drugs' and noted it occurred 'by a primary school as children were being collected at the end of the day'.
Escape and Arrest
Following the shooting, Israel Mey and accomplice Koketso Ximba traveled to Kipling Road, Wolverhampton, where the gun was hidden in a yellow JD Sports bag. The getaway vehicle was later set on fire. The offenders then moved from Wolverhampton to Birmingham in two cars—a Corsa and a Nissan Juke—arriving in Erdington.
Just before 7:30 pm, Elie Mey retrieved the JD Sports bag from Kipling Road. Judge Chambers said, 'I'm quite satisfied, so as to be sure, that you knew in that bag was the gun.' Israel and Ximba were taken to Scotland later that evening, then caught a ferry to Northern Ireland. Israel flew abroad, while Ximba returned to England and was arrested in Liverpool.
Elie Mey helped gather cash for his brother's travel and organized flights through online bookings. On March 5, police stopped the Nissan Juke in Birmingham during an active drug deal. Elie was driving, with passengers Aaron Osei, Derrick Da Silva Ferreira, and Fabio Bandarrinha. Officers found a 'large quantity' of class A drugs and cash, including 54 wraps of crack cocaine (4.69g), 80 wraps of heroin (5.6g), and £7,430 cash, along with the firearm used in the shooting.
Defense and Background
Amy Jackson, defending, said Elie Mey had time to reflect and showed remorse. She noted he was not part of the Wolverhampton drug operation, only Birmingham. Elie's family moved to the UK to escape the war in Congo when he was a toddler. The death of his older brother a few years ago had a 'significant effect' on him, and he had been a 'promising' young man before that. A serious injury during his first year at university forced him to abandon his studies, and financial difficulties led him to drug dealing.
His parents do not support the life their sons became involved in, Jackson added. Elie hopes to pursue a career in auditing and accounts after prison.
Elie had a caution for battery in 2016 and was detained for 30 months in 2021 for possession of heroin and crack cocaine with intent to supply.
Co-defendants Sentenced
Koketso Ximba, 23, of Montano Drive, Wolverhampton, was jailed for 20 years after being convicted of manslaughter. Fabio Bandarrinha, 21, of Powell Street, Wolverhampton, received 10 years for possession of a firearm and drug offenses. Aaron Osei, 23, of South Road, Wolverhampton, was jailed for seven years for drug and assisting an offender offenses. Derrick Da Silva Ferreira, 21, of Fifth Avenue, Wolverhampton, was sentenced to four years for drug and criminal property offenses.
