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An Albanian man who prosecutors said was building a submarine to smuggle cocaine to Europe faces up to life in federal prison after jurors Friday convicted him of heading an international drug ring bankrolled by a Grosse Pointe Park businessman, a conspiracy that placed the kingpin among Metro Detroit's most prolific and innovative criminals in recent history. Ylli Didani, 47, was convicted on all counts in federal court in Detroit late Friday afternoon after jurors deliberated for about nine hours over two days following a trial that started in February in front of U.S. District Judge Denise Page Hood. Didani, who has been in custody since 2021, faces a sentence of 10 years to life in prison. He spent more than half of the trial serving as his own lawyer before stepping aside for veteran Birmingham criminal defense attorney Wade Fink. Didani was convicted of conspiracy to distribute drugs, conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and distribute a controlled substance on board a vessel, and conspiracy to launder money. Prosecutors portrayed Didani as leading a prolific drug trafficking organization that involved obtaining financing from Grosse Pointe Park businessman Marty Tibbitts. Prosecutors say the money was used to buy thousands of kilograms of cocaine in South America that was transported aboard cargo ships to Europe from at least October 2016 until Didani was arrested in March 2021. "I respect the jury's verdict and appreciate them taking multiple days to deliberate," Fink wrote in a text message to The Detroit News. "This case has a lot for the Court of Appeals to wrestle with, not the least of which is warrantless searches and the United States criminalizing conduct that allegedly happened overseas." Sentencing is scheduled for Sept. 18. There was no immediate comment from prosecutors Friday. The verdict marks the first conviction in a high-profile, complex case since Interim U.S. Attorney Jerome Gorgon was appointed earlier this month. Didani was innovative. He and Tibbitts, CEO of Harper Woods-based Clementine Live Answering Service, were developing a remote-controlled submarine designed to hold up to 1,000 kilograms of cocaine and attach itself via magnets to cargo ships crossing the Atlantic Ocean. That development stalled when Tibbitts crashed his vintage de Havilland DH 112 Venom fighter jet during a training flight in July 2018. He was 50. Federal investigators eventually cracked Didani's encrypted phone and a secret app favored by international crime bosses, leading to drug seizures across Europe. In all, from Spain to the United Kingdom to the Netherlands, from 2017 to 2020, investigators seized more than 4,800 kilograms, or 10,582 pounds, of cocaine hidden in fruit and freight shipments, according to the government. The seized cocaine was worth more than $100 million. The trial started in February and revealed the drug conspiracy also involved Don Larson, an ex-con from Macomb County who owns all of the Gold's Gym franchises in Michigan. Larson, a Macomb Township resident who owns gyms in Warren and Taylor, backed a key part of the government's case by testifying about being a passenger on a clandestine private flight from Detroit to Washington, D.C., and hand-delivering $450,000 in cash stuffed in a duffle bag from Tibbitts to Didani. What was the money for? Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy McDonald asked Larson. “…to buy cocaine…,” Larson said. More: Gold's Gym Detroit owner was cocaine kingpin's bag man, trial testimony shows More: Armored trucks, big bucks focus of alleged Detroit area drug kingpin Didani's trial More: Accused cocaine submarine kingpin betrayed by messaging app, feds say More: Secret life of Grosse Pointe CEO Marty Tibbitts a focus of cocaine submarine trial More: Submarine drug smuggler fretted as cocaine empire crumbled, feds say More: Feds indict alleged drug kingpin linked to cocaine submarine, Grosse Pointe Park man More: Grosse Pointe businessman led secret life financing international drug ring, feds say Jurors heard testimony about how the drug ring generated money that Didani spent on oceanfront real estate in the Caribbean, a fleet of bulletproof vehicles and how he used a crew of Chinese couriers around the country to pay for the luxuries in cash. The trial offered a peek at the riches of Didani’s alleged drug ring and showed how prosecutors said he laundered money by buying real estate and a fleet of vehicles, including two armored Chevy Tahoes ($127,150 each), a $143,000 armored Lexus LX 570 sport-utility vehicle and an armored Mercedes-AMG G 63 SUV ($295,350). Highlights during the Didani trial included testimony from businessmen accused of helping Didani launder money. That includes Alex Meskouris, a New York City real estate investor who, as recently as last year, ran the famous Jackson Hole diner, a Queens landmark featured in "Goodfellas." More: From cocaine submarine to 'Goodfellas' diner: Kingpin's scheme spanned globe, feds say "Alex Meskouris was somebody that is alleged to, or that we believe, was involved in a money laundering scheme with Mr. Didani," Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Bilkovic told the judge during an earlier court hearing. Meskouris testified that Didani was interested in buying a $2.775 million oceanfront property in the Dominican Republic and a nearby golf course property for $1.05 million in 2020. The properties were owned by the Meskouris family. rsnell@detroitnews.com This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Drug kingpin Ylli Didani convicted in case involving cocaine-smuggling submarine

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🚨 REVEALED: The shocking truth behind the billion-dollar empire! 💰 EXCLUSIVE: Former cartel insiders expose the real operations of El Chapo's kingdom. ⚡ Never-told stories about how they built the world's largest drug network. 🎭 WARNING: Contains disturbing details about the brutal rise to power. 🔥 Hidden files reveal their sophisticated tunnel systems and escape routes. 🎯 True Crime Alert: Beyond the headlines - the real story of how farmers became billionaires. When mountains hide secrets, empires rise in silence.

🚨 EXPLOSIVE: The true story Hollywood didn't dare to tell! 💰 EXCLUSIVE: How a North Carolina farm boy built a $250M heroin empire. ⚡ Never-revealed details about the real 'Cadaver Connection' and Army connections. 🎭 WARNING: Contains shocking evidence about police corruption and federal cover-ups. 🔥 Former associates reveal the truth about the famous "Blue Magic" operation. 🎯 True Crime Alert: Forget what you saw in the movie - this is the real Frank Lucas story. From cotton fields to Harlem's king, the ultimate American crime story. 

🚨 BREAKING: The most successful drug lord who's never been caught! 💰 EXCLUSIVE: How one man outsmarted the DEA, FBI, and every cartel hitman. ⚡ Never-revealed details about his elaborate disappearing act with $100M cash. 🎭 WARNING: Contains insider information about the biggest unsolved narco mystery. 🔥 Former associates reveal his genius money-laundering system that baffled experts. 🎯 True Crime Alert: No body, no traces, no witnesses - just missing millions. The perfect escape that haunts federal agents to this day.  🚨 EXCLUSIVE: The $1 billion kingpin who vanished without a trace! 💰 REVEALED: How a numbers runner built America's largest drug empire. ⚡ Never-told stories about outsmarting both the Italian mob and Latin cartels. 🎭 WARNING: Contains shocking details about his mysterious disappearance with $20M. 🔥 Former associates reveal how he created the first national drug network. 🎯 True Crime Alert: The original black kingpin who changed the game forever. When one man rewrote the rules of power - then disappeared into legend.

🚨 EXPLOSIVE: The untold story of how one man built America's biggest drug empire! 💼 EXCLUSIVE: Hear how a high school dropout outsmarted the CIA and cartels. ⚡ Never-revealed details about the connections between crack, CIA, and Los Angeles. 🔥 WARNING: Contains shocking evidence about government involvement in the crack epidemic. 🎯 Former associates reveal how he moved $3 million worth of product daily. 💎 True Crime Alert: Before the rappers named themselves after him - the real Rick Ross story. From tennis prodigy to billionaire kingpin - the American Dream gone wrong.

🔥 THE MOST ELUSIVE DRUG KINGPIN IN AMERICAN HISTORY EXPOSED 🔥 Frank Matthews wasn't just a drug dealer, he was a criminal mastermind who built a heroin empire that made the Italian Mafia look like amateurs. In this explosive episode of Criminal Empire: Mafia Mysteries & Serial Killers, we dive deep into the incredible true story of the man who controlled 80% of America's heroin trade, outsmarted every law enforcement agency, and then disappeared into thin air with $15 million in cash, never to be seen again. 💀 THE BLACK CAESAR WHO MADE WHITE CRIME BOSSES BOW DOWN 💀 Matthews didn't just break the color barrier in organized crime, he shattered it completely. Operating from his Harlem fortress, he controlled drug distribution from New York to Los Angeles while the traditional mafia families watched in stunned silence. We expose how this street-smart genius built a criminal network so sophisticated that it took the cocombined efforts of the FBI, DEA, and local police just to scratch the surface of his empire. 🚨 WARNING: This episode reveals the shocking truth about America's most wanted fugitive  You'll hear exclusive interviews with former associates who describe Matthews' rise from small-time dealer to international drug lord, his brilliant strategies for avoiding detection, and the moment everything came crashing down. We investigate the mysterious circumstances surrounding his disappearance, the desperate manhunt that followed, and the tantalizing clues that suggest he's still alive somewhere, laughing at the authorities who never caught him. ⚠️ HE VANISHED LIKE A GHOST AND LEFT BEHIND A CRIMINAL LEGEND ⚠️ This episode exposes how Matthews revolutionized drug trafficking by cutting out the middleman and dealing directly with international suppliers. We reveal his sophisticated money laundering operations, his network of safe houses across the country, and the paranoid security measures that kept him one step ahead of federal agents for years. His disappearance remains one of the greatest unsolved mysteries in criminal history. 🎧 This is the definitive investigation into America's most successful drug kingpin who beat the system and vanished forever. Download now to learn how one man outsmarted the entire criminal justice system. Enter the Criminal Empire where legends are born and mysteries live forever.

Visiting the grave of Charles Lindbergh, the original nativist celebrity, whose beliefs would fit right in to Donald Trump's vision of America.

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