A rapper jailed for more than six years for drug trafficking has married his fiancee behind bars.
Self-styled rap star Ivo Vieira Silva – known as 18 Karat for his GBP 3,000 solid gold mask – was jailed after the police seized 11 kilogrammes of marijuana.
But now it has emerged that he has been allowed to wed his fiancee Maya, 29, in jail.
The secret ceremony on Wednesday, 22nd March, was revealed when Maya posted social media snaps of her wearing a wedding dress.
Now she has told how prison guards became official photographers for the ceremony and social worker brought a wedding feast.
She revealed to Germany’s Bild newspaper: “No one was allowed to come, except for my mother and my mother-in-law.
“We’ve experienced so much, we’ve mastered so much together and we’ve never given up. We’ve been a team since day one.”
Maya added: “It was like in the registry office! The social worker had brought flowers and cake, drinks and coffee were ready.
“Of course there was no champagne. Ivo was wearing a sexy black and gold suit that I had bought.
“He was very happy and he was very happy to see me.”
But the couple will have to wait before they can enjoy a conjugal honeymoon night at the prison, she explained.
She said: “A long-term visit is planned for the middle of next month.”
Silva, 37, was sentenced to six years and three months in prison for drug trafficking and smuggling on Tuesday, 20th December 2022.
The drug runner – from Dortmund, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany – told how he had asked Maya to marry him during his last court hearing.
He said: “For the first time in my life I experienced real love. Our relationship is great.”
He added: “After the trial, I want to do everything differently! I want to marry my fiancee and be there for my family. This is my biggest wish.”
Silva was arrested after French investigators cracked messages exchanged via the Encrochat messenger, also known as the ‘WhatsApp for criminals’, in 2020.
The police broke into about 20 apartments, houses and business premises in the city of Dortmund, in Germany, on suspicion of drug trafficking in June 2022.
They reportedly caught the offender after they found 11 kilogrammes (24 lbs) of marijuana, about EUR 19,000 (GBP 16,600) in cash and ecstasy in the raided locations.
In addition, they also discovered two professional cannabis plantations where Silva reportedly grew 66 plants himself.
Investigations later showed he had trafficked drugs from Amsterdam, the Netherlands, and sold them between 26th March, 2020 and 21st June, 2022.
In addition to the prison sentence, he was also fined with EUR 239,940 (GBP 210,217) which he had reportedly earned from his crimes.
