Key facts
- Portuguese rapper Ivo Vieira Silva, known as 18 Karat, was deported from Germany to Portugal on Wednesday.
- He was sentenced to six years and three months for drug trafficking offenses.
- The deportation was ordered by German authorities citing "compelling reasons of public policy".
- Silva had served approximately four years of his sentence.
- He will remain free in Portugal but faces immediate arrest if he returns to Germany.
Portuguese rapper Ivo Vieira Silva, known professionally as 18 Karat, was deported from Germany to his home country of Portugal early Wednesday morning. Silva was sentenced in December 2022 to six years and three months in prison for multiple serious drug-trafficking offenses. German authorities in Dortmund, where the artist had lived since he was young, confirmed the deportation.
Silva had served approximately four years of his sentence, including time spent in pre-trial detention. His lawyer, Lisa Grüter, stated that the rapper was under a semi-open prison regime and nearing completion of vocational training. The lawyer criticized the immediate deportation, calling it "a disgrace to the rule of law," as a judicial decision on conditional release was pending.
The Administrative Court in Gelsenkirchen rejected Silva's appeal against the deportation, citing "compelling reasons of public policy" due to the serious societal impact of drug trafficking. Judges also noted a concrete risk of reoffending, as the rapper had not proven he had severed ties with his criminal network. The ruling was upheld by the Higher Administrative Court of North Rhine-Westphalia.
During a police operation related to the rapper, authorities seized nearly twelve kilos of cannabis, small amounts of ecstasy and hashish, and discovered two small-scale cannabis cultivation sites. The deportation means Silva faces a significantly longer re-entry ban to Germany. While he will be free in Portugal, his sentence remains active, and he would be arrested immediately if he returned to Germany to serve the remaining two years.
Silva, who rose to prominence in the German rap scene in 2015, revealed his identity and nationality in 2025. He became a father while serving his sentence and was permitted to attend the birth of his daughter, Amalia Adriana. His wife, Maya, had indicated their intention to move to Portugal after his release, stating he could create music anywhere.