Dealer worked to flood area with cocaine - police

Morris went on the run and evaded capture, the court heard

A drug dealer who has been jailed for more than 22 years after going on the run was part of "a large-scale operation to flood Worcestershire with cocaine", police have said.

Michael Morris, 58 and from Maple Road, Rubery, was found guilty in October 2023 of conspiracy to supply class A drugs, and was jailed at Worcester Crown Court on Monday.

West Mercia Police said Morris had been part of an operation supplying drugs from the West Midlands to the Kidderminster and Wychbold areas and beyond to Ilfracombe.

Judge Jonathan Salmon told him he had been at the "top of the tree" in a conspiracy to run a county line into Devon, police said.

'Living at large'

The court heard Morris had supplied a criminal group running the county line and had been a "wholesale supplier of cocaine to those lower down".

Morris went on to evade capture for 15 months, the judge said, describing it as "a concerted attempt to evade justice".

He said: "You were able to live at large and hide and spend monies from your criminal activities."

He jailed Morris for 22 years and eight months in total.

Police said Morris should have been in court to hear his conviction and face sentence on 21 November 2023 with other co-defendants.

But in a "last-ditch attempt to evade justice", he absconded and failed to attend court at the end of his trial. He was recaptured over a year later, police said.

Officers said that after his arrest, he had already delayed proceedings for two years when facing trial.

Det Insp Gareth Evans said Morris would now be pursued through the Proceeds of Crime Act to recoup money and belongings acquired through his criminal activity.