UK fugitive arrested near Croatia-Serbia border
Darren Towler spent 18 months on the run
At a glance
UK fugitive Darren Towler has been caught in Eastern Europe
The former cage fighter from County Durham was convicted on drugs smuggling charges last year
He did not appear at court and was sentenced to 24 years in jail in his absence
- Published
A drug-smuggling former cage fighter who spent nearly 18 months on the run has been caught in eastern Europe.
Fugitive Darren Towler, formerly of Consett, County Durham, was finally tracked down and arrested on the Serbian-Croatian border.
The 42-year-old orchestrated the smuggling of millions of pounds of drugs into County Durham from Merseyside, Durham Police said.
He failed to attend Teesside Crown Court in October last year and was sentenced to 24 years in jail in his absence.
Durham Police said there was "no hiding place for anyone who is evading police".
A spokesperson said: "To anyone who is causing fear and harm in our community and thinks they can get away with it - we will leave no stone unturned in our efforts to find you, we will always catch up with you and bring you to justice."
'Industrial-scale' drugs
Towler, whose last known address was Rutherford Street, in Newcastle, was caught on 5 August and remains in custody awaiting extradition.
He had been on the run since failing to appear at his trial in March last year, at which he was found guilty of conspiracy to supply cocaine and amphetamine.
He had admitted conspiring to supply cannabis.
Towler again failed to attend court in October and was sentenced in his absence.
Durham Constabulary's Specialist Crime Operations Unit found the gang he led had been exchanging "industrial scale quantities" of drugs for hundreds of thousands of pounds.
They used burner and encrypted phones to arrange for cash and drugs to be transported across the country.
Officers said there had been more than ten trips between the North East and North West over a five-month period in 2017.
The investigation resulted in 11 people being sentenced for their role in the conspiracy.
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