Joshua Hendry: 'Most Wanted' Grimsby drug gang member jailed

Hendry had fled to Spain in 2019

A member of a drug smuggling gang who was arrested in Spain just a day after he was placed on the UK's "Most Wanted" list has been jailed.

Joshua Hendry, 31, formerly of Walton, Liverpool, was one of 13 people involved in supplying drugs in Grimsby.

At Sheffield Crown Court on Wednesday, Hendry pleaded guilty to supplying heroin and crack cocaine and to a charge of absconding.

He was jailed for a total of five years and three months.

This was in addition to the 10-year sentence he was given in 2020 when he was convicted in his absence of conspiracy to supply cocaine.

The charges all related to the activities of a group of 13 individuals who transported £1.38m of heroin and crack cocaine into Grimsby between September 2017 and March 2019.

The group's leaders were all based in Merseyside and Cheshire and used local people and others to sell their drugs in Grimsby.

Humberside Police said the discovery of the group's activities followed a lengthy investigation which ended with three warrants being carried out in March 2019 in Grimsby, Liverpool and Warrington.

The 12 other members of the group were jailed for a range of drug offences in 2020.

However, Hendry fled abroad and failed to appear in court for his trial.

In January, the National Crime Agency (NCA) added him to its "Most Wanted" list and 24 hours later he was arrested in Marbella, Spain.

After his extradition, he began serving his original sentence and was charged with additional drug offences as part of the same investigation and with absconding.

Sgt Darren Gray, of Humberside Police, said: "I am pleased the last puzzle piece in this investigation has concluded and all those involved have now been held accountable for their actions."

Sgt Gray said he was grateful for the support of the NCA and the Merseyside and Cheshire Police forces.

"Hendry thought he could evade the law, but it just goes to show how successful partnership working can be," he said.