Most wanted drug dealer who went on run for eight years jailed

Michael Moogan had been on the run for eight years before his arrest in Dubai

One of the UK's most wanted men has been jailed for his role in an international drug trafficking plot, police have said.

The National Crime Agency said Michael Moogan was on the run for eight years before his arrest in Dubai in 2021.

The 37-year-old, from Liverpool, fled in October 2013 after a raid on a cafe used for meetings by drug traffickers.

He admitted conspiring to import Class A drugs and was given 12 years in prison at Manchester Crown Court.

The agency said Moogan was linked to the Café de Ketel in Rotterdam, the hub for Moogan's conspiracy to bring hundreds of kilos of cocaine into the UK every month.

It said Moogan and his associates were involved in plans to import drugs from Latin America to the EU and he would pay up to 500,000 euros at a time to South American suppliers, who would ship the Class A drug to Belgium.

Moogan told contacts he brought cocaine into the UK in meat from Argentina and evidence showed he also bribed port officials.

He also used road networks across Europe to move cocaine to the UK.

Police surveillance captured Moogan at a Rotterdam cafe suspected to be the hub of an international drugs trade

He was in hiding until April 2021 when he was arrested by Dubai Police and had been using numerous false identities to avoid capture.

He was found to have a German passport, driver's licence and citizen card in the name of Michael Dier.

After being extradited to the UK, the agency said Moogan told an arresting officer he would be no trouble as he was "tired now".

"Get me up to Manny and get me in Cat A," he said.

"I'm done now."

Speaking after sentencing, senior investigating officer Ben Rutter said Moogan "did everything he could to avoid this day, but justice has finally caught up with him".

"He was a major figure in international drug dealing [and] his consignments... undoubtedly brought misery and real harm to the UK," he said.

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