NCAA senior member of an organized crime group that ran an amphetamine lab in Scotland has been jailed for 13 years.
Colin Wright, 38, fled to Murcia, Spain to avoid arrest after being caught in a National Crime Agency (NCA) operation in March 2021.
Wright, formerly of Motherwell, was the leader of the Scottish wing of the group and was active in the trafficking of heroin and cocaine.
He is the last member of the gang to be jailed, with six others already in jail.
NCAWright pleaded guilty to five drug charges at Liverpool Crown Court last month.
He set up an amphetamine lab in Motherwell in March 2020 during the first Covid lockdown. It was capable of producing 1000 kg of amphetamine.
He also helped ship at least 20kg of cocaine and 10kg of heroin between Motherwell and Merseyside.
NCA Branch Commander Cat McHugh said: “Wright’s case shows that criminals who seek refuge abroad are never safe from the reach of law enforcement.
“His sentence means we have completely dismantled this organized crime group, which posed a serious threat to communities in Scotland and Merseyside, with the drugs they used to deal with violence and Helped fuel exploitation.”