A WESTON man who tried to escape justice by going on the run to Spain, Portugal, and Morocco, while other members of the organised crime groups he ran were jailed, has been sentenced to 18 years in prison.

Alex Male, 32, was sentenced at Exeter Crown Court after pleading guilty to heading up two conspiracies to supply cocaine and ketamine across the south of England and laundering the money he made.

Male was originally arrested in June 2020 as part of a South West Regional Organised Crime Unit (SWROCU) investigation into class A drugs supply.

Luther Takawira, formerly from Portishead, and his friends James Cox and Benjamin Fry, both formerly from Shirehampton in Bristol, all stood trial and were convicted, receiving sentences of 11 to 15 years.

Drugs delivered through region

The illegal drugs were then delivered throughout the region, including to Portsmouth, Trowbridge, Bristol, and Bridgwater.

Earlier this year, Male was arrested in Morocco, detained, and extradited back to the UK in August.

He had previously been arrested in Turkey after trying to enter the country from Portugal.

Male pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply cocaine, conspiracy to supply ketamine and money laundering at Exeter Crown Court on September 13.

Detective Inspector Adrian Hawkins, who led the SWROCU (South West Regional Organised Crime Unit Network) investigation, said: “The volume of drugs we evidenced Alex Male as sourcing and supplying through our investigation, together with his actions while on the run over the last four years, show what a serious criminal he is.

A block of cocaine recovered during the operationA block of cocaine recovered during the operation (Image: SWROCU)

“It’s easy to look at images of kilo blocks of cocaine or piles of cash and be detached from the misery behind them – people that have been victims of robbery, burglary, theft, gang crime or other violence will know that drugs featured heavily in the cause.

“Alex Male’s time on the run has meant we’ve waited a long time to see him get sentenced, but we, together with our partners in the NCA, CPS and abroad, were never going to give up on bringing him back to face justice.”