A one-legged British organised crime boss has been jailed following extradition from Thailand after five years on the run.
Richard Wakeling, 55, from Brentwood, Essex, was found guilty of attempting to import £8m worth of liquid amphetamine – a class B drug, into the UK in 2016.
Wakeling fled in 2018 before his trial was due to begin and was sentenced to 11 years in his absence at Chelmsford Crown Court.
He only arrived back in the UK on Thursday 1 June and the day after was immediately jailed for 11 years, the National Crime Agency (NCA) said.
In February 2023 officers from the Royal Thai Police arrested Wakeling at a Bangkok garage as he went to collect his car after repair, The NCA said.
The drug peddler, who had been living in the beachside town of Hua Hin, was in possession of a passport for another identity at the time of his arrest.
Wakeling’s organised crime group had been on the NCA’s radar since April 2016 after Border Force officers stopped a truck loaded with drums carrying the drugs as it boarded a Channel Tunnel train.
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The importation, which was set up by Wakeling, involved a driver transporting furniture from Italy, and stopping in Ternat, Belgium, en route to collect the drugs.
Wakeling had been in contact with drug suppliers in the Netherlands and liaised with two other UK offenders to arrange the journey, the NCA said.
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It was later proven the gang had organised six other imports before the 2016 seizure.
After Wakeling went on the run in 2018 the NCA appealed to trace him and released CCTV footage of him.
Jacque Beer, NCA regional head of investigations, said: “Richard Wakeling thought he could avoid facing justice by leaving the UK.
“The hard work of NCA officers – both here in the UK and overseas – and that of our international partners has put him behind bars for a lengthy prison sentence.”
