A Liverpool man who escaped prison after being convicted for his part in a drug smuggling plot has been arrested in Spain

A 29-year-old man from Liverpool who
plotted to smuggle £345m of drugs into Ireland using an inflatable boat has
been arrested in Spain after escaping prison last year.




Gerard Hagan was originally jailed in 2008 for
10 years after a boat loaded with cocaine overturned off the Irish coast.




The boat’s engine failed after the tank was
filled with diesel instead of petrol. 

Hagan was captured by Spanish police on
Thursday after leaving a gym in the Estepona area of the Costa del Sol.




During his trial, the court heard how a
catamaran had first been used to transport the drugs from Barbados and later
transferred to the smaller vessel.




Strong winds and 3m swells caused the
inflatable boat to capsize after the engine cut out, leaving bales of cocaine
floating in the sea.




Dave Allen from the National Crime
Agency (NCA) told the BBC: “This arrest is a result of close working with
the Spanish national police. It demonstrates the NCA and its partners have the
capability to pursue fugitives relentlessly.”

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Image from the Mirror