Curtis Warren was arrested at the house of a prison officer jailed for having an affair with the drug dealer when he was behind bars.
Warren, 60, was arrested in the early hours of Wednesday, July 5 by National Crime Agency (NCA) officers on suspicion of breaching a Serious Crime Prevention Order. The order came into force in November 2022 after his release from Whitemoor Prison, Cambridgeshire, where he served the end of a 14 years for drug trafficking offences.
The NCA said the alleged breaches "relate to the unauthorised use of mobile phones, vehicles, bank accounts and travel". The NCA yesterday released footage of officers battering the front door of a house in Boldon Colliery.
READ MORE: Curtis Warren arrested months after release from jail
The ECHO understands the house belongs to Warren's partner - former prison officer Stephanie Smithwhite. Smithwhite, 44, was jailed for two years in 2020 over her relationship with the Liverpool gangster, nicknamed "Cocky", while she worked at HMP Frankland.
The courts previously heard Smithwhite had secret sex sessions with the Toxteth man in his maximum security cell, the prison kitchen and laundry room. Investigators found they had called each other 213 times in just three months at the jail.
Staff became suspicious of Smithwhite's relationship with him and a surveillance operation was mounted. A search of her home found notes between the pair and a copy of Warren's autobiography.
450 steamy letters between the pair were also found at one of Smithwhite's relatives. Smithwhite's address given to the courts when she appeared before a judge was Boldon Colliery, South Tyneside.
Yesterday officers from the NCA also carried out a search at an address in the Royal Albert Dock area of Liverpool where it is understood Warren had been staying. Mobile devices, documents and a quantity of cash were seized, and they are now being examined by investigators.
The operation was supported by Merseyside Police and the North East Regional Organised Crime Unit. Warren's former barrister Anthony Barraclough confirmed to the Mirror that Warren was the man arrested, even though he was not named by the NCA.
Warren, who was once worth £200m, was put under a number of strict measures upon his release from prison. These included being prohibited from using WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger and from using cryptocurrency like Bitcoin.
Warren does not have a curfew and has the right to a British passport. However, he has to give seven days' notice to leave the country and can only have one mobile phone and one sim card. He also cannot hold more than £1,000 in cash.
Mr Barraclough told the Mirror: "Any breaches will be minor transgressions. These will be very fine interpretations of restrictions I anticipate."
Alison Abbott, from the NCA’s Lifetime Management of Offenders Team, said: "These court orders are vital tools for preventing and deterring future offending. Once criminals come onto our radar, they never leave, and the NCA will take action over breaches."
Breach of a serious crime prevention order is a criminal offence subject to a maximum sentence of five years, an unlimited fine, or both. The NCA told the Mirror on Wednesday night that Warren had been bailed pending further enquiries.
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