A drugs boss who trafficked huge amounts of cocaine and heroin from Liverpool landed back behind bars after an off duty cop spotted him near Marbella.
Joshua Hendry, known as The Big One, was sentenced in Sheffield earlier this week after his extradition from Spain. He had overseen a major drugs trafficking scheme which also involved his mum and brother and saw drugs worth £1.3m moved from Liverpool to Grimsby.
The 31-year-old fled the country to avoid justice but was brought back to the UK in January after being spotted in San Pedro de Alcantara, a few miles from Marbella. The National Crime Agency confirmed at the time of the sting that Hendry was spotted by an off duty officer.
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It came less than 24 hours after his name was included on a list of most wanted fugitives, with Spanish police and the NCA acting on intelligence handed to them by the officer. Footage showed him being escorted through an underground car park by a single police officer, wearing a mustard green tracksuit top and bottoms.
Speaking after the sting, the National Crime Agency’s deputy director for international, Tom Dowdall, said: “This is a rapid result and it’s testimony to the power these appeals can have as well as the NCA’s international reach. “Whether it’s using tip-offs from the public, sharing intelligence or deploying specialist capabilities, UK law enforcement and our Spanish partners are working as one to trace and arrest the other 11 fugitives.
“Those men will know now that we’re after them. They can live their lives anxiously looking over their shoulders and wondering if today’s the day they get caught or they can do the right thing and hand themselves in.” Hendry was slammed by the judge at his sentencing hearing earlier this week after it emerged he met a new partner while on the run and she is now pregnant with his child.
Judge Roger Thomas described Hendry as "greatly irresponsible, knowing he is on the run and close to bringing a child into the world knowing the door would be closing on him and he would be going to custody for a long time." Hendry was jailed for a total of 15 years and three months.
