A one-legged organised crime boss has been arrested in Thailand after five years on the run. Richard Wakeling, 55, was picked up in Bangkok yesterday and is awaiting extradition back to the UK.
He had been placed on the National Crime Agency's 'most wanted' list after fleeing on the eve of a trial in January 2018. Wakeling, who has a prosthetic lower right leg, was later convicted in his absence of trying to import £8million worth of liquid amphetamine and given an 11-year jail sentence.
Formerly of Brentwood in Essex, he had been living in the beachside town of Hua Hin, according to the NCA. Officers from the Royal Thai Police arrested Wakeling at a garage as he went to collect his car after repairs.
Wakeling, who also has links to Ireland, Canada and Spain, was found with a fake passport, it is claimed. David Coyle, the agency's regional manager for Thailand, said: “The NCA has worked relentlessly to trace Wakeling and ensure he returns to the UK to serve his prison sentence.
“I thank the prosecutors of the Attorney General’s office, the Royal Thai Police and the Commissioner of the Central Investigations Bureau for their extensive work helping us identify and arrest Wakeling."
The NCA issued an appeal for help finding Wakeling in 2019. He had ditched his home in Brentwood on the eve of his 2018 trial for the botched drug deal.
At around 9.45am on January 5 he drove off in a white Audi Q3. The car was later spotted in Iver, Bucks., - just under 10 miles from Heathrow. From there he caught a bus to Glasgow, the NCA said.
The next day he took a ferry from Stranrear, around 90 miles south west of Glasgow, to Belfast. And a week later on January 13 Wakeling's car was driven back to his Essex pad.
The NCA began its investigation into the fugitive's organised crime group after Border Force workers stopped a truck boarding a Channel Tunnel train in April 2016. The truck contained plastic drums carrying the drugs.
The driver was transporting furniture from Italy but stopped at Ternat in Belgium where phone evidence showed he was directed to collect the drugs. The entire importation was set up by Wakeling, according to the NCA.
He was in contact with drug suppliers in the Netherlands and liaised with two other UK offenders to arrange the journey. Officers believe the crime group had organised at least six other importations before the 2016 seizure.
Jacque Beer, regional head of investigations at the NCA, said: “Wakeling’s arrest was the culmination of the NCA conducting enquiries around the world to capture him. Wakeling had links to Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, Canada, Spain and Thailand.
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"We pursued these connections and worked with partners from all those countries to help build the intelligence picture around him. We have been supported by the public who responded to the media and Crimewatch appeals to provide intelligence all of which has ultimately led to his capture.”
Mr Coyle added: “With our partners at home and abroad we are committed to doing everything possible to find those who have fled justice in the UK. This is another example of an offender being caught because of the NCA’s global reach and strong relationships with international partners.”
