British drug dealer busted and back in cuffs after Thailand trip
A notorious drug dealer, who made a run for it to Thailand while his gang mates were being slammed with a 44-year sentence back in the UK, has found himself back behind British bars. Luke Atkin now faces a decade in jail after being nabbed by Thai police and sent packing back home.
The 37 year old drug dealer, a key player in a narcotics syndicate that flooded York and Tadcaster with cocaine, was originally sentenced to ten years in his absence. His underworld associates were handed hefty sentences by Bradford Crown Court last October. Yet, defiant Atkin skipped his trial, opting for a hasty exit from the UK.
Convicted of conspiracy to supply Class A substances, the former cage fighter was declared wanted when he didn’t show in court. Despite his far-flung escape, luck ran dry when Thai police picked him up, initially for another matter and overstaying his visa.
After a stint in a Thai cell, he was deported and duly appeared at Bradford Crown Court for a quick hearing last week. As a result of his disappearance act, an extra four months were tacked onto his original sentence.
Hailing from Warrington, Cheshire, Atkin frequently trekked to North Yorkshire for shady dealings with fellow gang members.
His gang was dismantled by North Yorkshire Police’s Organised Crime Unit, which scooped up Class A drugs valued over £50,000 (2.1 million baht) during a sweeping investigation in 2022 and 2023.
During a brief hearing on Tuesday, January 28, at Bradford Crown Court, Atkin appeared via video link from HMP Wandsworth. He pleaded guilty to failing to surrender to the court last April, leading Judge Watson to extend his sentence by an additional four months.
His barrister, Emily Hassell, conceded that there was no viable mitigation to present on his behalf, given that he had fled the jurisdiction just as his trial was commencing. She stated that Atkin fully acknowledged the charge of failing to surrender and apologised for any delay caused as a result, Cheshire Live reported.
Judge Kirstie Watson observed that the trial had proceeded and Atkin had been convicted in his absence.
“To that extent, your absence did not obstruct the course of justice. You pleaded guilty to this matter at the first opportunity once you had been brought back to this court.”
In May last year The Thaiger reported that British Police had launched an international manhunt for a fugitive British man from Warrington, UK, believed to be hiding out in Thailand.
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