Wanted man arrested after almost 10 years on the run for a drugs conspiracy

A man wanted for almost 10 years after failing to appear at court to be sentenced for a drugs conspiracy has been caught in Warrington.

Jason O’Connor, from Merseyside, was detained at an address on Stansfield Avenue at around 12pm on Thursday 7 April.

Officers from the North West Regional and Organised Crime Unit (NWROCU) arrested O’Connor who was then taken into police custody and appeared at Warrington Magistrates Court on the afternoon of Thursday 7 April.

The 46-year-old failed to appear at Chester Crown Court on 17 April 2013 after being found guilty of conspiracy to produce cannabis.

He was sentenced in his absence to five years in prison.

O’Connor was part of an investigation into a conspiracy to produce and supply cannabis in the Elton and Helsby area between 9 February 2010 and 31 October 2010.

A warrant was executed at a property on Marsh Lane in Elton on 9 February 2010 and O’Connor was arrested.

During a search of the property officers discovered around 225 cannabis plants in three rooms.

PC Matthew Uren, of Cheshire Constabulary and who led the investigation at the time, said: “Today’s arrest is fantastic news and I want to thank officers from the NWROCU.

“O’Connor has evaded punishment for almost a decade by choosing to go on the run but justice has now finally caught up with him and he is now behind bars.”

Detective Chief Inspector Jason Pye from the North West Regional Organised Crime Unit said: “This is a fantastic result for our new operations team who have been proactively searching for O’Connor for a number of weeks. We’re glad to have helped our colleagues from Cheshire Police put him behind bars where he will now face the punishment for his crimes.”