Drugs baron Dion Lee jailed for 24 years
- 11 December 2012
- From the section Liverpool
A Lancashire man who masterminded an international drugs and guns smuggling ring has been jailed for 24 years.
Dion Lee, who was originally from Lancaster, was the 28th and final person to be convicted following an operation by Lancashire police.
Lee was jailed at Liverpool Crown Court on Monday after admitting supplying class A drugs, guns and bullets.
He was arrested in Nigeria in September 2011 after being on the run for three years and was extradited to the UK.
Lee's conviction brings to an end the investigation into drugs and guns smuggling known as Operation Greengage.
He was responsible for organising the major international drugs supply chain.
Lancashire Police said Lee was the mastermind behind the scheme, heading up the Netherlands-based organised crime gang and linking in with the gangs in Preston and Scotland.
Det Insp Martin Kane of Lancashire Police said: "Lee's guilty plea and subsequent sentencing brings to conclusion an operation that began in 2006 and which has completely shattered a large, sophisticated crime group, spanning the UK, South America and mainland Europe."
Joanne Cunliffe, of the Crown Prosecution Service, added: "He [Dion Lee] went to great lengths to evade capture and probably thought he would not be found in Nigeria, but Lancashire Police remained determined to track him down."