On the run Leeds firearms dealer back in prison after arrest in Spain

A fugitive from Leeds wanted for trafficking weapons and ammunition has been sent back to prison after his arrest in Spain.Clinton Blakey was arrested in Marbella in May following a surveillance operation by the National Crime Agency.

Blakey is suspected of being part of an organised crime group facilitating the movement of firearms and ammunition from Liverpool to Leeds.

He had been on the run for three years, after failing to turn up at Leeds Magistrates’ Court to face the weapons and ammunition charges in 2020.

He was flown back to the UK on Thursday 8 June and remanded in custody by Leeds magistrates on Friday 9 June. He will now serve the remainder of an eight-year sentence from a separate drugs conviction

Nigel Coles, NCA Operations Manager, said: “Blakey was arrested after an intelligence led operation between the NCA and Spanish National Police Organised Crime Fugitive Team.

“Following an intense period of research and surveillance he was detained in a vehicle in Marbella and transported back to the UK.

“Firearms and the supply of Class A drugs are inextricably linked and are often the cause of violence and exploitation in communities. Ensuring they are taken out of circulation and those associated with their use face the consequences of their actions are crucial to our work protecting the public.”

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