Escaped prisoner arrested in York as part of covert operation into drug dealing

North Yorkshire Police said undercover officers stopped a vehicle in Acomb, York, on Thursday and detained a man.

The suspect, who was in his 30s and of no fixed abode, was charged with being concerned in the supply of class-A drugs (namely heroin and crack cocaine).

He was also charged with absconding from custody during a home leave visit from an open prison last year, where he had been serving a nine-year sentence for supplying class A drugs.

He was remanded into custody and is set to appear at York Magistrates Court today (Apr 4) so he can be returned to prison.

The driver of the vehicle which was stopped by police has also been arrested on suspicion of assisting an escaped prisoner.

The operation into county lines drug dealing was carried out by North Yorkshire Police’s Sentry team and an operational support unit.

The Sentry team users unmarked cars and plain-clothed officers to tackle organised crime including county lines drug dealing, which is a term for drug networks that span different counties.