Robert Dawes, a 46-year-old British man from Nottinghamshire, has been sentenced to 22 years in prison for his role as an international drugs kingpin. He was convicted in a Paris court for trafficking 1.3 tonnes of cocaine into Europe.
Dawes was arrested in Spain in 2015 after a shipment of cocaine packed into 30 suitcases was seized on a flight from South America to Paris in 2013. The court heard he used corrupt officials in Venezuela and supplied several criminal gangs.
The National Crime Agency described Dawes as a global 'big fish' who brokered deals with the Italian mafia and Colombian cartels. He lived in a luxury villa on the Costa del Sol, where guns, cash and encrypted mobile phones were seized.
Dawes started as a small-time criminal in Sutton-in-Ashfield and was first convicted of a crime at age 11. He denied all charges, claiming a recorded conversation about drug shipments was a ploy to end surveillance by Spanish police.
He was convicted of seven charges related to drug trafficking. Co-defendant Nathan Wheat was jailed for 13 years, while Kane Price was acquitted. Dawes faces confiscation of his properties and a potential 30 million euro fine.
