Wanted man Paul Heaton arrested and will be brought to justice for Scarborough cocaine plot

Paul Daniel Heaton, from Manchester, was part of a gang that was jailed for almost 30 years for a plot to push cocaine in Scarborough.

The convictions followed a major investigation by North Yorkshire Police that lasted more than three years.

Ringleader Sonny Elms, who also went on the run before he could be sentenced, was jailed for almost ten years in August after he was arrested in his home city of Manchester.

Five other gang members, all from Greater Manchester, were sent to prison for a total of almost 20 years.

Heaton was arrested in North Wales by officers from Greater Manchester Police earlier this month.

The 26-year-old was wanted on warrant for around eight months after he failed to attend court to be sentenced for conspiracy to supply class-A drugs.

Officers across several force areas were involved in the search for him. He was also the subject of a number of media appeals across northern England.

Heaton has been remanded in prison and is due to appear at York Crown Court for sentencing next month.

It will be the final sentencing of a major North Yorkshire Police investigation in which detectives uncovered a network of criminals from outside North Yorkshire peddling class-A drugs in Scarborough.

Detectives pieced together a web of evidence, including complicated mobile phone information, to build up a picture of how the organised crime group operated.

The investigation lasted more than three years and saw North Yorkshire Police work closely with officers in Manchester.