Drug dealer who fled to Spain jailed

A man who fled to Spain after being charged with supplying cannabis has been jailed for more than three years.

Viktor Karavaqiri, 26, was the "right-hand man" of a gang being investigated for drug dealing in Northampton and Milton Keynes.

Five other men involved in the conspiracy were jailed last year.

The senior investigating officer said getting Karavaqiri back to the UK demonstrated "our determination to bring those responsible for the supply of illegal drugs to account".

Karavaqiri's conviction followed an investigation by the East Midlands Special Operations Unit (EMSOU) into the supply of the Class B drug in Northamptonshire, Buckinghamshire and Essex.

EMSOU's senior investigating officer, Det Sgt Chris Sewell, said: "Our investigations into this criminal group uncovered a sizeable network of people facilitating the supply of cannabis, including Viktor Karavaqiri.

"Karavaqiri played a significant role in these illegal operations, with the evidence we painstakingly gathered showing how he acted as a right-hand man to the group's leader, acting as his deputy and overseeing sales himself as well as directing others in the group to make deliveries."

Det Sgt Sewell added that, after Karavaqiri fled the UK, police were able to secure his return with the co-operation of the Spanish authorities.

He pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply a Class B drug and was sentenced on 17 April at Northampton Crown Court to three years and four months in prison.

A forfeiture order was made for his Audi A4 car.

Five other men convicted of offences relating to the conspiracy, including the ringleader, Fjoraldo Lazaj, 26, were jailed for a total of more than 15 years at the same court last year.

Det Sgt Sewell said: "I hope this sentence and the wider case demonstrates our determination to bring those responsible for the sale and supply of illegal drugs to account."

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