'British Pablo Escobar' Curtis Warren charged after breaking 'strict conditions'
Curtis Warren, the 'British Pablo Escobar', has been charged with breaching a Serious Crime Prevention Order according to the National Crime Agency.
They said in a statement: "National Crime Agency officers have charged a 60-year-old man from Liverpool with committing numerous breaches of his Serious Crime Prevention Order.
"Curtis Warren, who was arrested by the NCA in Boldon Colliery, South Tyneside in July, was informed of the charges as he answered bail at a police station in Merseyside today, Friday 17 November.
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"The 11 charges authorised by the Crown Prosecution Service include alleged breaches relating to communications devices, travel, vehicles, business arrangements and finances, all said to have been committed between November 2022 and July 2023.
"Warren has been bailed and is due to appear before Liverpool Magistrates on 15 December."
Warren, who previously featured in the Sunday Times Rich List, was arrested at Boldon Colliery in South Tyneside in July.
He has been charged with 11 alleged breaches of an order imposed upon him following his release from prison 'for drug trafficking offences'.
Nicknamed 'Britain's Pablo Escobar', Warren has also been referred to as 'Liverpool's most infamous gangster'.
He used to be Interpol's most wanted criminal and in 1996 he was sentenced to 12 years behind bars, after he was found in possession of large quantities of drugs - including cannabis, heroin, ecstasy and cocaine - in the Netherlands.
Police also found guns, grenades, ammunition, gas cannisters and cash in his car when he was apprehended at the time.
His sentence was extended in 2001 after he was found guilty of manslaughter over a fight which resulted in the death of another inmate in 1999.
Warren appealed his sentence and was released in 2007, before being arrested again in 2009, and sentenced to 13 years in prison for conspiring to smuggle cannabis.
Upon his release from prison, he was issued with a strict set of rules for five years after his release.
These included being banned from using WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger, as well as holding cryptocurrency assets.
The Serious Crime Prevention Order against Warren meant that the National Crime Agency could monitor his assets at any time.
He also had to give police at least a days notice if he wanted to travel in a friend's vehicle, while attempting to go to Scotland would have required giving seven days notice.
Warren will appear in Liverpool Magistrate's Court next month, with 15 December the date set for him.
Joe Harker