A fugitive from Wales, wanted for drug crimes, was caught in Portugal after four years.
Calin Parris, aged 35, is from Barry, Wales. Police called him a most wanted man in the UK. He fled when police probed the conspiracy, but was caught in Boliqueime, Algarve, last October. They returned him to Wales and jailed him.
Parris led the drug conspiracy, the court heard. Gang members wore uniforms as disguises, which helped them move drugs during Covid lockdowns. They avoided detection with EncroChat, and Parris used usernames like “HopefulCrown.”
He got five kilos of cocaine on April 6, 2020, with each kilo costing £40,500. The judge called the money truly staggering.
Police tried to arrest Parris at home in September 2020, but he was not there. Four years later, they found and arrested him in Portugal.
Parris admitted to cocaine supply conspiracy. He had previous drug convictions and was already on licence at the time, having gotten six years for prior drug dealing.
The Judge sentenced Parris to twelve years total, ordering that he spend six years in jail. The rest is on licence after release.
Duncan Burrage from the NCA spoke after. They worked hard to find Parris, he said, and Portuguese police found him in the Algarve. This shows dedication to find UK fugitives, desiring to bring everyone to justice.
Detective Ceri Young also spoke. Parris belonged to a Welsh crime group that used EncroChat to traffic drugs. They moved Class A drugs into south Wales, and this platform aided their criminal acts, she explained, noting that this crime harms communities, so stopping it is very important.