Fugitive Drug Kingpin Snared in Portugal After NCA Hunt
Stephen Earle, 52, from Crosby, Merseyside, went on the run in Portugal in July 2020. He dodged arrest after the National Crime Agency (NCA) caught his gang members in March 2021. But the fugitive’s freedom finally ended when Portugal’s Polícia Judiciária Fugitive Team nabbed him in Faro this January.
Earle was flown back to the UK on 18 March, facing justice after years on the lam.
Family Double Act Ran Major Class A Drugs Empire
Stephen worked alongside his cousin Terence Earle, 50, who got a whopping 16-and-a-half-year sentence last April. The cousins operated via the now-infamous encrypted chat system EncroChat, using the handles ‘Octo-hand’ (Stephen) and ‘ThickBoar’ (Terence).
The pair masterminded shipments of at least 10 kilos of heroin and seven kilos of cocaine. The heroin travelled from Merseyside to Motherwell, while the cocaine moved the other way.
Accomplices Also Locked Up for Amphetamine Lab and Drug Trafficking
- Stanley Feerick, 70, and Lee Baxter, 50, helped run the sinister network.
- Both were sentenced for their roles in the class A ring.
- Feerick was linked to setting up an amphetamine lab in Scotland.
Stephen Earle Sentenced to Over 11 Years in Liverpool Court
After admitting four drug supply charges at Liverpool Crown Court on 16 April, Stephen Earle was sentenced yesterday to 11 years and four months behind bars.
Justice has finally caught up with this drug empire boss and his network, dealing a major blow to organised crime in the UK and beyond.
