World champion boxer jailed for involvement in organised crime gang

by · Mail Online

A former world champion bare-knuckle boxer has been jailed for ten years for drug crimes after reportedly fleeing the UK to Thailand.

Luke Atkin, 37, of Lower Walton, Warrington, was part of a large cocaine network that was taken down by police with its members collectively handed 54 years behind bars.

More than £50,000 worth of class A drugs were seized during a large-scale operation from North Yorkshire Police which ended up with seven defendants jailed at Bradford Crown Court.    

Gavin Tuohey, 46, of Tadcaster, was the head of the organised crime gang and he would source large quantities of cocaine for onward supply to others further down the supply chain. 

He was stopped by police as he travelled from Leeds to Tadcaster in a taxi while carrying a kilogram block of high-purity cocaine with a street value of up to £43,000 in his rucksack. 

Luke Atkin, 37, of Lower Walton, Warrington, remains on the run with it being reported he fled to Thailand 
Atkin, a former bare-knuckle boxing world champion, was jailed for ten years in his absence from court
The 37-year-old informed the court he would not be attending on the first day of trial and flew out of the UK
North Yorkshire Police issued a wanted appeal earlier this year with it previously reported that he could be in Thailand

Text messages recovered from mobile phones showed that Tuohey would threaten and intimidate other members of the gang when they did not pay their debts for the cocaine he had supplied.

He was sentenced to nine years and three months at a court hearing on October 22 after pleading guilty to conspiracy to supply class-A drugs.  

Atkin, a former bare-knuckle boxing world champion, was a regular drug customer of Tuohey's and another downstream supplier of cocaine.

He lived in Warrington during the conspiracy period but made regular journeys to Tadcaster and York to meet other gang members and deal drugs.

Atkin informed the court he would not be attending on the first day of trial and flew out of the UK.

He was convicted in his absence for conspiracy to supply class-A drugs.

North Yorkshire Police issued a wanted appeal earlier this year with it previously reported that he could be in Thailand.

Rhys Morgan, 26, of Tadcaster, was also jailed for eight years for conspiracy to supply class-A drugs and was described by police as Tuohey's 'sidekick' regularly attending his home.

Gavin Tuohey, 46, of Tadcaster, (pictured) was the head of the organised crime gang and he would source large quantities of cocaine for onward supply to others further down the supply chain
Rhys Morgan, 26, of Tadcaster, (left) was jailed for eight years for conspiracy to supply class-A drugs and Jamal Lazrak, 29, of no fixed address, (right) was sent to prison for eight years, three months

He deputised for Tuohey when he  was on holiday and used a relative's address as a stash house for drugs, which was situated in the row of terraced houses directly behind the ringleader's home.

Jamal Lazrak, 29, of no fixed address, was one of Tuohey's top contacts at the time and made numerous quick-turnaround journeys between York and Tadcaster in two black Volkswagen Golfs.

One of the Golfs was taken from Lazrak temporarily by Tuohey as a debt repayment.

Luazrak was supplied with quantities of cocaine that could be broken down further for onward supply.

He was sent to prison for eight years, three months after pleading guilty to conspiracy to supply class-A drugs. 

Max Haigh, 23, of York, was a drug-dealer who detectives linked to a number of addresses connected to the investigation. He was jailed for six years and four months.

Meanwhile, Olivia Heppell, 27, York used to carry drugs in quick-turnaround journeys between York and Tadcaster.

Max Haigh, 23, of York, (left) was jailed for six years and four months and Olivia Heppell, 27, York, (right) was given a two-year jail sentence, suspended for two years
More than £50,000 worth of class A drugs were seized during a large-scale operation from North Yorkshire Police which ended up with seven defendants jailed at Bradford Crown Court (pictured)

She admitted being a driver for a gang member on frequent trips to collect cocaine and deliver drugs money. She was given a two-year jail sentence, suspended for two years.

At a hearing in March , Luke Jenkins, 33, of Leeds, pleaded guilty at a previous hearing and was convicted of 10 years for conspiracy to supply class-A drugs after his fingerprints were found on the packaging.

Another defendant is due to be sentenced at a later date after police arrested him and found drugs with a potential street value of almost £6,500 secreted in his underwear. 

And a 33-year-old man was charged in connection with the conspiracy and pleaded guilty but died before he could be sentenced.

Detective Constable Leah Kitchen, of North Yorkshire Police's Organised Crime Unit, said: 'This was a large and detailed investigation that led to an organised crime gang being dismantled, and in doing so we've stopped tens of thousands of pounds of high-purity class-A drugs hitting the streets.

'The key players have received significant prison sentences that reflect the seriousness of their crimes but also take them out of circulation for a number of years, which can only be a good thing for communities in Tadcaster and York.'

MailOnline has approached North Yorkshire Police for further comment on Atkin's wanted appeal.