'I met Curtis Warren in Strangeways - these are the two words I'd use to describe him'

A former associate of infamous drug trafficker Curtis Warren has shed light on the character of the Liverpool-born criminal after they spent time together in prison.

Stephen Mee, a convicted drug smuggler, encountered Warren while on remand in Strangeways, describing the time he first met the Manchester-born felon when facing a significant prison sentence himself.

Mee then managed to escape custody on the M62 during transport by coach for his sentencing, followed by absconding via a private plane to Holland. Meanwhile, Warren, whose trial for the alleged plot to bring 1,000kg of cocaine into the UK failed in 1993, also decamped to the Netherlands, where he and Mee reunited.

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The duo promptly entered the smuggling trade together until 1996 when the law caught up with them due to 'Operation Crayfish'.

During a discussion with Dodge Woodall on the Eventful Lives podcast, Mee divulged details about the 61-year-old's true persona behind bars, confessing that he "never heard of him" before their paths crossed in detention. He recalled: "I only heard about him when I was in the police cells for about five months."

Mee went on to recount the circumstances in Strangeways following the infamous riots, stating: "Strangeways was shut down and then they opened it up again after the riots. But it wasn't right so they ended up having to get a lot of people out. Somebody told me about him in there and within a few weeks I was back in Strangeways and he was on the landing that I was on.", reports the Liverpool Echo.

"He was Cat A and I was on the wing, normally nobody goes near Cat A's, you can't go in the cell or anything. But we used to get the cell opened and play chess for a bit. He's the same as me, nice and calm."

Drug trafficker Warren, who once made history by featuring on the Sunday Times Rich List, was released from jail in November 2022 after serving 13 years behind bars. His sentence came following his conviction for conspiring to transport cannabis worth £1m into Jersey.

In August, at Liverpool Crown Court, Warren received a suspended prison sentence for breaching the conditions of his serious crime prevention order (SCPO). On August 27, facing the court, Warren pleaded guilty to six counts of breaching his SCPO and requested that another similar offence be considered in his sentencing.

The other 12 charges against him were ordered to lay on file, and he was given a 14-month suspended prison term for 18 months.