Drugs baron Curtis Warren could walk into a true crime TV deal when he gets out of prison next month, according to reports.
Warren – dubbed "Britain's Pablo Escobar" – is said to have been inundated with letters and promises of documentaries and movies. With the rise of streaming services such as Netflix and Amazon Prime, TV bosses sense huge worldwide demand for a true crime show made with his blessing, reports The Mirror.
Warren – once worth £200m and nicknamed Cocky – has so far stayed tight-lipped despite several offers being made for his story. Friends said after his latest 14-year stint behind bars he could be ready to tell all.
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A source said: "There's no chance Curtis will get back in the game once he's out. It'd be a daft move as he'll have eyes on him everywhere he goes. But he is drawn to the idea of doing a film or documentary. He has offers from the UK and America. Who wouldn't want his story?
“Kid from Toxteth rising through the ranks to become one of the biggest drug dealers in the world, doing business with the Cali Cartel in Colombia. The Sunday Times rich list. The big bust in Holland. It's TV gold. And there's so much more that people don't know."
Strict UK laws prevent convicted criminals profiting from their crimes. But sources say Warren could take part regardless as a chance to lord it over rivals and further enhance his reputation.
The drug dealer has spent almost all of the last 25 years behind bars. It is said he has a fortune of almost £200m stockpiled via his drugs empire. The 59-year-old is set to be released from HMP Whitemoor, Cambs, next month.
Teaming up with filmmakers was looking like Warren's "best bet", the source said. They added: "The only thing possibly holding him back is that he'll be thrust into the limelight and that's something he hasn't been used to as he's had to stay in the shadows – and he was very good at it."
By the age of 34, Warren was said to have accrued houses in Wales, Spain and Gambia, a yacht, petrol stations and apartments in Turkey, a Bulgarian winery, a 16-room Dutch mansion and 200 Liverpool rental properties. In 2009 he was jailed for 13 years for plotting to smuggle £1m of cannabis into Jersey. He got another 10 years after failing to pay a £198m confiscation order, one of the largest ever made in Europe.
Once freed, Warren, a former Liverpool nightclub bouncer, will be under close scrutiny at the highest level. He will not be allowed to hold assets worth more than £1,000. Other lifestyle curbs include a ban on encrypted messaging services such as WhatsApp, foreign travel and use of the web, phones and vehicles.
Alison Abbott, of the National Crime Agency, said such serious crime prevention orders ensured the agency had individuals "firmly on their radar." She said: "Anything that suggests that they're slipping into old ways can be detected early on. Many career criminals regard prison as an interruption which rarely marks the end of their involvement in organised crime."
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