A wanted criminal who spent almost 10 years on the run has finally been caught be police.
Jason O'Connor was found yesterday on Stansfield Avenue where he was arrested by Cheshire Police and taken into custody.
Authorities had been searching for the 46-year-old since he failed to appear at a court sentencing for a drugs conspiracy in 2013.
O'Connor, from Merseyside, was detained by officers from the North West Regional and Organised Crime Unit (NWROCU) and taken into police custody.
He was then brought before Warrington Magistrates Court yesterday (April 7).
The offender had been found guilty of conspiracy to produce cannabis almost a decade ago, but had failed to show at Chester Crown Court on April 17, in 2013, the court heard.
He was sentenced in his absence to five years in prison but he instead went on the run.
O’Connor was part of an investigation into a conspiracy to produce and supply cannabis in the Elton and Helsby area between February 2010 and October 2010.
A warrant was executed at a property on Marsh Lane in Elton in February 2010 and O’Connor was arrested.
During a search of the property officers discovered around 225 cannabis plants in three rooms.
PC Matthew Uren, of Cheshire Constabulary and who led the investigation at the time, said: "Today’s arrest is fantastic news and I want to thank officers from the NWROCU.
"O’Connor has evaded punishment for almost a decade by choosing to go on the run but justice has now finally caught up with him and he is now behind bars."
Detective Chief Inspector Jason Pye said: "This is a fantastic result for our new operations team who have been proactively searching for O’Connor for a number of weeks.
"We’re glad to have helped our colleagues from Cheshire Police put him behind bars where he will now face the punishment for his crimes."
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