‘Britain’s Pablo Escobar’ released from prison with strict conditions
An English gangster known as 'Britain's Pablo Escobar' has been released from prison - but he has a strict set of rules he must follow.
For those not in the know, Curtis Warren - who is also referred to as 'Liverpool's most infamous gangster' - has a long criminal history.
The 59-year-old, whose drug empire earned him an estimated £200 million fortune, has spent much of the last 25 years locked up.
Advert
He was formally Interpol's number one most wanted criminal, codenamed Target One, and was once listed on The Sunday Times Rich List for his criminal fortune.
In 1996, Warren was sentenced to 12 years in prison after being found in possession of large quantities of drugs - including cannabis, heroin, ecstasy and cocaine - in the Netherlands.
Authorities also discovered ammunition, hand grenades, guns, gas canisters and large amounts of cash.
His sentence was extended in 2001 after he was found guilty of manslaughter over a 1999 fight which resulted in the death of another inmate in 1999.
Several years after Turkish prisoner Cemal Guclu died in the prison fight, the British gangster was charged with drugs trafficking but he later successfully appealed and was released in 2007.
But in December 2009, Warren was once again arrested - this time he was sentenced to 13 years imprisonment after being found guilty of conspiring to smuggle cannabis.
And that brings us to the present day, where the Liverpudlian drug lord has been released from HMP Whitemoor in Cambridgeshire.
However, he must follow a strict set of rules upon his release, including a ban from using WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger, as well as holding cryptocurrency such as Bitcoin.
National Crime Agency (NCA) obtained a Serious Crime Prevention Order against Warren, meaning it can monitor the assets at any time.
He will also have to give a day's notice to the police if he wants to get into a friend's car or van.
As for travelling to Scotland, he'll have to provide an NCA handler with seven days' notice, according to The Sun.
His barrister Anthony Barraclough told the outlet that he's got his heart set on modest goals following his release.
"The first thing he wanted to do was to see his mother," he said. "He just wants peace and quiet. He is allowed to have a decent, ordinary life."
It looks like 'Britain's Pablo Escobar' has no choice - if he gets caught breaking any of the rules, he could find himself behind bars once more.
Topics: Pablo Escobar, UK News, Crime, Drugs, Money
Daisy Phillipson