{"id":48743,"date":"2026-01-30T11:03:13","date_gmt":"2026-01-30T11:03:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/?p=48743"},"modified":"2026-01-30T11:03:13","modified_gmt":"2026-01-30T11:03:13","slug":"british-class-a-drug-dealer-deported-six-years-fleeing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/2026\/01\/30\/british-class-a-drug-dealer-deported-six-years-fleeing\/","title":{"rendered":"British Class A drug dealer deported almost six years after fleeing"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <script data-jetpack-boost=\"ignore\" async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-1669381584671856\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<!-- Africa tv video display -->\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-1669381584671856\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"3579572842\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"auto\"\r\n     data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\r\n<script data-jetpack-boost=\"ignore\">\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<p><h2>Ben May fled Britain in June 2020 after an alleged accomplice was found with two bags containing 12kgs of cocaine.<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>A British national has been deported back to the United Kingdom (UK) after eight months in custody in South Africa.<\/p>\n<p>Benjamin Leslie May was arrested in Cape Town in February 2025 after fleeing Britain in June 2020.<\/p>\n<p>May was linked to a cocaine smuggling operation and was wanted in his home country on two charges of conspiracy to supply class A narcotics.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-on-the-run-since-2020\">On the run since 2020<\/h2>\n<p>Investigations in Europe led a court in Wales to issue a warrant of arrest for May in September 2023.<\/p>\n<p>May was linked to offences allegedly committed between August 2019 and June 2020.<\/p>\n<p>He was one of seven suspects linked to the cocaine smuggling operation, with the other six having since been arrested and sentenced.<\/p>\n<p>May is accused of working with a Liverpool-based accomplice to smuggle wholesale amounts of cocaine into the UK and transporting the cash proceeds to London. \u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMay was identified as the user of an encrypted EncroChat device responsible for arranging the distribution of cocaine to various contacts around the country, including in South Wales.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe used the Encrochat handles \u2018illusivebone\u2019 and \u2018splitcactus. On 6 June 2020, a drug courier was arrested while transporting 12kg of cocaine to South Wales,\u201d confirmed Western Cape NPA spokesperson Eric Ntabazalila.<\/p>\n<p>Two 6kg black bags of cocaine were found containing May\u2019s fingerprints, with him leaving Britain shortly afterwards. \u00a0<\/p>\n<p>May is believed to have fled England for France via the Eurotunnel on 7 June 2020, before travelling to South Africa by undisclosed means.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"640\" height=\"428\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-4309436\" srcset=\"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/British-Class-A-drug-dealer-deported-almost-six-years-after.jpg 1500w, https:\/\/media.citizen.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Ben-May--1200x803.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/media.citizen.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Ben-May--768x514.jpg 768w, https:\/\/media.citizen.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Ben-May--300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/media.citizen.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Ben-May--456x304.jpg 456w\" data-lazy-sizes=\"(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/British-Class-A-drug-dealer-deported-almost-six-years-after.jpg?resize=640%2C428&#038;ssl=1\"\/><noscript><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"640\" height=\"428\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/British-Class-A-drug-dealer-deported-almost-six-years-after.jpg?resize=640%2C428&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-4309436\" srcset=\"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/British-Class-A-drug-dealer-deported-almost-six-years-after.jpg 1500w, https:\/\/media.citizen.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Ben-May--1200x803.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/media.citizen.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Ben-May--768x514.jpg 768w, https:\/\/media.citizen.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Ben-May--300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/media.citizen.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Ben-May--456x304.jpg 456w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px\"\/><\/noscript><\/figure>\n<p><em><strong>Above<\/strong>: Wanted British drug dealer Ben May in custody in Cape Town. Picture: Supplied \/ Interpol <\/em><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-tightening-net\">Tightening net<\/h3>\n<p>Roughly 18 months after the warrant was issued in Wales, Western Cape authorities were contacted by counterparts in Europe.<\/p>\n<p>Acting on a European Convention on Extradition request, the Cape Town Magistrate\u2019s Court issued a warrant for May\u2019s arrest on 17 February 2025 and he was arrested the following day.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-video\"><video controls=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/media.citizen.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/WhatsApp-Video-2026-01-30-at-11.33.36.mp4\"\/><\/figure>\n<p>At subsequent bail application hearings, the court heard that May applied for a new passport using a physical address in Spain.<\/p>\n<p>Prosecutors argued that May had a history of evasion and failure to surrender to authorities, making any surrender of his passport a meaningless deterrent.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe had the means to survive whilst on the run from authorities, all the while continuing his criminal enterprise,\u201d said Ntabazalila, relaying the court\u2019s rationale.<\/p>\n<p>May\u2019s bail application was officially denied on 23 May, and he had remained in custody until Thursday evening when he was sent back to Britain to face prosecution.<\/p>\n<p><strong>NOW READ: Thabo Bester moved to super-maximum prison in Kokstad<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><script data-jetpack-boost=\"ignore\" async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-1669381584671856\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<!-- Africa tv video display -->\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-1669381584671856\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"3579572842\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"auto\"\r\n     data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\r\n<script data-jetpack-boost=\"ignore\">\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n#British #Class #drug #dealer #deported #years #fleeing<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Ben May fled Britain in June 2020 after an alleged accomplice was found with two bags containing 12kgs of cocaine.&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":48744,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-48743","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mzansi"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48743","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=48743"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48743\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":48745,"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48743\/revisions\/48745"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/48744"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=48743"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=48743"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=48743"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}