A Scots drug lord that ran an industrial scale amphetamine lab and trafficked heroin and cocaine has been convicted following his extradition.
Colin Wright, 38, of Torre Pacheco, Murcia, and previously of Motherwell, was arrested by the Spanish National Police in March this year at the request of the National Crime Agency (NCA) and returned to the UK on October 4. High-value items to designer gear such as Gucci and Louboutin, were seized at his Spanish residence.
Wright moved abroad in August 2020 and remained in Spain to evade capture when fellow organised criminal group (OCG) members were apprehended by NCA officers in March 2021.
As the head of the OCG’s Scottish arm, Wright was actively involved in the supply of cocaine and heroin in both Scotland and England. He worked closely with Terence Earle, 50, who was imprisoned for 16 and a half years in April 2023, and Terence’s cousin Stephen Earle, 52, who was caged for 11 years and four months in August of this year.
Using the EncroChat handle ‘Jack-Nicklaus’ to communicate with Terence, Wright also sourced drugs, assessed supply routes and found customers. He created the amphetamine lab in Motherwell. In March 2020, as the country entered its first Covid 19 lockdown, a criminal associate sent boxes of alpha-phenyl acetoacetamide (APAA), a component of amphetamine production, to Wright.
Over the following few days, the OCG began preparing the lab, but despite messages between them indicating that the ‘farm’ (or lab) was ready, they struggled to secure the solvents required for the manufacturing process. Terence and Wright also shared images of the liquid being treated to check what colour it should be.
Wright assisted in the shipment of at least 10 kilogrammes of heroin and seven kilos of cocaine, with the former being transported from Merseyside to Motherwell and the latter in the opposite direction.
He pleaded guilty to five drugs charges at Liverpool Crown Court today (November 1) and will be sentenced at the same court on 25 November.
The NCA’s investigation formed part of Operation Venetic, the UK NCA-led law enforcement response to the takedown of the EncroChat service in July 2020. NCA Branch Commander Jon Sayers said: “Colin Wright was an integral member of this high harm criminal organisation, which posed a serious danger to communities across Scotland and Merseyside.
“The drugs they trafficked would have fuelled violence and exploitation in these areas, so bringing this criminal group to justice has helped protect the public.
“Wright’s case also shows that there is nowhere to hide for criminals who seek to avoid arrest by living overseas, as the NCA has the international scope to find you and make you pay for your crimes.”
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