Tom PowellTHE HEAD of a major cocaine ring has been jailed for 16 years after he was arrested paddling around at a water park in Torremolinos.
Lee Broadbent, 33, fled to the Costa del Sol in October 2011 where he led a lavish lifestyle while continuing to organise his drug network in Northwest England.
He was eventually captured by Spanish police, enjoying an afternoon at Aqualand, in August 2012 after English police obtained an international arrest warrant.
Members of the gang were jailed for a total of 80 years at Preston Crown Court, all for conspiracy to supply class A controlled drugs.
Lancashire police launched Operation Oriole in September 2011 to dismantle the gang and their supply chain.
Broadbent flew to the Costa del Sol after police arrested another criminal, Gary Gairns, following his drugs swap with Broadbent in a Tesco car park that day.
He carried on giving orders to drug suppliers via pay-as-you-go telephones, which he believed could not be traced.
Lee Broadbent, 33, of Poulton-le-Fylde was given a 16-year sentence following a seven-week long trial, where he was found guilty of conspiracy to supply cocaine.
