MMA fighter turned drugs lord made £273k from cocaine trade - but must only pay back £41k

The head of a drugs ring, which raked in "industrial scale quantities" of cocaine and amphetamine, has been found to have just £41,665 to his name.

Darren Towler, 43, made £273,408 from his illicit trade, which saw him jailed for 24 years, in November 2022. The Consett-born cage fighter went on the run, rather than stand trial.

The public were urged not to approach 6ft 3in Towler; but after 18 months on the run, he was found near the Croatian border. He spent 10 weeks in a Croatian jail before he was extradited back to the UK.

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In October 2023, Judge Jonathan Carroll added another six-months on to Towler's prison term, after he admitted failing to surrender to the court.

The specialist crime unit at Durham Constabulary found that the gang Towler had led had "exchanged industrial scale quantities of drugs" in 2017, which involved frequent trips to Merseyside. On Thursday, Towler, whose last address was at Rutherford Street in Newcastle, appeared at Teesside Crown Court.

A proceeds of crime order was made and Towler must pay the 41,665 back to the government, within 28 days. If he fails to do this, the court heard that he will face an addition 12-months jail time, on top of the 24-and-a-half-years he is serving.

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