Drug dealer on the run for 11 months is finally caught out by police after he went over a pothole at 80mph
- Luke Evans, 32, crashed his car while being chased by police in Nottinghamshire
- Had been avoiding jail since police found £130,000 of drugs at his holiday cabin
- Evans has been jailed for seven years and banned from driving for three years
A drug dealer on the run for 11 months was finally caught when he drove over a pothole at 80mph.
Luke Evans crashed his car as he was being chased by police – fracturing his neck, elbow and knee, and nearly severing his left ear.
Officers found the 32-year-old with his head ‘hanging out of the window’, Nottingham Crown Court heard.
Luke Evans, 32, crashed his car as he was being chased by police – fracturing his neck, elbow and knee, and nearly severing his left ear
Evans had been avoiding jail ever since police raided a holiday cabin he had hired and found £130,000 worth of cocaine, amphetamines, heroin and cannabis – as well as £12,000 in cash.
The drug dealer, of Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, was arrested last March but failed to answer bail. In January, officers spotted an uninsured car Ford Mondeo which refused to stop.
It sped off at up to 80mph with Evans at the wheel before it crashed when it hit a road littered with potholes.
After admitting dangerous driving and possessing class A drugs with intent to supply, he was jailed for seven years and banned from driving for three years.
Officers found the 32-year-old with his head ‘hanging out of the window’, Nottingham Crown Court heard. Pictured is Evans’s crashed Ford Mondeo
Police were initially called to his holiday cabin in Newark, Nottinghamshire, after reports of a stolen car using different registration plates on the front and back.
They discovered a car had been taken during a burglary and the number plates had been stolen from Tibshelf, Derbys.
After he was held in connection with the car and number plate thefts, officers searched the cabin and discovered the drugs and cash.
The haul included 600 grams of cocaine and more than four kilos of amphetamines, heroin and cannabis.
The haul included 600 grams of cocaine and more than four kilos of amphetamines, heroin and cannabis
As well as the cash, there were two gold watches and what appeared to be a drug dealer’s list.
After crashing into a pothole he was helped out of the car by officers, arrested and taken to hospital with a fractured neck, elbow and knee.
Detective Chief Inspector Kevin Broadhead, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: ‘Drug crime can have a devastating impact on people’s lives and Nottinghamshire Police will continue to locate and prosecute those who seek to deal drugs, and ensure they are brought to justice.
‘I am pleased that Evans will have to face the consequences of his actions and hope this sends a message that drug supply will not be tolerated in Nottinghamshire.’