Jun 23 – Man Wanted For Drug Trafficking Set To Be Extradited From Gibraltar
A British man, who arrived in Gibraltar “dripping wet” and turned himself in after seeing himself on a Crimewatch appeal, will be extradited within the next 10 days.
Jason Waterman, originally from Watford in Hertfordshire, appeared before the Magistrates’ Court this morning, represented by his lawyer Patrick Canessa.
He will be extradited under a European Arrest Warrant for drug trafficking offences.
Waterman arrived in Gibraltar, dripping with salt water and carrying a small bag of wet clothing late on Monday evening, but refused to tell officers how he had reached Gibraltar, only that it wasn’t through the land frontier.
The 32-year-old, whose nicknames include “Jugs” and “Jumbo”, is believed by the National Crime Agency (NCA) to have been around Bagby airfield, near Thirsk, North Yorkshire, in October 2015 shortly after a light aircraft arrived from the Netherlands.
Border Force officers in the UK recovered a briefcase containing 7kgs of cocaine with a potential street value of £1.2million from the airfield. The aircraft pilot was arrested but later found not guilty of importation offences.
Waterman told Gibraltar police on Monday he had seen the NCA’s appeal on the BBC’s Crimewatch Roadshow that morning and wanted to hand himself in.
In a statement made yesterday, NCA North East Operations Manager Brian Shaw said: “It might sound like a cushy number, sitting around watching Crimewatch Roadshow on a Monday morning, but life as a fugitive is hard and stressful.
“The NCA first issued an appeal for Waterman in London nearly a year ago. Clearly something about the new appeal made him crack.
“To everyone else feeling the stress of being on the run I would say we are patient people, we keep the pressure on, and we never stop looking for you.”
Carl Ramagge appeared for the Crown.
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