Drug Lord Robert Dawes appeals, again

Robert Dawes, 48, was sentenced by a French court to 22 years in jail for drug trafficking. He has appealed, again, this time accusing cops of using forged documents.

Known as "The Voice" the international drug baron was behind encrypted phones from a shuttered UK-registered company No1 Business Communication (No1BC).

He was miffed by the methods the anti-drugs task force used to seize 1.3 tonnes of cocaine at Charles de Gaulle Airport. There is no word on the outcome of his April 14 hearing. Robert Dawes was one of Europe’s biggest drug traffickers.

Robert Dawes was arrested two years after the drugs were discovered inside 30 unregistered suitcases, transported on an Air France plane from Caracas to Charles de Gaulle airport. Dawes was arrested at his expansive villa in Spain and deported to France.

The cocaine had a street value of €240m.

From his base in Andalucía, Dawes imported huge quantities of cocaine. Dawes mainly used shipping containers to move drugs, but also leisure boats and commercial flights such as the Air France flight. The discovery of the Air France shipment caused a major stir in Venezuela, where the interior minister admitted the suitcases had gone through security scanners that had clearly shown the presence of drugs. Venezuelan police arrested 25 people, including members of the military and an Air France manager.

Dawes’ criminal empire stretched from Portugal, France and Belgium to Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, Pakistan, Venezuela and Mexico. Dawes met regularly with representatives of South American cartels at hotels in Madrid. He also dealt with ‘Ndrangheta mafia.

His network spanned the globe, enabling him to orchestrate the movements of huge amounts of drugs and money.

The son of criminal, he got his first conviction in 1983, aged 11, and went on to collect 16 more, for robbery, drugs, and assault. Fearing arrest, Dawes fled to Spain in 2001 and built a massive drug empire. He could be free in 12 years, with much of his loot intact.