A man who went on the run for 5 years has been jailed in connection with a £2million drugs haul discovered by police on the Isle of Wight

Henry Thomas Henderson, aged 56 years, of The Rogers in Shanklin, appeared at Portsmouth Crown Court on Friday 4 February having previously admitted the following:

• 4 counts of possession of a Class A drug with intent to supply
• 2 counts of possession of a Class B drug with intent to supply
• 2 counts of possession of a Class C drug with intent to supply

These offences date back to 8 September 2016, when PC Tom Wyld stopped and arrested Henderson in a car in the Newport area, along with his co-accused Timothy Morgan.

Following a subsequent search of Henderson’s address at the time in Downsview, Sandown, and a search of Morgan’s vehicle which was parked outside, police recovered a large quantity of drugs with an estimated street value of £2million.

This included the seizure of high purity heroin and cocaine, MDMA, ketamine, amphetamine and khat.

It was suspected that the drugs were set to be dealt over the Bestival weekend.

Henderson was subsequently bailed to allow officers to make further enquiries, however he fled to Spain to evade prosecution.

A European Arrest Warrant was authorised and he was subsequently charged with the drugs offences in 30 September 2021 when he returned to the UK.

He admitted the charges when he appeared at Portsmouth Crown Court on 1 December 2021.

Today he was sentenced to 9 and a half years in prison.

Morgan, formerly of Church Road in Wootton, was previously convicted of four counts of possession of a Class A drug with intent to supply, two counts of possession of a Class B drug with intent to supply, and two counts of possession of a Class C drug with intent to supply following a trial in his absence.

On 23 August 2018, he was sentenced to 9 and a half years in prison. 

Following Henderson’s sentencing, Detective Constable Lee Parker said: “This was a huge seizure of drugs by police, and a lot of work went into bringing this case together.

“Henderson foolishly believed he could evade justice, but we hope that this case sends a warning to those who think they are immune to prosecution – you are wrong.

“Drug supply causes immeasurable harm to our communities. It is often linked to violence and the exploitation of children, and we know that residents on the Island want this stamped out.

“Tackling drug related harm is a priority for us, and we continue to appeal to the public to provide us with any pieces of information they have around drug use and supply in their area. The more we know, the bigger the picture we have.”

Anyone with information about drugs supply is encouraged to report to police via the Report tool on our website, or by calling 101.