Drugs boss who escaped from prison to Thailand tracked down and jailed
Kyle Nelson, 38, was a main player in a major County Lines network that sold heroin, crack cocaine and other dangerous drugs in York
Last updated 13th Aug 2026
A drug dealer, who escaped from prison and fled to Thailand, has been jailed for 11 years, after North Yorkshire Police tracked him down.
Kyle Nelson, 38, was a main player in a major County Lines network that sold heroin, crack cocaine and other dangerous drugs in York.
County Lines is the term given to drug networks run by organised crime groups that cross county boundaries and take over rural areas.
Nelson had been serving a nine-year prison sentence, for conspiracy to supply cocaine in 2022 and was moved to an open prison.
However, he escaped when he was on day release in 2024 and travelled to Scotland, Ireland then Thailand using criminal associates and forged passports under the names Carl Green and James Tetley.
While there, he embarked on a lavish lifestyle, playing on jet skis and buying expensive items including a Rolex watch shown in these images.
Nelson, who is originally from Manchester but lived in Acomb, York, returned to the UK in 2025 and immediately began running class-A drugs in an organised crime network which he codenamed the ‘Banksy line’. (Drug ‘lines’ are essentially a text message ‘hotline’ to large numbers of customers that organised crime groups use to broadcast information about their stock and arrange deals.)
However, North Yorkshire Police’s Operation Sentry team, which tackles serious organised crime, was working with intelligence analysts to bust the network and track down Nelson.
Evidence showed he was the principal controller of the Banksy line.
He tried to evade detection by moving between addresses, harboured by criminal associates. But he was linked to a vehicle travelling from Wetherby to York in April 2025, which police stopped and searched, finding a mobile phone with Banksy line information on it.
He was arrested, taken into police custody and charged with being concerned in the supply of class-A drugs and unlawful escape from prison.
Nelson was found guilty by a unanimous decision at York Crown Court yesterday (Wednesday, 12 August) and immediately sentenced to an 11-year custodial sentence.
After the hearing, PC Wayne Sharrocks of North Yorkshire Police said: “Kyle Nelson used his extensive criminal network to escape from a nine-year prison sentence for drug supply offences, flee the country, and live a life of luxury abroad.
“When he finally returned to the UK, he immediately continued selling crack cocaine and heroin on the streets of York using his own brand name ‘Banksy’.
“Operation Sentry works closely with intelligence analysts and other operational support units within North Yorkshire Police to tackle county drug lines operating.
“In this instance we were able to gather evidence, attribute it to Nelson and arrest him within weeks of becoming aware of the Banksy drugs line and put Nelson back behind bars, where he belongs.
“The 11-year sentence reflects the seriousness of the offence. We continue to work hard to stop county lines operating in North Yorkshire.”