Demise of gangster twin running £300,000-a-month gun and drug ring before escaping to Dubai

A gangster who ran a cocaine and firearms trafficking ring worth £300,000 a month with his twin brother fell into demise after being snared in Dubai. Leon Cullen had already 'masterminded' an 18-man drugs cartel by his early 20s, before being locked up as part of a major operation.

Yet following his release he was soon back in business alongside brother Anthony. Leon splashed the cash on a Maserati as his ill-gotten gains grew.

But police were onto the Cullens' empire, and Leon would go on to spend two years at large as Warrington's most wanted man before finally being detained by police in the United Arab Emirates in January 2020. A string of shootings and grenade attacks were linked to the 34-year-old following his absconding, the Liverpool Echo reports.

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He was jailed for 22-and-a-half years in May 2021. This week, he was brought back before Liverpool Crown Court and ordered to repay a slice of his ill-gotten gains.

Leon and his brother Anthony were born in the summer of 1987 and grew up in the Longford area of Warrington. Anthony was described as being level-headed and popular, while Leon was known to be a volatile character.

By their early 20s, the twins were well-established in criminal circles. Leon 'masterminded' an 18-man drugs cartel which shipped at least 5kg of cocaine worth around £300,000 across the North West over the course of six months.

Money was laundered through a business called Spot on Signs, with spreadsheets on a laptop which was later seized from the front company detailing debts of nearly £100,000 owed by other dealers. But the operation began to crumble in late 2010 after a series of arrests and raids.

Cheshire Police’s Operation