Alleged drug trafficker Francis Coggins arrested in the Netherlands
He is wanted in the UK on charges relating to smuggling cocaine and heroin
Alleged drug trafficker Francis Coggins has been arrested in the Netherlands.
The 60-year-old, who was wanted on suspicion of trafficking drugs to the UK was nabbed by Dutch cops outside a residential property in Zandvoort on Tuesday.
It comes after he spent five years on the run.
He was taken into custody amid ongoing cooperation between the National Crime Agency (NCA), the North West Regional Organised Crime Unit (NWROCU), and the Dutch National Police.
Dutch National Police (Getty Images)
News in 90 Seconds - 5th June 2025
Coggins, of Huyton, Liverpool, was wanted by the North West Regional Organised Crime Unit on charges related to smuggling heroin and cocaine.
He appeared before a court in Amsterdam on Wednesday as extradition proceedings began.
He is alleged to head up the Huyton Firm - a large-scale organised crime group involved in drug trafficking, blackmail, contract killing and violent crime.
Also known as the Cantril Farm Cartel, he runs the gang alongside his brother Vincent Coggins, who was jailed for 28 years last year.
The powerful drug gang rose to prominence in Merseyside following the downfall of other gangs, such as the one headed up by the notorious Curtis 'Cocky' Warren.
The gang originated in a small village and grew to gain a feared reputation, commanding respect from other crooks.
Their downfall came when French authorities hacked EncroChat, an encrypted messaging service used by criminal organisations to conduct their business.
'The agency has been working extensively with the ROCU and our international partners to trace Coggins and return him to the UK,' Gill Duggan, head of Europe at the NCA said.
'It does not matter where fugitives go. The agency's reach and strong relationships with international partners mean we will always tenaciously pursue those wanted by law enforcement.'
Detective Superintendent Zoe Russo from the North West ROCU added: 'This arrest demonstrates our commitment to ensuring that individuals wanted for serious offences, whether in the UK or abroad, are brought to justice.
'We work closely with international law enforcement partners to track down and apprehend fugitives, no matter where they try to hide. The message is clear: if you are wanted, we will find you.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Examiner
11 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
Boy fell over edge at Cliffs of Moher after slipping, inquest told
A 12-year-old boy lost his balance after slipping in a puddle close to the edge of the Cliffs of Moher before falling to his death, an inquest has heard. In testimony at Clare Coroner's Court into the death of Zhihan Zhao on July 23, 2024, French tourist Marion Tourgon described seeing Zhihan fall over the edge at around 1.45pm on the day. Zhihan had set out on walking the Cliffs of Moher trail from the southern side towards the visitor centre with his mother, Xianhong Huang, and her friends. The two Chinese nationals had arrived in Ireland only 12 days previously. Ms Huang said Zhihan was walking ahead of her on the trail and she lost sight of him. Speaking through an interpreter at the inquest in Kilrush, Ms Huang asked: 'What exactly caused Zhihan to fall from the cliffs?' Clare county coroner Isobel O'Dea told Ms Huang the evidence of Ms Tourgon would help answer that question. Ms Tourgon said she was at the edge of the cliffs with her husband and two children at around 1.45pm. They were taking a selfie when she saw a young Asian boy, who was alone, come into view. 'I saw him slipping in the puddle that appears in the photo that my husband sent to the police," Ms Tourgon said. His right foot slipped into the puddle with him trying to stop himself from falling with his left foot, but his left foot ended up in the air 'It was very quick. He found himself in an awkward position with his left foot in a void over the cliff and his right knee on the edge of the cliff. "His right knee eventually fell into the void over the cliff, and he was trying to grasp the grass with his hands to pull himself up. He didn't shout and there was no noise.' She said that 'it is the only the few of us who saw him falling'. One path The Tourgons alerted the emergency services by phone. Ms Huang asked: 'Did he slip?' In reply, Insp Helen Costello told her: 'It appears from the witness that he slipped into the void having stumbled in the puddle.' In her deposition, Ms Huang said she started out from Nagle's carpark in Liscannor with Zhihan and friends of hers. 'My son walked very fast and was ahead of us by 50m. As there was only one path, I thought we would meet him along the way. When I didn't, I walked to the visitor centre and I checked the visitor centre." When she couldn't find her son, she walked back along the path to search for her son and after not finding him, she reported him missing. She said she last saw Zhihan at 1pm that day. She said Zhihan was a fluent English speaker. Sgt Claire McGuigan said Ms Huang was able to provide a photo of Zhihan she had taken taken earlier on the trail. Garda Colm Collins said he received a call that day at 2pm after a boy was seen falling off the cliff edge. He said the Irish Coast Guard spotted a body floating in the water at the base of the Cliffs of Moher. A lifeboat was launched, but it was not able to access the site where the body was spotted due to the sea conditions. Autopsy Zhihan's body would not be recovered for another five days. Fisherman Matthew O'Halloran, from Corofin, spotted a body in the water between Doolin and the Aran Islands shortly after 10am on July 28. He alerted the coastguard at Valentia and members of the Doolin unit retrieved Zhihan's body from the waters and brought it ashore. Ms O'Dea said the autopsy found Zhihan died from multiple traumatic injuries consistent with a fall from a height. Ms O'Dea said her verdict was one of accidental death. 'It is clear from evidence we heard that Zhihan slipped off the cliffs rather than any other way. His death would have been very quick, instantaneous." Ms O'Dea told Ms Huang: 'I can't imagine how upsetting this is for you." The two embraced as Ms Huang left the Coroner's Court. Ms O'Dea also extended her sympathies to Zhihan's father, who was not present. On August 22, the Clare Local Development Company closed off large sections of part of the Cliffs of Moher trail and it remains closed off today due to continuing safety concerns. In May 2024, a student in her early 20s from Belgium died after she fell from the Cliffs of Moher.
Sunday World
13 hours ago
- Sunday World
Boy (12) stumbled in puddle before falling over Cliffs of Moher, inquest hears
'It was very quick - he found himself in an awkward position with his left foot in a void over the cliff and his right knee on the edge of the cliff.' A 12-year old boy stumbled in a puddle and lost his balance before he fell over the edge of the Cliffs of Moher to his death, an inquest has been told. In eye-witness testimony at the Clare coroner's court into the accidental death of Zhihan Zhao at the Cliffs of Moher on July 23, 2024, French tourist, Marion Tourgon described seeing Zhihan fall over the edge at around 1.45pm on the day. Zhihan had set out on walking the Cliffs of Moher trail from Hag's Head on the Liscannor side or southern side of the Cliffs of Moher to the Cliffs of Moher visitor centre with his mother, Xianhong Huang and her friends. The two Chinese nationals had arrived in Ireland only 12 days previous on July 11. Last year, 1.49m people visited the Cliffs of Moher making it Ireland's most popular natural attraction. In her deposition, Ms Huang said that Zhihan was walking ahead of her on the Cliffs of Moher trail and she lost sight of him. The Cliffs of Moher. Photo: Depositphotos News in 90 Seconds - 6th June 2025 Speaking through an interpreter at the inquest in Kilrush, Co Clare, Ms Huang wiping away tears, asked: 'What exactly caused Zhihan to fall from the Cliffs?' Clare County Coroner, Isobel O'Dea told the distraught Ms Huang that the evidence of Ms Tourgon would help answer that question. In her deposition Ms Tourgon said that she was at the edge of the Cliffs of Moher with her husband and two children at around 1.45pm. She said that they were taking a selfie when she saw a young Asian boy, who was alone, come into view. She said: 'I saw him slipping in the puddle that appears in the photo that my husband sent to the police." 'His right foot slipped into the puddle with him trying to stop himself from falling with his left foot but his left foot ended up in the air. 'It was very quick - he found himself in an awkward position with his left foot in a void over the cliff and his right knee on the edge of the cliff.' 'His right knee eventually fell into the void over the cliff and he was trying to grasp the grass with his hands to pull himself up. He didn't shout and there was no noise.' She said that 'it is the only the few of us who saw him falling' and the Tourgons alerted the emergency services by phone. Speaking again through an interpreter, Ms Huang asked 'did he slip?' and in reply, Insp Helen Costello told her: 'It appears from the witness that he slipped into the void having stumbled in the puddle.' In her deposition, Ms Huang said that she started out from Nagle's car park in Liscannor to walk to the Cliffs of Moher with Zhihan and friends of hers. She said: 'My son walked very fast and was ahead of us by 50 metres.' She said: 'As there was only one path I thought we would meet him along the way. When I didn't I walked to the visitor centre and I checked the visitor centre." When she couldn't find her son here, she walked back along the path to search for her son and after not finding him, she reported him missing. She said that she last saw Zhihan at 1pm that day. She said that Zhihan was a fluent English speaker and described the clothes that Zhihan was wearing that day including black shorts, Nike Air Jordans, an LA Lakers wristband and a kid's smart-watch. Sgt Claire McGuigan said that on the day, Ms Huang was able to provide a photo of Zhihan she had taken taken earlier on the Cliffs of Moher trail. Garda Colm Collins said that he received a call that day at 2pm to attend the Cliffs of Moher after a male was seen falling off the cliff edge. He said that the Irish Coastguard had spotted a body floating in the water at the base of the Cliffs of Moher. Through the interpreter, the mother asked was the location the same spot where scenes from a Harry Potter movie were shot and Insp Costello said that they were not. Garda Collins said that a lifeboat was launched but the craft was not able to access the site where the body was spotted due to the sea conditions. Zhihan's body would not be recovered from the sea for another five days and was recovered after fisherman, Matthew O'Halloran from Corofin, Co Clare spotted a body facedown and arms extended in the water between Doolin and the Aran Islands shortly after 10am on Sunday, July 28. Mr O'Halloran alerted the Irish coastguard at Valentia and members of the Doolin unit of the Irish coastguard retrieved Zhihan's body from the waters and brought it ashore at Doolin. Ms O'Dea said that the post mortem found that Zhihan died from multiple traumatic injuries consistent with a fall from a height. Ms O'Dea said her verdict was one of 'accidental death'. She said: 'It is clear from evidence we heard that Zhihan slipped off the Cliffs rather than any other way. His death would have been very quick - instantaneous." Ms O'Dea told Ms Huang 'I can't imagine how upsetting this is for you' and the two embraced as Ms Huang left the coroner's court in Kilrush. Ms O'Dea also extended her sympathies to Zhihan's father who was not present at the inquest. Addressing Ms Huang, Insp Costello said: 'The pain must be immeasurable for you all.' Ms Huang declined to comment on the record when approached for comment after the inquest. On August 22 of last year, the Clare Local Development Company closed off large sections of part of the Cliffs of Moher trail and it remains closed off today due to continuing safety concerns. At the time, the Clare Local Development Company confirmed that it was taking the action following the two recent fatal accidents on the Cliffs of Moher trail. In May 2024, a young woman died after she fell from the Cliffs of Moher. She was in her early 20s and a college student from Belgium who was studying in Scotland.
The Journal
14 hours ago
- The Journal
Boy (12) died after losing balance following a slip at edge of Cliffs of Moher, inquest hears
A 12-YEAR-OLD boy died after he lost his balance when he slipped in a puddle close to the edge of the Cliffs of Moher before falling over the edge, an inquest has heard. In eyewitness testimony at the Clare coroner's court into the accidental death of Zhihan Zhao at the Cliffs of Moher on 23 July 2024, French tourist, Marion Tourgon described seeing Zhihan fall over the edge at around 1.45pm on the day. Zhihan had set out on walking the Cliffs of Moher trail with his mother, Xianhong Huang, and her friends on the day. The two Chinese nationals had arrived in Ireland only 12 days earlier. Last year, almost 1.5 million people visited the Cliffs of Moher, making it Ireland's most popular natural attraction. In her deposition, Ms Huang said that Zhihan was walking ahead of her on the Cliffs of Moher trail, and she lost sight of him. Speaking through an interpreter at the inquest in Kilrush, Co Clare, Ms Huang asked what exactly caused her son to fall from the cliffs. Clare County Coroner, Isobel O'Dea told the mother that the evidence of French tourust Tourgon would answer that question. In her deposition, Tourgon said that she was at the edge of the Cliffs of Moher with her husband and two children at around 1.45pm. She said that they were taking a selfie when a young boy, who was alone, come into view. She said: 'I saw him slipping in the puddle that appears in the photo that my husband sent to the police.' Tourgon added: 'His right foot slipped into the puddle with him trying to stop himself from falling with his left foot, but his left foot ended up in the air.' 'It was very quick – he found himself in an awkward position with his left foot in a void over the cliff and his right knee on the edge of the cliff.' Tourgon added : 'His right knee eventually fell into the void over the cliff, and he was trying to grasp the grass with his hands to pull himself up. He didn't shout and there was no noise.' She said there were only a few people who saw the boy falling, and that her family alerted emergency services by phone. Speaking through an interpreter, the boy's mother asked if he had slipped. In reply, Inspector Helen Costello told her: 'It appears from the witness that he slipped into the void, having stumbled in the puddle.' In her deposition, Ms Huang said that she started out from Nagle's car park in Liscannor to walk to the Cliffs of Moher with Zhihan and friends of hers. She said: 'My son walked very fast and was ahead of us by 50 metres' Advertisement She said: 'As there was only one path, I thought we would meet him along the way. When I didn't, I walked to the visitor centre and I checked the visitor centre.' When she couldn't find her son here, she walked back along the path to search for her son and after not finding him, she reported him missing. She said that she last saw Zhihan at 1pm that day. She said that Zhihan was a fluent English speaker and described the clothes that Zhihan was wearing that day including black shorts, Nike Air Jordans, an LA Lakers wristband and a kid's smart-watch. Garda Seargent Claire McGuigan said that on the day, Ms Huang was able to provide a photo of Zhihan she had taken earlier on the Cliffs of Moher trail. Garda Colm Collins said that he received a call that day at 2pm to attend the Cliffs of Moher after a male was seen falling off the cliff edge. He said that the Irish Coastguard had spotted a body floating in the water at the base of the cliffs. Collins said that a lifeboat was launched, but the craft was not able to access the site where the body was spotted due to the sea conditions. Zhihan's body would not be recovered from the sea for another five days and was recovered after fisherman, Matthew O'Halloran from Corofin, Co Clare spotted a body facedown. His body was found in the water between Doolin and the Aran Islands shortly after 10am on Sunday, 28 July 2024. O'Halloran alerted the Irish coastguard at Valentia, and members of the Doolin unit of the Irish coastguard, retrieved Zhihan's body from the waters and brought it ashore at Doolin. O'Dea said that the post-mortem found that Zhihan died from multiple traumatic injuries consistent with a fall from a height. O'Dea said her verdict was one of 'accidental death'. She said: 'It is clear from evidence we heard that Zhihan slipped off the Cliffs rather than any other way. His death would have been very quick – instantaneous.' Ms O'Dea told the mother: 'I can't imagine how upsetting this is for you.' The two embraced as Huang left the coroner's court in Kilrush. O'Dea also extended her sympathies to Zhihan's father, who was not present at the inquest. Addressing Ms Huang, Inspector Costello said: 'The pain must be immeasurable for you all.' Ms Huang declined to comment on the record when approached after the inquest. The Clare Local Development Company closed off large sections of part of the Cliffs of Moher trail in August last year, and it remains closed off today due to continuing safety concerns. At the time, the Clare Local Development Company confirmed that it was taking the action following the two recent fatal accidents on the Cliffs of Moher trail.
