British fugitive drug dealer arrested in Colombia carrying handgun and silencer

A British fugitive wanted in the UK for drug trafficking offences has been arrested in the Colombian city of Medellín after police caught him carrying a handgun fitted with a silencer.

Leigh Elston, 38, was stopped during a routine police patrol near Lleras Park in the high-end El Poblado district. Upon searching a bag in his possession, officers seized a pistol, two loaded magazines, 24 cartridges, and a silencer.

Formal identification procedures revealed that Elston was subject to an active arrest warrant in the UK.

Elston had been sentenced at Cardiff Crown Court in July 2020 to five years and nine months in prison for possession of drugs with intent to supply. He went on the run in 2024 after breaching his licence conditions, prompting Gwent Police in Wales to issue a public appeal for information on his whereabouts.

Colombian immigration records indicate Elston entered the country via José María Córdova International Airport near Medellín on 21 January 2025 on a 90-day tourist visa, which expired in April 2025. Following his failure to pay an automatic visa overstay fine, immigration authorities initiated formal deportation proceedings.

It remains unclear whether Colombian prosecutors will charge Elston locally for illegal weapons possession before initiating his extradition to the UK. Authorities have not disclosed why he was armed.

Elston’s arrest follows the November 2025 detention in Medellín of two other British fugitives, Liam O’Brien (Liverpool) and Robert Taylor (Newcastle upon Tyne), who were targeted by the UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA) over alleged links to transnational narcotics trafficking.