Former UFC champion Darren Towler was sentenced to prison for his involvement in a drug trafficking ring that smuggled substances worth millions of dollars. The MMA fighter hasn’t competed since 2017 and made headlines last year when he notoriously fled before going on trial. He is currently the focus of an ongoing criminal investigation.
Darren Towler, a native of Consett in County Durham, was the mastermind behind the entire operation, according to a spokesman for Durham Police.
About £100,000 in cash was found after an undercover operation resulted in the discovery of shoe boxes containing fake birthday presents. At Barnard Castle, they were discovered in the trunk of an impounded car.
The gang was trading drugs worth hundreds of thousands of pounds, according to Durham Police. According to a spokeswoman, the group entered County Durham illegally from Liverpool with cocaine, amphetamine, and cannabis before distributing it all throughout the area. Around ten journeys between the North East and the North West over the course of five months were uncovered by investigators in 2017 and linked to the drug trafficking case.
Darren Towler was found guilty of conspiring to distribute cocaine and amphetamines by the jury, and he also admitted guilt to a related cannabis charge. Due to the former MMA fighter’s absence from court, a 24-year prison term was imposed. At Teesside Crown Court, sentences for eleven additional individuals involved in cocaine smuggling were handed down.
Jonathan Kitson, his half-brother, entered a guilty plea to both the conspiracy to distribute Class A narcotics charge and a separate cannabis-related charge during the trial. He was given a 9 years, 11 months in prison sentence.
Towler’s partner Jodie Smith also admitted guilt to conspiring to deliver Class A drugs. He was sentenced to six years and six months in jail. Anita Towler, Darren Towler’s sister, also confessed to the same offence. She received a prison term of two years and eight months.
What is Darren Towler’s MMA record?
An English MMA fighter named Darren Towler competed in the European MMA circuit for a number of different organisations.
After defeating Ben Smith, he captured the vacant Ultimate Challenge Mixed Martial Arts (UCMMA) heavyweight championship in 2011. Towler won by way of a TKO (doctor stoppage). Towler won all five of his MMA matches between August 2011 and October 2012, all by way of finishes. In 18 fights, he has a professional mixed martial arts record of 10 wins and 8 losses. His most recent match took place in December 2017 versus Tony Mustard. In the first round, he obtained a Knockout victory.
