Kyle Nelson, 38, has been jailed for 11 years after escaping from an open prison, travelling through Scotland, Ireland and Thailand, then returning to run a county lines drug network in York.
Nelson, originally from Manchester and formerly living in Acomb, York, was found guilty unanimously at York Crown Court on Wednesday, August 12, of being concerned in the supply of class-A drugs and unlawfully escaping from prison.
He had been serving a nine-year sentence for conspiracy to supply cocaine when he absconded in 2024 while on day release from an open prison.
Escape route and false identities
North Yorkshire Police said Nelson used criminal associates to help him leave the UK, travelling first to Scotland and Ireland before reaching Thailand.
Police said he lived a luxury lifestyle abroad, buying expensive goods including a Rolex Submariner watch worth thousands of pounds. Photographs released by the force show him smiling on a jet ski.
A forged British passport in the name of "Carl Green" was used during his escape, police said. Officers also said Nelson used the name "James Tetley" in an effort to avoid detection.
Banksy line linked to Nelson
Nelson returned to the UK in 2025 and, according to police, quickly began running an organised network selling crack cocaine and heroin in York. He called it the "Banksy line".
County lines networks use mobile-phone messaging services to contact large numbers of customers, advertise drug availability and arrange sales, often operating across county boundaries and in rural areas.
North Yorkshire Police's Operation Sentry team, which targets serious organised crime, worked with intelligence analysts to investigate the network. Nelson allegedly tried to avoid police by moving between addresses and being housed by criminal associates.
In April 2025, officers stopped and searched a vehicle travelling from Wetherby to York. They found a mobile phone containing information connected to the Banksy line, and police later obtained phone evidence which they said identified Nelson as its principal controller.
Police say investigation moved quickly
Nelson was arrested, charged and remanded in custody before his conviction and immediate 11-year custodial sentence.
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'."
Pictures courtesy of The Sun
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16 August 2026
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