A smuggler who imported more than £31 million of cocaine into the UK has been sentenced to 18 years in prison.

Paul Monk, 56, of no fixed address, will serve concurrent sentences after pleading guilty to conspiracy to supply class A drugs between January 1, 2014 and April 15, 2015, and for supplying 1kg of cocaine in Cockfosters on May 7, 2013, for which he pleaded guilty in 2015.

Monk travelled to Spain, violating a UK residency condition, where Spanish authorities searched an Alicante address and found cash hidden in plant pots and paperwork relating to drug distribution.

Detective Sergeant David Williams said: “Monk is a career criminal who showed a disregard for the laws of UK after he fled to Spain in 2013 to escape justice.”

He added: “Monk has been sentenced to a lengthy period in custody and I would like to thank the Guardia Civil for their co-operation in the investigation that secured this conviction. We will continue to work together to ensure all the proceeds of Monks' drug trafficking empire are confiscated."

Monk imported 997kg of cocaine, which Metropolitan Police detectives believe has a value of £31 million.

He used a fake passport to gain access into Spain, after which a European arrest warrant was issued in May 2014 and Spanish police found an imitation firearm at the address in Javea, Alicante.