A convicted drug dealer who has been on the run for nearly three years is back behind bars after being extradited from Spain.

Robert Colyer, 41, is now serving more than 10 years in jail after police tracked him down to Malaga.

The second hand car dealer, from Island Road, Hersden, near Canterbury was found guilty of conspiring to supply controlled drugs worth more than £2million.

But he failed to attend a court hearing in November 2006 while on bail.

He was found guilty in his absence on January 17, 2007 at Canterbury Crown Court of conspiring to supply controlled drugs worth more than £2million and was sentenced to 10 years in jail a month later.

Judge Van Der Bijl increased the prison term by four months as Colyer had previously failed to attend court.

Colyer came to the attention of Kent Police in May 2005 when officers from the Scottish Drug Enforcement Agency were investigating a drug courier.

Their investigation led them to Colyer’s commercial garage on the outskirts of Canterbury.

The drug courier was arrested when he returned to Scotland with 100 kilos of herbal cannabis that had an approximate street value of £300,000.

At the same time, Kent Police arrested Colyer, who has previous convictions for drug smuggling.

The investigation by the organised crime unit within Kent Police revealed Colyer had imported 630 kilos of cannabis from Italy via Holland with an estimated street value of more than £2million.

He absconded before facing trial, but a Kent Police investigation revealed he was living in Malaga, Spain and a European arrest warrant was obtained. In July Spanish authorities arrested Colyer on behalf of Kent Police.