The 49-year-old father, nicknamed “El Chapo of the Cotswolds”, who ran a “£5m drugs empire” from the market town faces 120 years in prison in the US
A British father accused of running a £5million drugs empire from a market town faces 120 years in a US prison.
Matthew Grimm, 49, has since been dubbed the “El Chapo of the Cotswolds” and is now fighting against being shipped to the US for alleged drug-related crimes.
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The father-of-two is charged with five counts of trafficking and one count of money laundering after allegedly shipping substances across the Atlantic.
This allegedly also included psychoactive bath salts.
Grimm, a keen member of the cycling club in historic Chipping Sodbury, was nabbed by the National Crime Agency (NCA) last November after the US issued a warrant for his arrest.
Prosecutors also froze Grimm’s bank account, which allegedly received £5.2 million in Bitcoin payments.
Police in the United Kingdom and the Netherlands are said to have helped U.S. officials track down Grimm for allegedly selling illegal drugs purchased online and through dark net marketplaces.
He is accused of smuggling drugs from the Netherlands to US customers via an online portal.
The portal, called Smokey’s Chem Site, was said to have been operating since 2012 before it was shut down in a sting operation.
Grimm is now the first person targeted by President Biden’s Executive Order 14059.
The order was created to try to rid the U.S. of drugs like fentanyl and other synthetic drugs that are blamed for killing hundreds of people.
The 49-year-old was out on bail last week and told the Sunday Mirror: “Let them get on with it. I’m 49 now, so how could I serve that long?”
“These are just allegations, so I don’t want to say anything about them.”
Grimm’s lawyer said in court papers that his client denies wrongdoing and fears extradition would distance him from his two children, nine and 12, who live with his ex.
However, a district judge rejected the pleas and sent the case to Interior Minister Suella Braverman for approval.
A final decision will be made in December.
An NCA spokesman said MailOnline: “We do not comment on ongoing investigations or individuals who may or may not be under investigation.”