Detectives’ relentless pursuit sees drug dealer sentenced at court 13 years later
A tireless pursuit of a man involved in a conspiracy to supply illegal drugs has seen him sentenced at court more than 13 years later.
Richard Ronald Hawksworth, aged 41 and of Longbridge Deverill in Wiltshire, appeared at Bournemouth Crown Court on Wednesday 23 April 2025 to be sentenced for conspiring to supply class B drugs relating to matters that occurred between October 2011 and January 2012.
Detectives from Dorset Police previously compiled evidence to show how Hawksworth was involved in an operation to supply amphetamine in the county.
On Friday 4 November 2011, he drove up to Liverpool with an associate and the following day was stopped on the A338 returning to Dorset, when he was found to be in possession of several packets of a white powder. These were subsequently examined by experts and found to contain a controlled drug.
Following further enquiries and surveillance, on Wednesday 18 January 2012 officers witnessed the defendant involved in suspected drug supply activity in the Corfe Mullen area. This led to officers locating a suspected stash site of amphetamines in woodland.
Hawksworth was further arrested and nearly four kilograms of amphetamine, with an estimated value of up to £40,000, was recovered.
The defendant was released on bail as detectives conducted further enquiries but he left the country in April 2012, flying to South Africa.
As detectives from the Major Crime Investigation Team (MCIT) liaised with partner agencies in relation to extradition proceedings, two of Hawksworth’s accomplices were convicted of conspiracy to supply class B drugs in July 2013.
An extradition warrant for Hawksworth was obtained in June 2016 and after numerous hearings over several years in South Africa, the extradition warrant was executed by the South African government in 2024.
Thanks to the detectives’ tenacity, Hawksworth was then able to appear before UK courts, resulting in him subsequently being sentenced to 20 months in prison, suspended for 18 months.
He was also ordered to carry out 300 hours of unpaid work in the community.
The judge also ordered the forfeiture of more than £4,000 in cash that was seized from the defendant during the investigation.
Detective Inspector Mark Jenkins, of MCIT, said: “Thanks to the relentless efforts of my detectives, Richard Hawksworth’s attempts to evade justice proved in vain in this case.
“While the extradition process is a complex and lengthy one, our investigators remained committed to ensuring he could not simply hide from his offending overseas and he was eventually brought back to appear before a court in this country so a judge could pass sentence.
“I hope this sends a message to other offenders that we will not give up and will work tirelessly to ensure criminals face the consequences of their actions.”