Dad, 49, nicknamed ‘El Chapo of the Cotswolds’ who ran ‘£5m drugs empire from market town’ faces 120 years in US jail
A BRIT dad accused of running a £5million drug empire from a market town is facing 120 years in a US jail.
Matthew Grimm, 49, has since been dubbed “El Chapo of the Cotswolds” and is now fighting being shipped to the US over the alleged drugs racket.
The dad-of-two is accused of five counts of trafficking and one of money laundering after he allegedly shipped substances across the Atlantic.
This was said to include psychoactive bath salts.
Grimm, who is 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.
The prosecutors also froze Grimm’s bank account, which they said had received £5.2m in Bitcoin payments.
Cops in the UK and Netherlands were said to have helped US officials to track Grimm down over the alleged sale of illicit drugs purchased online and via dark net marketplaces.
He is accused of ferrying drugs from the Netherlands to US customers using an online portal.
The portal, named Smokey’s Chem Site, was said to have been running since 2012 before it was shut down in an undercover operation.
Grimm has now become the first person targeted by President Joe Biden’s Executive Order 14059.
The order was set up to try to rid the US of the likes of fentanyl and other synthetic drugs – which have been blamed for killing hundreds.
The 49-year-old was called to answer bail last week and told the Sunday Mirror: “Let them bring it on. I’m 49 now, so how could I serve that long?
“These are just allegations, so I don’t want to say anything.”
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.
A district judge rejected the pleas, however, and sent the case to Home Secretary Suella Braverman to approve.
A final decision will be made in December.
A NCA spokesperson told MailOnline: “We do not comment on ongoing investigations or individuals who may or may not be subject to investigation.”