A former Port Edward resident, known as Gary George Pyatt when he skipped bail while facing drug possession charges in December 2011, was arrested in Pretoria after a visit to the British high commission recently.
It is believed that he was applying for a visa when his application set off alarm bells at Interpol.
ALSO READ : Former dagga farmer back on the run?
Pyatt was living in Port Edward when he was arrested in June 2009 for cultivating dagga at his house.
Police found 425 seedlings in containers in his yard.
He skipped bail and disappeared, only to be nabbed by the police in 2012 when he was arrested in Howick and convicted of possessing an unlicensed firearm. He was given a three-year sentence.
According to a report published in the Witness, he is understood to have evaded capture for nearly 20 years under the name Brandon William Pyatt, having fled the UK shortly after being sentenced to six years in prison by a court in Manchester in 1998 relating to a failed wine venture.
He is understood, the Witness article stated, to have gained notoriety in the late nineties, when he took on Manchester United Football Club and began to market a range of French wines and brandy bearing the likeness of legendary Man United forward, Eric Cantona.
He is apparently wanted in connection with offences that include theft, deception and fraud, as well as vehicle theft.
According to a report in the Sunday Times, police spokesman Brigadier Vish Naidoo confirmed that Pyatt was in custody.
HAVE YOUR SAY
Like our Facebook page, follow us on Twitter and Instagram
