British Police Capture Fugitive Callum Gower After Seven Years

British police successfully apprehended fugitive Callum Gower after he eluded capture for seven years. The arrest, carried out in February 2023, involved a creative undercover operation that used a spoof Valentine’s Day request to lure Gower and his mother, Caroline Gower, both wanted for serious drug and firearms charges in South Africa.

To catch the fugitives, Sussex Police released a humorous message urging the public to help “reunite” the mother-and-son duo with law enforcement. The message playfully invited people to act as Cupid, promising a reward of £500 for information leading to their capture. It read: “All we wanted was to spend some quality time with the people who’ve been trying to avoid us lately.”

Gower was ultimately located in a luxurious home in Cape Town, where he had been living with his mother. The South African Minister of Justice ordered Gower’s extradition on various drug and firearms charges. He was transferred to the custody of Sussex Police after being held in a local prison since February 2022.

Court proceedings revealed that Gower had been renting a six-bedroom property in an exclusive estate for £6,350 per month, despite having no visible means of support. He drove a £65,000 Land Rover and claimed to be a cryptocurrency dealer, but could not substantiate this assertion with evidence.

The court outlined multiple charges against Gower, including possession of an imitation firearm and conspiracy to supply cocaine, MDMA, and cannabis. He and his mother were implicated in running a network of drug houses in Hastings, UK, with activities dating back to 2014.

In a significant police operation, authorities seized £23,075 in cash and illegal drugs worth an estimated £400,000, which included cocaine, cannabis, and ecstasy, from Gower’s residence in Sussex.

Both Gower and Caroline had been on the run since 2018 when an international arrest warrant was issued via Interpol. Following their bail, they fled the UK, eluding authorities until their capture in South Africa.

A source from Sussex Police remarked, “Callum ignored our Valentine’s Day request for seven years but finally decided to rekindle his relationship with us.” The officers expressed a sense of accomplishment with the operation, noting the success of their unique campaign to apprehend fugitives.

Following his extradition, Gower arrived at Heathrow Airport earlier on a Saturday morning and was subsequently taken to Sussex Police headquarters in Lewes. His mother remains in custody in South Africa, pending her extradition to the UK.

The capture of Gower marks the culmination of a long pursuit by police, who celebrated the success of their unconventional Valentine’s Day strategy, which ultimately led to the arrest of all targeted individuals in the initiative.