On-the-run rapper with thousands of Instagram followers faces 23 years in prison for running £1million-a-month drugs ring after his gold chain caught him out

By JON AUSTIN and RORY TINGLE, HOME AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT Published: 00:48, 21 April 2026 | Updated: 00:48, 21 April 2026 A fugitive rapper faces 23 years in prison for running a £1million-a-month drugs ring after being caught out by his gold chain.  Arlten Lewis-Turner, 35, known to his 34,000 Instagram followers as C Montana, was charged with drug smuggling offences in 2020. He then absconded from bail in October 2024 after spending an estimated £700,000 on a series of legal challenges to try to get the case against him dropped.  In March, Lewis-Turner was found guilty in absentia of four counts of drug importation before being jailed for 23 years.  He is believed to have initially fled to Dubai, according to an underworld source, but police are unsure of his current location.  Lewis-Turner has featured in a number of YouTube rap videos, including 'Drug Dealer' and 'Big Rich'.  In 2018, he appeared on BBC Radio 1Xtra as part of DJ Kenny Allstar's 'Voice of the Streets' freestyle segment. He was later charged with importing and supplying 10kg of cocaine and 38kg of heroin between April 1 and June 18, 2020.  Arlten Lewis-Turner known to his 34,000 Instagram followers as C Montana , was charged with drug smuggling offences in 2020 Police identified the 35-year-old as the man behind an anonymous EncroChat handle using this gaudy necklace  He was remanded in custody but released on bail in December 2020, despite the CPS and Met Police opposing his release. Footage released on Instagram at the time showed a jubilant Lewis-Turner greeted by friends outside HMP Thameside.  Shortly afterwards he released the single Boss Is Back, in which he rapped: 'The boss got locked, the boss came back, the boss came back winning.'  Lewis-Turner's legal troubles began in April 2020 French police infiltrated EncroChat, a Dutch encrypted mobile phone system used by around 60,000 organised criminals.  Historic and ongoing call and message data was intercepted and provided to the UK's National Crime Agency (NCA), which passed some of it on to local forces, including the Met Police. Lewis-Turner's legal team mounted a series of legal challenges over admissibility of the EncroChat evidence in British courts. This went as far as the European Court of Human Rights, but he absconded in October 2024 after these failed. Lewis-Turner's trial heard how his co-defendant, Nagib Omar, 35, was found in possession of 38kg of heroin and 10kg of cocaine on May 19, 2020 after he was seen taking two holdalls from a block of flats in Hayes into a white Citroen Berlingo van.  Lewis-Turner has featured in a number of YouTube rap videos, including 'Drug Dealer' and 'Big Rich' In 2018, he appeared on BBC Radio 1Xtra as part of DJ Kenny Allstar's 'Voice of the Streets' freestyle segment. Police estimated the seized cocaine to have a street value of up to £1million, while the heroin was worth £3.8m.  Omar was also found with a VSmart EncroChat phone where he had been communicating with a user with the anonymous handle 'thetrap'. Police found thetrap had first connected to UK mobile networks on April 24, 2020 - the same day Lewis-Turner flew into Heathrow Airport and was captured there on CCTV wearing a distinctive metal necklace bearing the word 'Unique CM'.  This same necklace was later found during a search of Lewis-Turner's flat inside the luxury Discovery Dock Apartments development at South Quay Square, Canary Wharf, the court heard.  Prosecutor Tom Nicholson said: 'We suggest he is known as ''C Montana'' or ''Cash Montana'' as part of his rap career. 'He is a modestly successful rapper and C Montana is another way of connecting 'thetrap' to Alton Lewis-Turner.' Call data for the EncroChat phone used by thetrap showed the main cell site used by it was near to the Discovery Dock Apartments. On May 18, 2020 at 3.31pm, the phone was found to be close to the Eurotunnel at Folkestone, around the same time that Lewis-Turner travelled through the Eurotunnel in a Range Rover that was registered to him and he was also seen in CCTV. Mr Nicholson said messages between Omar, thetrap and other suppliers and purchasers exposed the scale of the operation. The convicted drug trafficker poses in front of a private jet in one of his music videos  He is now being hunted by police, with his whereabouts unknown  He said: 'They illustrate that Omar, the user of the EncroChat phone, was involved in the high-level wholesale distribution of Class A drugs to a number of brokers and buyers using various EncroChat handles to purchase significant amounts of drugs. 'This gives an idea of the scale of this enterprise, as do the accounting records, referring to a 'tick total', meaning credit extended to those purchasing drugs, of over £1m.' Omar pleaded guilty to one count each of conspiracy to supply heroin and cocaine charges and acquiring and possessing criminal property on November 17, 2023 was jailed for a total of 12 years.  A Met spokesman said: 'Arlten Lewis-Turner remains at large and enquiries to locate him are ongoing. We are actively seeking his whereabouts.'  No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. 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