A British fugitive who had plotted to smuggle 10 million cigarettes into his home country has been sentenced to two years and 11 months in prison after he was arrested in Thailand and returned to face trial.

British authorities said Paul Joyce, 41, of Consett, Durham County, England, fled to Thailand in 2008 just hours before he was due to go on trial with other members of a smuggling gang.

Read more: Bangkok Post