POLICE are searching for drug dealer and fraudster Martin Evans, who has absconded from Erlestoke Prison.

Evans, 49, had been allowed out of the prison on August 5 for a weekend visit to his family in Swansea, but failed to return.

Evans had been at Erlestoke, near Westbury, for the past 18 months, after being sentenced in 2006 to a total of 21 years and three months for the supply of drugs and fraud plus a concurrent sentence of eight years for failure to comply with a £4.5 million confiscation order.

Despite the lengthy sentence Evans was due for release early next year following changes to sentencing guidelines.

He was a Category D prisoner, the lowest category risk, and had been allowed out on other visits without any problems.

Andy Rogers, governor of Erlestoke Prison, said: “Martin Evans had been on previous resettlement visits and had returned to the prison. On this occasion he was visited by the police on Saturday, August 6 at his home address and there were no concerns raised.

“Lots of risk assessments were carried out on Mr Evans. He was not a risk to the public.

“Our risk assessment procedures are very robust and I am confident we followed all of them. We release hundreds of prisoners on licence successfully every year.”

Evans won business awards in Wales when he ran a double-glazing business in Port Talbot.

When the business collapsed he turned to fraud and cheated investors in an ostrich farm he established at Dunvant, Swansea.

Days before he was due to stand trial for the ostrich farm swindle he went on the run to Spain and then Holland, where he masterminded a multi-million pound drugs and money laundering operation.

He was convicted of smuggling Ecstasy and cocaine worth at least £3 million into Britain.