London24NEWS

Drug lord ‘Mr Big’ begs ‘love of his life’ Thai dancer to marry him in jail

Brit drug lord Jon Moorby was locked up for 29 years in 2020 for his part in a gang that helicoptered tonnes of cocaine into the UK, but is now desperate to marry his Thai girlfriend

Drug kingpin Jon Moorby
This drug kingpin still wants to make an honest woman out of his girlfriend(Image: Handout )

A narcotics kingpin who was a member of a gang that trafficked cocaine into Britain by chopper has popped the question to his “love of life” Thai girlfriend.

Jon Moorby, 54, masterminded the Teesside chapter of an international drug syndicate that leased remote properties and used helicopters to ferry drugs worth millions of pounds from Europe.

The crew, led by Lance Kennedy from Birkenhead, shuttled the illegal substances from down south before dispersing them across Blighty, including Moorby’s patch in Stockton. Moorby fled the UK in 2014 and was slapped with a 15-year jail term in his absence for dealing cocaine and amphetamines.

Drug kingpin Jon Moorby
Moorby was sentenced to 29 years in the slammer in 2020(Image: AP)

Moorby scarpered with his ill-gotten gains to Thailand to keep up his drug-dealing antics. However, his lavish escapade came crashing down when he was pursued by Thai cops on a speedboat chase. He was nabbed in 2017 on the island of Ko Mudsom after police were tipped off his son Brandon was jetting out to meet him.

The drug lord was extradited back to the UK and started his stint behind bars in 2019, and slapped with an extra 14 years for conspiracy to supply class A narcotics, reports the Liverpool Echo.

TeessideLive reported Moorby is getting divorced from his wife Kelly, whom he tied the knot with in 2013, as he’s fallen for a Thai dancer named Lalida Baribon.

Drug kingpin Jon Moorby and his Thai girlfriend
Despite losing contact with his partner, he’s begged her to marry him

The couple share a nine-year-old daughter named Lily. Moorby met the 31-year-old in a bar in Patong, Phuket, and they lived together until his arrest in 2017.

Since his arrest, Moorby lost contact with Ms Baribon, but now the gangster is desperate to win her back, admitting she was terrified by his contacts and lifestyle, and would likely be too scared to reach out to him now.

From behind bars, Moorby said: “Lalida is a country girl from the rice fields near Udon Thani [in Isan, north-east Thailand]. I am asking her to marry me right now. Lalida was always the one for me. I love Lalida and Lily with all my heart. I would be so proud if she would be my wife. Lalida, if you see this, please get in touch.”

Article continues below
Drug kingpin Jon Moorby with Thai police
Moorby helicoptered drugs into the UK via holiday homes in Kent(Image: APTN)

Despite being a category A prisoner held under high security, Moorby might reunite with Ms Baribon sooner than expected due to the government’s early release scheme potentially slashing his sentence. His recent bid to downgrade to medium risk was rejected, yet he’s been informed of a 2028 release date under the 40% early release scheme. Teesside’s notorious “Mr Big” would have completed nine years, factoring in two years served in a Thai prison for entering the country with a counterfeit Belgian passport under the name Goossens Wouters.