A £5,000 reward has been offered for information leading to the arrest of a man described as ‘a fugitive cocaine dealer’ by Crimestoppers who has links to Cambridgeshire.

Crimestoppers is offering the reward in a bid to find Matthew Purves.

Purves is wanted in connection with a conspiracy to supply Class A drugs (cocaine) across the UK between November 2019 and February 2021.

The investigation, built on EncroChat evidence, saw members of a cocaine network jailed for a total of 67 years.

Purves, who has links to Northamptonshire, Cambridgeshire and Lincolnshire, is also wanted on recall to prison, having been liable for return to HMP since February 2021.

Crimestoppers, which is independent of the police, is supporting this investigation by offering a reward of up to £5,000 for information the charity exclusively receives – either online at Crimestoppers-uk.org or by calling 0800 555 111 at any time – that leads to the arrest and conviction of Matthew Purves.

The reward is available for three months and is due to expire on Monday 29th December 2025.

Lydia Patsalides, East Midlands Regional Manager at the charity Crimestoppers, said: “Communities living under the shadow of drug supply suffer daily – the violence, exploitation and harm it brings can be profound.

“Matthew Purves has been wanted for some time, and somebody out there knows where he is. Through our charity, you can speak up and stay completely anonymous. No matter how small the detail, please tell us today.

“Crimestoppers is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. We cannot trace your call or track your IP address. No one will ever know you contacted us. This means no police, no courts, no witness statements. You may think your information is insignificant, however it could make all the difference.”

Information passed directly to the police will not qualify for a reward.

The reward will only be payable for information passed directly to Crimestoppers and not to the police. A reward code must be asked for when calling the charity on 0800 555 111. If you contact Crimestoppers via their online form anonymously, the 'keeping in contact’ facility must be used, and a reward code must be requested on your initial contact with them.

Crimestoppers says they guarantee complete anonymity, meaning that people who call or contact them online can pass on what they know without ever giving any personal details. Computer IP addresses are never traced. Telephone calls are never recorded, there is no caller line display and no 1471 facility.