A NORTH-EAST Olympic boxer at the centre of a drugs investigation has expressed his relief after the case against him was dropped.

Bradley Saunders was arrested last November after a sniffer dog found what police believed was cocaine worth £12,000 in his back garden, in Cragside, Sedgefield, County Durham.

A warrant was executed at the house, and he was questioned by police and bailed.

Mr Saunders denied being involved in drug dealing, and Durham Police confirmed yesterday that the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) had decided not to press charges.

Light welterweight Mr Saunders, 23, who won a gold medal for England in an international tournament in Finland earlier this month, said yesterday that he was desperate to clear his name.

“Justice has been served, which is brilliant,” he said.

“I knew it would happen, but obviously with it not happening until now, it has been playing on my mind.”

“Sometimes when people are doing well, there are others who want to see them fall.

But I don’t hold grudges, and just want to put all this behind me now.

“This whole matter has affected me in a pretty big way.

“It feels like my life has been on hold for the best part of a year.”

He thanked his family and friends for their unwavering support, and expressed his determination to get his international boxing career back on track.

He said it had been difficult to concentrate on boxing with the investigation in the back of his mind.

“Now that this is all over I can go from strength to strength and put the North- East on the map,” he said.

“I’ve got to knuckle down and build on the gold medal I won in my last fight.”

A spokeswoman from the CPS said it had advised police that there was insufficient evidence to charge anyone with an offence.

South Durham Amateur Boxing Club member Mr Saunders represented the country at the Beijing Olympics last summer, where he was widely tipped to win gold, but lost his second fight to Frenchman Alexis Vastine.