A WORLDWIDE hunt is over for a man suspected of being linked to a major North-East drugs ring.

Police had been looking for Habib Khan for 16 months - since he disappeared shortly after 100 officers raided homes across the region as part of Operation Bridport.

Mr Khan, 27, was arrested after flying into Manchester Airport from Islamabad, Pakistan, on Tuesday afternoon.

Last night, he was being questioned by officers from the Cleveland Police organsised crime unit, about his alleged involvement in the conspiracy to supply heroin.

Officers had information that Mr Khan had fled to Pakistan following last April's successful swoops, which saw a series of co-ordinated raids across Teesside and County Durham.

Operation Bridport smashed a major cartel which is thought to have had a minimum turnover of £8m a year.

Ten people from Middlesbrough and Spennymoor, in County Durham, were jailed for a total of 68 years for their part in a conspiracy to supply Class A drugs.

The gang operated from modest homes in Middlesbrough to avoid attracting police attention, but it was infiltrated when officers went undercover to pose as drug users.

Detectives found a supply network covering not just the North-East, but West Yorkshire and the south coast as well.

Detective Sergeant Chris Sadler, who headed the investigation, last night welcomed the latest development, which comes less than two months after an appeal for information on the BBC Crimewatch programme.

He said: "We have been relentless in our quest to track Khan down.

"There have been widespread appeals throughout the media to trace his whereabouts. We had information that he had been hiding in Pakistan and he was arrested immediately as he came through customs at Manchester Airport.

"We do not forget people and we will ensure there will be no hiding place."

He added: "Khan's arrest should also reassure the public about the effectiveness of our border controls - and the vigilance of our colleagues policing the airports."