Ex-Drugs Fugitive's Drink-Drive Police Crash

Banned: Masuro leaving court

A drug-dealer, who fled the USA and acquired a British passport under a new identity, was arrested again when he crashed into a police car while over twice the drink-drive limit.

Neo Masuro, 51, was hunted down after six years on the run and hauled back to the USA, where he began a twenty-five year sentence in 2009.

He is now back living in Surrey, running a country pub in Outwood, where his presence has been described as “positive for the residents” and where he enjoys “a great reputation.”

Masuro, of Jeremiah Court, Redhill pleaded guilty to driving with excess alcohol in his breath and was fined £1,000, with £85 costs, plus a £400 victim surcharge and was disqualified for twenty months.

He says he consumed “a couple of pints” at his pub before driving the ten-minute journey home, but had 83 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath - the legal limit is 35.

Staines-upon-Thames Magistrates’ Court heard it was 4.10am on January 27 when the ex-convict collided with the patrol car in Coopers Hill Road, Nutfield as officers tried to block the road to deal with an injured deer.

The son of the former Attorney General of Grenada and a French mother, Masuro - then known as Emmanuel Ganpot - was on a student visa at Florida’s Liberal Arts Eckerd College, St Petersburg in 2001.

At local nightspot ’Storman’s’ Sheriffs from Pinellas County, acting on a tip-off, seized 3,500 ecstasy pills with a street value of £24,000; cocaine; ketamine and GHB.

Masuro pleaded no contest to possessing or selling drugs and was sentenced to six years’ imprisonment, but fled the USA on April 1, 2003 when given three weeks bail to sort his affairs before surrendering himself to custody.

He ended up living in Oxted, Surrey under his new identity, working at the George Inn, High Street and playing drums and keyboards in a local band.

Masuro was also employed by the National Centre for Young People with Epilepsy after passing background checks with his new name.

Downfall: This MySpace pic exposed Masuro

However, he was traced online by Florida assistant state attorney William Burgess, who discovered many of the fugitive’s internet friends were communicating on social media with a ’Neo.’

His MySpace photo was matched to Masuro’s booking mugshot and the account traced to Oxted, where he was arrested on an extradition warrant in September, 2008.

On his return to the USA he found himself in front of the same judge, who increased the sentence from six years to twenty-five years.

It was not revealed how much time Masuro served, but he was back in the UK in 2022 because he has clocked-up three speeding convictions since then.

Yesterday, prosecutor Gus Walter told the court: “Police attended to reports of a deer in the road struggling to move and parked their vehicle facing the oncoming traffic with sufficient space left to pass through.

“Oncoming traffic would have time to see their lights and slow down, but officers observed a vehicle in excess of 40mph and attempted to flag it down to stop, but the vehicle collided with the parked police car.”

Masuro stepped out of his black Ford Cougar and was obviously under the influence of alcohol.

“The driver seemed unfazed even though a significant amount of damage had been caused to both vehicles and he stated that he was not speeding and the police car had driven towards him,” added the prosecutor.

“The police officers could smell intoxicating liquor on his breath and he was slurring his speech and the failed the roadside breath test,” added Mr Walter.

“Fortunately nobody was injured and the defendant was detained at Salford Custody Suite.

“This is an unacceptable standard of driving. He did not stop or slow down for the police and was in excess of 40mph, which is an aggravating factor and was involved in a collision.”

Masuro’s lawyer Niamh Sexton told the court: “This is solely a driving with excess alcohol case and there are no other charges.

“Mr Masuro has no previous convictions and it was a short distance he was driving.

“He leases a pub and it was short ten minute drive home when he was stopped. He has shown a considerable amount of remorse and he says that he is devastated.

“He has no issue with alcohol or drugs. He is not an alcoholic, but had a couple of pints at the pub.

“He is a businessman and a long disqualification will affect that business. He delivers goods to the pub kitchen and has many employees.”

The pub has a weekly turnover of £5,000, with Masuro paying himself £1,000 after expenses.

Two friends wrote letters of reference on his behalf with the first stating: “He has a great reputation among the local people.”

The second wrote: “His presence will bring positivity to the neighbourhood, which will be positive for the residents.”

Magistrate Rosemary Lane told Masuro: “We find there was an unacceptable standard of driving. You failed to stop or slow down for the police and there was a collision.”