Shaun Ryder and his Happy Mondays bandmate Bez have stepped in to help support a former tour manager linked to a 250-kilo cocaine haul.
Anthony Murray is due to return to Turkey next week where he is facing prison for his alleged role in a drugs operation.
Speaking to GBNews, Anthony said: "Shaun Ryder and Bez have been great. Shaun got the legal team, the best legal team in Istanbul. Shaun and Bez are on the phone to me every week.
“They really support me more than anything. They've helped me out with everything that I possibly need – clothes, letters; everything was sent to the prison.
“I wasn't allowed visits because it was COVID but Shaun was willing to come and he speaks to me all the time and looked after everything that I needed.
“I've been on trial for three years, so it’s every six weeks. I won't know when it goes to court. I just wait to see what they say, whether they give me bail or send me back to the prison. I don’t know.
“I want to clear my name. Everyone says why are you going back? I want to go back. I need to be cleared. I don't want to be chased around the world by Turks.”
Revealing how he wound up at the centre of a drugs investigation he continued: "After the pandemic I went to Turkey with my daughter and grandson to get some dental work for my daughter. I had to stay because I had some implants some damage done and some infection. I couldn't leave.
“I met someone through a friend of mine in Manchester, who said when you go to Istanbul meet my friend, he'll take it around. So we met up with my daughter and his daughters.
“The police were following him for maybe four or five weeks and following me.
“The day I was supposed to fly back to Manchester, the police arrested me in the hotel at 0005hrs on the Friday morning and took me to the police station.
“I spent three days in there and then in prison and I'm in Tel Aviv now.
“[The police] have seen me meeting with these guys, but they were with my daughter. They said they heard my name is Antonio, which is a Colombian name, and that they were looking for someone called Antonio from Colombia and I fit that description.
“They thought I was Colombian, even though they had my passport, and they knew I was in English after three days. It's gone on since then.
“I only knew one of the guys and there’s 16 of us on trial. It's been going on since then and I'm back in court again on Thursday.
“I have a few [convictions] but not for cocaine and not for 250 kilos and nothing to do with Colombia.
I’m in Tel Aviv now with my girlfriend. I've been here since September. I went back to court in October, but they arrested me at the airport in Antalya, detained me for eight hours and sent me back. They said I'm not allowed back in the country because I overstayed my visa. I explained that I was in prison, and they took my passport off me for a year. I'm flying back in on Thursday and hopefully we can get it resolved."
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