Convicted criminal Steven Johnson had been wanted since January 2014 after breaching the terms of his parole.
Police believe the 40-year-old went to Spain, where he posted Facebook and Twitter messages challenging officers to find him.
He was arrested in Whiston, Merseyside, on Thursday and returned to jail.
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Johnson, of Prescot, was serving a sentence of six years and 11 months for possession with intent to supply class A drugs, before being released on licence.
During his time on the run, he used aliases on social media sites to post messages and photographs, including several of himself posing in front of luxury cars.
In one message, he wrote: "Just got out of bed. Going for a massage."
Merseyside Police said Johnson had now "got his wish".
Sgt Mark Worrall said: "The arrest of Johnson shows that we never give up.
"Johnson has been wanted on recall to prison for two years and he has obviously been living the high life abroad, but that has been cut short and he's now back behind bars."
A man wanted on recall to prison who taunted police with social media posts telling them "catch me if you can" is back behind bars.