I think he disappeared according to people in the Lagos area, he went back there in 2010.
Meantime he was in Spain and Germany in Sylt and Berlin dealing drugs. He went back to Lagos in 2010 - this is all from memory but it’s on earlier threads.
Just to correct you on the HeB confession, this happened at a festival in Orgiva in Spain. The alleged bar confession was to a friend, DR in a bar in Portugal in 2017 - not much is known about the latter and the reporting is weak.
BIB. This is why i value you going back to the primary facts that have been established from solid sources. Putting aside the MM affair and speculation for a moment, we do seem to know the following *
Before 2006, he seemed to be established in Portugal, had some evidence of real (casual) jobs, lived at an address, and was known in the locale. During this time he committed serious crimes including at least one rape, and allegedly more. This all seems to have fallen apart when he was arrested and imprisoned.
We know much less about the next years. It was reasonably easy for a european citizen to live 'off grid' in those times, but coming out of jail, it may have been difficult for him to rent somewhere to live etc. It's speculated his primary employment in this period was burglar and drug dealer. But I don't think we have reliable sourcing for this in 07
He then goes back to Germany and seems to be back on his feet. Drug dealing on Sylt is hardly low key like Portugal. It's a posh island where the wealthy germans go. We know he did this as he was charged for it. How long was it for? Was he just following the summer? (I don't know)
Later still he has a much more fixed lifestyle with a registered address in Germany and/or unofficial addresses, and owning property etc until everything collapses all over again - and especially his criminal offending catches up with him
What sticks out to me is this guy is operating on the fringes of society because he isn't capable of maintaining a legit existence. Indeed his extreme risk taking, substance abuse and criminal offending upends his life multiple times, which leaves him living in a van. Even his high points, he is running a kiosk which is not exactly the life of a successful drug dealer.
He ends up starving in the streets in Italy when his crimes have gone so far he literally has nothing.
At best he seems to scrape together an existence from criminal activity. I think that is a safe assumption for the entire period as we have never heard any evidence of actual employment apart from casual work early on in portugal, and the kiosk in Germay.
I think it is a reasonable assumption that it is his need to make money from crime and the consequences of his crime are what droves his moments. He self sabotages as a way of life (common of this personality type).
As you point out he doesn't really 'disappear' - is it the case that he was too poor to live anywhere and simply followed his opportunities for more offending?
* I am sure other posters in the thread can fill in more hard info/dates