October 15th 2023.
A British man wanted for alleged drug offences has been apprehended on Spain's Costa Blanca following an international arrest warrant. The 35-year-old was detained in the resort of Javea, where his home was searched during an operation involving the UK's National Crime Agency and Metropolitan Police, as well as officers from the Civil Guard's elite UCO Central Operative Unit.
Spanish police have stated the fugitive was "directly linked" to the importation of large amounts of cocaine, heroin, ecstasy, and money laundering into Britain. This suspicion was supported by expert analysis of messages on encrypted communications network, Encrochat.
A spokesman for the Civil Guard told reporters, "The Civil Guard has arrested a British man who had been wanted by authorities in his country since 2020 for drug trafficking, money laundering and membership of a criminal organisation." He continued, "Specifically he has been directly related to the import of large amounts of different drugs into the UK, following analysis work carried out by investigators there on different intercepted encrypted servers used by several criminal organisations in their communications."
The Civil Guard revealed after "weeks of intense but discreet work," they managed to locate the fugitive's associates in the province of Alicante. This enabled them to track down the wanted man in the municipality of Javea and search his home, with the assistance of NCA and Metropolitan Police detectives.
The force identified the drugs as cocaine, heroin, and ecstasy, adding that the detainee was also linked to the laundering of proceeds from the sale of the substances. Additionally, another fugitive accused of belonging to the same criminal organisation was arrested by the Civil Guard's UCO unit in Palma, Majorca, last January.
It is yet to be determined whether the detainee has agreed to be extradited or is opposing his forced return to the UK.
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