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Spain has joined an international campaign to track down the UK’s 12 most wanted fugitives, with authorities focusing on areas with a strong British presence such as Alicante, Málaga, Marbella, Tenerife and the Costa del Sol. The operation, presented in Alicante by the Ministry of the Interior, the National Crime Agency and Crimestoppers, is asking the public for help in locating suspects wanted for serious crimes.

 

The campaign comes as Spanish authorities highlight the importance of public cooperation in places where British communities are well established. Javier Marín, director of the Centre for Intelligence against Terrorism and Organised Crime, said: “Pursuing the fugitive is acknowledging the victims; it is an act of justice for the victims because it means empathising with their loss or their suffering.” He added that “each open case keeps the harm suffered alive, which is why persistence in the search is a form of recognition.”

 

According to the figures released, since 2019 Spain’s State Security Forces have arrested 254 British fugitives, including 54 in Alicante and 86 in Malaga. The operation, known as Operation Capture, has now been running for 20 years and has helped locate 98 of the 111 fugitives publicly circulated by the campaign.

 

The National Crime Agency’s chief operating officer, Rob Jones, said: “Spain is not a safe haven for fugitives, and this collaboration has demonstrated time and again that if you flee, we will not stop looking. We will find you and bring you back to face justice.” He also said that 90% of the individuals highlighted in Operation Capture have been located over the last two decades thanks to cooperation with Spanish authorities.

 

All 12 fugitives on the current list are men and are wanted for crimes including drug trafficking, money laundering, fraud, sex offences and murder. Some are believed to be living under false identities, while others may have links to southern Spain, Alicante, Marbella, Tenerife or the wider Levante and Canary Islands.

 

Among those named are Simon Dutton, accused of organising large cocaine imports and money laundering; Dean Eighteen, wanted over false VAT refund claims; and Kevin Thomas Parle, linked to two murders. Also on the list are suspects wanted for organised crime, drug supply and sexual offences.

 

Anyone with information can contact the Policía Nacional on 091 or the Guardia Civil on 062, or report anonymously through Crimestoppers.

 

 

Image: interior.gob.es