National Police Officers have arrested a fugitive in Rojales who has two European Arrest Warrants issued in Belgium, his country of origin, and the Netherlands. In addition, four national searches issued by the Spanish authorities are also in force, according to police sources.
The initial investigation, launched at the beginning of 2022, focussed on the province of Malaga. However, after a number of enquiries, the agents verified that he was not in that area.
Following the General Assembly of the European Network of Active Fugitive Search Teams (Enfast), which was held in Spain last October, coordination efforts were improved between officials from Spain, Belgium and the Netherlands, with much more operational information exchanged between these teams.
In the case of the suspect, there was evidence of numerous changes of residence by him in different parts of Spain both, to evade justice and to continue with his illicit activities. However, it was thought that the fugitive returned to his family environment after each of his crimes, so efforts were made to establish his family location.
As they continued to gather information, the agents were able to establish that the fugitive could be found in a municipality near Torrevieja, being finally traced to a luxurious urbanisation in Rojales, where he was living with his family and where he was finally arrested. According to the same sources, he was considered highly violent and dangerous by European authorities.
The European Arrest warrant issue by the Dutch authorities is in respect of drug trafficking crimes, while the one decreed by the Belgian authorities is for drug trafficking, kidnapping, criminal injuries and property crimes.
The detainee was allegedly part of a criminal organisation that operates throughout Europe, linked to the N’Drangheta mafia organisation. In addition, he had already been sentenced to seven years in prison in 2016 for kidnapping a man in Belgium, for which he is considered highly violent and dangerous by European authorities, due to his handling of firearms.
He also has two European Arrest and Surrender Orders and four national searches issued by the Spanish authorities in respect of crimes related to drug trafficking and document falsification.
