- The UK NCA released a list of 12 most wanted fugitives believed hiding in Spain
- Operation Captura marks 20 years, having caught 98 of 111 named fugitives so far
- Fugitives often blend into UK expat communities in areas like Marbella and Malaga
The UK's National Crime Agency has released a new list of 12 most wanted fugitives believed to be hiding in Spain, including suspected murderers, drug traffickers and fraudsters. The latest appeal was launched jointly with Spanish police and the charity Crimestoppers as part of the long-running Operation Captura campaign, which marks its 20th anniversary this year, Metro reported.
Authorities warned British expats and tourists in Spain that the fugitives are dangerous individuals who often attempt to blend into popular expat communities while continuing criminal activity abroad. Rob Jones, the NCA's director general of operations, said, "As we mark the 20th anniversary of Operation Captura, our message is very clear. Spain is not a safe haven for fugitives, and this partnership has shown time and again that if you run, we will not stop looking. We will find you, and we will bring you back to face justice."
98 Fugitives Caught in 20 Years
Operation Captura has helped bring 98 of the 111 publicly named fugitives to justice since it began. Officials say Spain remains a common hiding place for British criminals because of its large UK expat population and strong travel links.
NCA deputy director of international Rick Jones said "They will generally integrate themselves into these communities, which are populated by many, many thousands of British people who are perhaps enjoying their retirement or running businesses there. Criminals will do what they do here, which is integrate themselves and hide among society, and then abuse that trust of those communities and offend against them, or indeed these days it's very easy to offend against victims or vulnerable people in other countries from anywhere in the world.
The suspects on the new list are believed to have links to areas including Marbella, Malaga, Alicante and Tenerife. According to the NCA, fugitives frequently use fake identities, forged passports and, in some cases, even alter their appearance through surgery to avoid detection.
"These are serious criminals and there's nothing glamorous for the victims who've been hurt by these individuals, whether that's people who have unfortunately got themselves addicted to drugs and will be harmed in a great, great many ways by that, or people being subject to frauds and perhaps lost a huge amount of money, maybe their life savings, from some of the individuals here. They've chosen to operate outside the law and they've chosen to leave this country and abuse the hospitality of a close neighbour of ours," Jones added.
Murder, Drug and Fraud Suspects Among Those Wanted
- Among the most wanted is Derek McGraw Ferguson, 62, who is wanted in connection with the 2007 murder of Thomas Cameron in Glasgow. Authorities believe he may be living under an alias.
- Kevin Thomas Parle, 45, is wanted over the murders of Liam Kelly in 2004 and Lucy Hargreaves in 2005 and is believed to have links to southern Spain.
- Drug trafficking suspects include Simon Dutton, who is wanted after being recalled to prison over large-scale cocaine importation and money laundering offences, and Spencer Dillon Lamb, accused of drug supply and cultivation offences.
- Charlie Salisbury is wanted on suspicion of cocaine supply and money laundering linked to the encrypted messaging platform EncroChat.
- Several suspects on the list are also wanted for major fraud and money laundering cases. Philip Barry Foster, 50, is wanted to serve an eight-and-a-half-year prison sentence for fraud and money laundering after victims allegedly paid large sums for low-quality modelling photographs and false promises of modelling careers.
- Dean Eighteen, 48, is accused of submitting false VAT repayment claims through companies under his control.
- Russian national Alexsandr Kuksov, 23, is also on the list over allegations linked to a multi-million-pound money laundering operation in 2022.
Public Asked to Help Locate Fugitives
British tourists and expats in Spain are being encouraged to review the wanted list and report any information anonymously to Crimestoppers. Authorities stressed that members of the public should not approach suspects directly.
In the past year alone, 56 fugitives were extradited from Spain back to the UK.
