Two most wanted UK fugitives held in Spain
The arrests came within 24 hours of the launch of an appeal for information by the authorities
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Saturday, 08, Nov 2008 09:57
Two of the UK's most wanted fugitives have been arrested in Spain following appeals by the Crimestoppers charity.
The Serious Organised Crime Agency and Crimestoppers issued an appeal on Thursday for information on ten suspects who were believed to be hiding in southern Spain.
Suspects Anthony Kearney and Donna McCafferty, who had been wanted on various fraud offences, were arrested by the Spanish police less than 24 hours after the launch of the appeal under Operation Captura 2.
Crimestoppers chief executive Mick Laurie said: “Two arrests so quickly is an amazing result for law enforcement and the Crimestoppers charity.
"The response from the public has been fantastic, within 24 hours of launching the ten new appeals, we have been able to pass on to the police over 50 valuable pieces of information and we have had over 25, 000 visitors to our website, that's over ten times are daily average.
"This proves how well Operation Captura and Most Wanted works – these criminals have nowhere to hide, their faces are on the internet for all to see," he added.
Speaking about the arrests, British ambassador to Spain Denise Holt said: "This works. I am delighted with the speed with which the Spanish authorities have acted, and the phenomenal response from the public.
"This has meant that, in less than 24 hours, two dangerous individuals out of the ten serious criminals at large have been caught and will be brought to justice. Keep up the calls and visits to the Crimestoppers website - these campaigns are proving that British criminals can no longer escape from justice in Spain.”
Operation Captura identifies serious criminals wanted by UK law enforcement agencies for crimes committed in the UK.
It involves cooperation between Crimestoppers and SOCA who then work with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office staff in Madrid, as well as British and Spanish law enforcement agencies to pursue the suspects.
The campaign highlights appeals for information on criminals who have European arrest warrants issued against them for crimes such as drug trafficking, murder and currency counterfeiting.