British fugitive on most wanted list arrested in Spain
- Published
One of the most wanted British fugitives has been arrested in Spain.
Michael Roden, 26, from Redditch, Worcestershire, was apprehended at Alomartes, Andalucia, on 4 November.
He is one of seven arrested for alleged drug trafficking, possession of illegal firearms, money laundering and forgery.
Mr Roden is also wanted by West Midlands Police over an import of 70kg of cannabis in 2013, and an extradition hearing is expected to take place in Madrid this week.
Michael Roden, from Redditch, was wanted over the import of 70kg of cannabis to Britain
In a search of six properties Spanish police found 30kg of cannabis, drug packaging material, firearms and 85,000 euros.
The three men and three women held along with Mr Roden include Chilean, Georgian, Romanian and Spanish nationals.
Operation Captura
A European Arrest Warrant was used to carry out the arrest on Mr Roden.
He was tracked down as part of Operation Captura, a joint campaign by the National Crime Agency (NCA), Crimestoppers and Spanish authorities to trace British fugitives in the country.
So far, 73 of 86 people on the Operation Captura list have been apprehended.
Dave Allen, head of the NCA's international crime bureau, said Mr Roden's arrest "highlights the effectiveness of the campaign in flushing out fugitives".