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CRIME

Brit wanted for Spain murder caught in UK

A UK man wanted by Spanish police in connection with the Alicante murder of a fellow Brit in April has been arrested while trying to enter the UK in a light aircraft.

Published: 19 December 2014 15:55 CET
Brit wanted for Spain murder caught in UK
Paul John Scott, from Liverpool, was apprehended on Tuesday night when he flew into East Winch Airfield in Norfolk from the Netherlands. Screen grab: Youtube/Steve Ivie /National Crime Agency

Paul John Scott, aged 32, from Liverpool, was apprehended on Tuesday night when he flew into East Winch Airfield in Norfolk from the Netherlands in a Cessna 170. The Dutch pilot was also arrested, according to a statement from the UK’s National Crime Agency.

One of the agency’s most wanted fugitives, Scott is a suspected member of a Merseyside-based organized crime group that plotted to smuggle up to 40 tonnes of drugs into the UK. He was also being sought by the Guardia Civil in Spain in connection with the murder of British national Francis Brennan in Alicante.

Brennan, himself a fugitive, fled the UK ahead of trial where he was likely to be found guilty of stabbing someone during a Swedish House Mafia gig in Milton Keynes in 2012. His body was found on an Alicante beach in April 2014 wrapped in a bin bag. A 'criminal fraternity' that Brennan had links to was believed at the time to have be behind the murder.

The arrest comes two weeks after the NCA launched a manhunt for Scott and issued an appeal on BBC One’s Crimewatch show.

Officers from Norfolk Police and Border Force were waiting for the aircraft to touchdown as suspicions had been raised ten days earlier when the pilot landed in the same airfield in a different aircraft.

Scott was charged with conspiracy to import cocaine. He appeared at Liverpool Magistrates Court on Thursday and was remanded in custody until his next court appearance at Liverpool Crown Court on January 2nd.

Greg McKenna, North West Investigations Branch Commander, said: "Paul Scott actively sought to evade arrest but thanks to a member of the public reporting their suspicions and great work by our partners his days on the run are over."

The arrest of Scott comes during the same week that another man has been sentenced for his role in the conspiracy. Kevin Jennings, aged 51, from Huyton, Liverpool, was jailed for 23 years today at Liverpool Crown Court.

As part of the NCA investigation 25 members of this international criminal network have received sentences totalling over 270 years.

The Dutch pilot, who was also arrested on suspicion of money laundering, has been bailed pending further enquiries.

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CRIME

Dutch gang leader vanishes in Spain after accidental release

A top drug trafficker is on the run after accidentally being bailed from jail in Spain, officials said Tuesday, dodging a bid to extradite him to the Netherlands where his Mocro Maffia gang is based.

Published: 24 April 2024 09:23 CEST
Dutch gang leader vanishes in Spain after accidental release

Karim Bouyakhrichan was arrested in January in Marbella, an upmarket tourist resort on Spain’s southern coast, along with five other members of the Mocro Maffia gang.

They are suspected of having bought 172 properties in Spain worth over €50 million ($53.5 million) to launder their gains from drug trafficking.

But the following month a court in the southern city of Málaga decided to grant him provisional release with judicial supervision, against the wishes of public prosecutors and the Spanish government. Judicial sources said Tuesday his whereabouts are now unknown.

“It is worrying news,” Justice Félix Bolaños told a news conference following a weekly cabinet meeting when asked about the case.

“I can’t comment on any court decisions, but I do trust that the state security forces will bring this person to justice as soon as possible,” he added.

The Málaga court said in its ruling granting Bouyakhrichan provisional release that the risk that he would flee could be avoided “with other less burdensome security measures” than pre-trial detention.

It imposed bail of €50,000, took away his passport and ordered him to report to the authorities twice a month.

Dutch extradition bid

At the same time Spain’s top criminal court was processing a request for Bouyakhrichan’s extradition to the Netherlands, where he is wanted for large-scale drug trafficking.

But it postponed its extradition proceedings because the Málaga court intended to put Bouyakhrichan on trial first for money laundering, court sources told AFP.

When the Netherlands provided more information to back its extradition request, the top court summoned him to testify and when he failed to appear a fresh warrant for his arrest was issued.

Vincent Veenman, a spokesman at the Dutch public prosecutor’s office in The Hague, said it was “unknown” to them why Bouyakhrichan had not been detained for extradition.

“We are currently awaiting a decision on the extradition request,” he added.

“Our experience with the Spanish justice system is that this cooperation is generally good. Dozens of suspects are handed over every year.”

Bouyakhrichan’s brother Samir, another leading member of the Mocro Maffia, was murdered in 2014 near Marbella, sparking a reorganisation of organised crime groups in the region.

The Mocro Maffia made international headlines in 2022 after it emerged that Dutch Crown Princess Amalia had been placed under heavy protection in response to fears of an attack by the group.

Dutch media reported earlier last week that the 20-year-old heir to the Dutch throne studied in Madrid after being forced to ditch plans to live in student accommodation in Amsterdam because of the threats.

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