UK's 12 most wanted criminals reportedly hiding out in top European holiday hotspot
Topics: Crime, UK News, News, World News, Police
Rhianna Benson
Featured Image Credit: Getty Stock Images
Topics: Crime, UK News, News, World News, Police
Holidaymakers set to visit one of Europe's most popular tourist destinations have received an eerie warning from British police.
According to recent findings, as many as 12 of the UK's most wanted fugitives are believed to be lying low in one destination beloved by Brits.
Amongst them is a man suspected of committing double murder, and a Russian money-launderer believed to have illegally processed millions in drug earnings.
Their presumed location? Spain, of course.
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National Crime Agency officials released an updated carousel of the current most wanted offenders on Thursday (14 May) in partnership with Spanish police.
The gallery was published along with a warning to any Brits who have emigrated to the nearby nation, as well as anyone with plans to travel to Spain during the approach to summer, which read: "These are not the people you want in your neighbourhood."
It's thought the top 12 criminals have links in the likes of Tenerife, Marbella, Alicante and Malaga.
On the list is Alexsandr Vladimirovich Kuksov, who stands accused of being part of a gang responsible for laundering millions of pounds raised through drug dealing by turning it into crypto cash. It's believed the 23-year-old has been living on the Canary Island of Tenerife after police also linked him to Russian oligarchs who'd avoided sanctions by buying property in the UK.
Kevin Thomas Parle is also on the list, wanted by Merseyside Police for the murders of Liam Kelly in Liverpool in 2004 and Lucy Hargreaves in Walton in 2005.
The 45-year-old is thought to have links to both Malaga and Costa Blanca.
Police Scotland is also trying to track down Derek McGraw Ferguson, a 62-year-old, 5ft 3ins, stocky and balding white man, who they believe murdered Thomas Cameron outside a pub in Glasgow in 2007.
According to insiders, in the 20 years since Operation Captura was kick-started, 98 of the 111 named individuals have been turned in or located by police and forced to pay for their crimes.
Rick Jones, the deputy director of the NCA, told PA it's likely that these lawbreakers are used to flying under the radar, and that many will likely have been blending into already established communities of ex-pats for some time.
"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," he warned.
"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."
Jones continued: "That’s why we are so determined to leave no stone unturned and no safe place for them to do that and offend against the Spanish communities and our own back here."
He went on to suggest that these conmen may be relying on forged documents, including fake passports, and some may have gone so far as to conceal their identities by having had surgery.
"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," Jones added. "Or people being subject to frauds and perhaps losing a huge amount of money, maybe their life savings, from some of the individuals here."