UK's 12 most wanted fugitives thought to be hiding in Spain
Correspondent Amy Welch has the story.
The top 12 most wanted British criminals thought to be hiding in Spain have been named by law enforcement in a bid to flush them out.
A joint campaign involving the UK National Crime Agency and Spanish officials was launched in Madrid, where a gallery of men wanted for various crimes was unveiled.
The list of fugitives thought to be hiding in mainland Spain or the Spanish islands includes two wanted murderers accused of killing members of rival criminal gangs.
The appeal features five men from the North West, including a 27-year-old from Manchester who is wanted for murder.
Callum Halpin
DOB: 13/12/1994.
Last known address: Beede Street, Openshaw, Manchester.
Wanted by: Greater Manchester Police.
Date of incident: June 2018.
Crime: Wanted in connection with the murder of Luke Graham and the attempted murder of Anton Verigotta. Halpin was allegedly one of three men who drove to the attack site and took part in the murder.
Description: Around 6ft tall, of athletic build, fair complexion. Gym goer. Possible lazy eye.
Links to: Spain and possibly Turkey.
John James Jones
DOB: 16/07/1990.
Last known address: Ennerdale Drive, Aughton, Lancashire.
Wanted by: Lancashire Constabulary.
Location: Overseas possible location Ibiza, Spain.
Description: White, around 6ft all, stocky, dark hair.
Date of Incident: 28/04/2018.
Crime: Wanted for wounding with intent, Jones (and a co-accused) allegedly assaulted two people by stabbing them numerous times with a knife causing serious injuries. It is believed Jones fled the UK in the immediate aftermath. There is information to show he stayed at a hotel in Madrid the night after the stabbings but left rapidly the next morning.
Links to: Possibly Ibiza.
Dean Garforth
DOB: 31/10/1992.
Last known address: South Hill Road, Dingle, Liverpool.
Wanted by: Cheshire Police.
Description: Born in Liverpool. About 5ft 6in tall, white, of slim build, brown hair.
Date of Incident: Between March 2020 and July 2020.
Crime: Garforth is allegedly involved in a well-established Organised Crime Group supplying significant quantities of cocaine and cannabis and involved in trading firearms and ammunition. It is alleged he used the now defunct encrypted comms platform EncroChat to facilitate these offences in and around the North West of England and that his OCG also adulterated the drugs before moving them on.
Links to: Spain.
Joshua Dillon Hendry
DOB: 01/09/1991.
Last known address: Lochinvar Street, Walton, Liverpool.
Wanted by: Humberside Police.
Description: From Liverpool. 6ft 2in tall.
Date of Incident: between 01/09/2017 and 21/03/2019
Crime: He is accused of being a member of a Liverpool OCG and conspiracy to supply Class A Drugs. It is alleged he trafficked heroin and crack cocaine from Liverpool to Grimsby for onward distribution and controlled the phone line used for this. His mother and brother were convicted as part of the conspiracy. Hendry is also wanted over a separate drugs conspiracy to supply cocaine in May 2018 for which he was sentenced in his absence to 10 years' imprisonment in March 2019.
Links to: Spain.
Mark Francis Roberts
DOB: 23/07/1993.
Last known address: Freehold Street, Fairfield, Liverpool.
Wanted by: Merseyside Police.
Description: From Liverpool. White, 6ft 1in tall, of medium build. Has a 7.6cm scar down his right leg. Heavy eyebrows, right handed; green eyes; potential scar on arm obtained during the attempted robbery.
Date of Incident: 30/09/2016.
Crime: Grievous Bodily Harm and attempted robbery of a man’s £60,000 Richard Mille watch. The victim was attacked by two men with a blade at around 1.30am on 30 September 2016 after he parked his car on his home driveway. The victim refused to surrender his watch and was so badly injured he suffered life-threatening injuries and was treated in a critical care unit for puncture wounds, a collapsed lung and many lacerations. The victim heard one of the attackers say he’d cut himself in the attack, and Roberts’s blood was later identified at the scene.
Links to: Scotland, Spain.
Benjamin Macann
DOB: 19/08/1989
Last known address: Halfpenny Lane, Beetley, Dereham, Norfolk
Wanted by: Norfolk Police
Date of Incident: 01/04/2020
Crime: Wanted for his alleged involvement in the supply of multi kilograms of cocaine in 2020 in which he and accomplices used encrypted handsets.
Description: Around 5ft 10in tall, suffers from asthma. Blue eyes, left handed, medium build greying hair.
Links to: Barcelona
Jack Mayle
DOB: 16/03/1991.
Last known address: Previously of Caterham, Surrey.
Wanted by: Surrey Police.
Date of Incident: Between 12/08/2019 and 30/07/2020.
Crime: Supply of MDMA, methylphenidate (a pharmaceutical drug) and diazepam. Mayle fled after being charged. He allegedly ran a drug line in South London and Surrey called the Flavour Quest. He worked with a dark web drug dealer buying and selling drugs between each other for onward sales through their respective drug networks. They sold LSD and various pharmaceutical medication.
Description: Born in Croydon, around 5ft 11 in tall and muscular.Diamond tattoo under his left eye, and a tattoo on the outside of his left forearm that reads ‘Croydon’. Left hand tattooed with ‘Money never sleeps’, ’12-20’ and a small heart. His right hand has an eye design tattoo with hands around it and word ‘Littles’. On both hands he has tattoos on his fingers reading ‘trap star’. His neck is tattooed with warriors and religious figures on horses. He has a full back tattoo. May have tried to alter his appearance. He is known to carry weapons; is a regular gym goer and vegan.
Links to: Spain.
Calvin Parris
DOB: 14/01/1990.
Last known address: addresses in Ely Cardiff; Sully, Cardiff; Barry, Cardiff.
Wanted by: South Wales Police.
Date of incident: Between February 2020 - June 2020.
Crime: Conspiracy to supply Class A drugs. Parris is alleged to be a customer of Asim Naveed’s OCG, buying cocaine from them and selling it on within Cardiff. Parris is said to have used an Encro phone to strike deals with the OCG including once buying seven kilos of cocaine for £89,000.
Description: Black, 5ft 11in, medium build, gold upper teeth.
Links to: Spain.
James Stevenson
DOB: 11/04/1965.
Last known address: Fishcoates Gardens, Rutherglen, Glasgow.
Wanted by: The NCA & Police Scotland Organised Crime Partnership.
Description: White, around 5ft 9in tall, stocky, grey hair, scar left side of face.
Date of Incident: Between 25/01/2020 – 21/09/2020.
Crime: The National Crime Agency and Police Scotland want to speak with James Stevenson in connection with multiple offences relating to organised crime in Scotland and the wider United Kingdom, namely in relation to the seizure of approximately one tonne of cocaine found within a shipment of unaccompanied freight arriving at the Port of Dover in September 2020, and in relation to the production and supply of approximately 28 million Etizolam ‘street valium’ tablets, seized following a raid on a suspected pill factory in Kent in June 2020.
He is also wanted in connection with two suspected wilful fire-raising attacks on properties in the Lanarkshire and Forth Valley areas in May 2020.
Members of the public should not approach Stevenson directly but instead are urged to contact the authorities.
Links to: Barcelona, Alicante.
Nana Oppong
DOB: 28/05/1980.
Last known address: West Road Newham, London.
Wanted by: Essex Police.
Description: Athletic appearance, black, . Two circular scars above his right eye. A series of small scars on his left hand and fingers. Stomach scar near naval.
Date of Incident: 13 June 2020.
Crime: Wanted in connection with the murder of Robert Powell, 50. Oppong allegedly drove to a party where Powell was present and shot him eight times with a 9mm pistol. Oppong and Powell allegedly belonged to rival criminal networks.
Links to: Marbella.
Asim Naveed
DOB: 27/01/1992.
Last known address: Chandlery Way, Butetown, Cardiff and Glenwood, Pentwyn, Cardiff.
Wanted by: South Wales Police.
Date of incident: Between February 2020 – June 2020.
Crime: Allegedly had a leading role in a highly organised crime group. Using encrypted comms platform EncroChat, he is accused of acquiring large quantities of cocaine from upstream suppliers and onward distribution through Cardiff and Wales. It is estimated he and his OCG brought 46 kilos of cocaine into Wales during the period worth up to £7,885,680.
Description: Asian, 6ft 2in tall, muscular build, surgical scar along left wrist.
Links to: Mainland Spain.
Callum Michael Allan
DOB: 24/06/1998.
Last known address: Lilac Avenue, South Shields.
Wanted by: Northumbria Police.
Description: Around 182cms tall with fine hair, blue eyes, slim build and a Tyneside accent.
Date of Incident: From October 2017 to June 2019.
Crime: Twelve alleged offences include: Possession with intent to supply Class A (heroin), supply Class A (cocaine), possession of cannabis, assaulting an emergency worker, affray and dangerous driving. On 11 June 2019 police raided a house suspected to be used for drugs deals. Allan fled and assaulted two officers who restrained him. He was in possession of 113.29 grams of heroin. Allan was charged and appeared at court in April 2020 where he was given unconditional bail and failed to return.
Links to: Alicante, Marbella.
The 'Most Wanted' campaign is run in conjunction with independent charity CrimeStoppers, Spanish law enforcement, and UK policing.
Spain is one of the most popular countries for British ex-pats and the two nations have a very strong law enforcement partnership.
Steve Rodhouse the NCA’s Director General of Operations was joined by the Security Minister Rafael Pérez Ruiz of Spain’s Interior Ministry, British Ambassador to Spain Hugh Elliot and Mark Hallas, CEO of CrimeStoppers, at the campaign launch in Madrid.
Steve said: “Spain is not a safe haven.
“We have a brilliant relationship with the country’s various law enforcement agencies and work together daily to protect the public.
“With 86 offenders arrested in our last fugitives campaign, criminals know we will never give up and we’re never far behind them.
“Fugitives usually continue offending while on the run and these men will be known in criminal circles wherever they are.
“The last thing the fugitives’ associates will want is the combined determination and capabilities of the UK and Spanish law enforcement focusing on them.
“Many of these fugitives will be trying to blend in to the large British communities who have made their homes in Spain, and if you are resident, you may know one of them from your town or village.
“Loyalties change over time and we urge anyone with information about these men to help us find them.”