One down...nine to go!

Less than one day into an international crackdown on Britain's most wanted criminals an arrest has already been made! Wow! And I thought I worked fast (despite my advancing years before you ask).

Operation Captura - which launched on Monday - is the campaign run by the charity Crimestoppers and the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA). The campaign works to catch the UK's most wanted criminals who are believed to be on the run in Spain - otherwise known as the 'Costa crooks.'

Most wanted fugitive Everardus WIJTVLIET was arrested at roughly 6.30pm Monday evening in Puerto de la Cruz, Tenerife, where officers from the Spanish National Police swooped in and caught the first of the ten.

The remaining nine fugitives are now thought to be running scared (and who can blame them) as 39 out of the 60 wanted under Operation Captura have now been caught. They can run but they can't hide!

Read more about the arrest here

Criminals hiding on the Costa beware as Operation Captura returns!

Once again the crime-fighting charity Crimestoppers is cracking down on criminals on the run in the Spanish Costas.

Teaming up with the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA), Crimestoppers has today launched the sixth batch of appeals under Operation Captura to catch some of the UK's most dangerous criminals. Wanted for serious crimes including murder, drugs trafficking and child sex offences, these guys are really some of the worst I've seen in all my years of fighting crime.

Launched in Alicante, an area of Spain with a large ex-pat community and a potential hideout for fugitives on the run, Crimestoppers also works with Spanish police to catch some of the most dangerous criminals from the UK who try to escape to the Spanish Costas.

The campaign works because members of the public use the Crimestoppers website to view these criminals and know that they can contact the charity with information and never be identified.

The Crimestoppers anonymity promise has never been broken in the 23 years that the charity's been running. People can give information via the 0800 555 111 hotline or through the online giving information form.

See if you can help catch some of Britain's worst crooks...

Read more about the ten most wanted here

The Most Wanted christmas tree around!

It may be the festive season but sadly crime never takes a holiday. So crime-fighting charity have put together their Most Wanted christmas tree, which shows the twelve individuals still wanted under the campaign Operation Captura.

Following the arrest of yet another Most Wanted individual, Dennis O'Brien on 18 December, Crimestoppers have put a festive spin on finding the remaining twelve by showing their faces on what is surely the 'most wanted' Christmas tree this year!

After an intial 50 appeals, only 12 remain, showing the success of the campaign which aims to track down criminals on the run in Spain who are wanted by UK law enforcement.

See if you can identify any of Operation Captura's dirty dozen here.

Another Most Wanted is captured in Spain!

So another one bites the dust as crime-fighting charity Crimestoppers confirm the arrest of another of Britain's most wanted individuals under Operation Captura. As the 38th arrest out of 50 appeals, the operation, which aims to locate wanted fugitives known to be on the run in Spain shows no sign of slowing down.

Dennis Patrick O'Brien was arrested on 18 December in the Costa Del Sol. Identified as one of Britain's most wanted men in December 2007, O'Brien faces prosecution for conspiracy to supply cocaine with a street value of £166 million.

We all know that crime doesn't pay but proof of this old adage came in November this year when the High Court granted SOCA's application to seize O'Brien's assets including a pub and substantial funds from his bank account.

Finding O'Brien wasn't easy to say the least. The hunt for him went all over the globe including Peru, England, the Netherlands, Spain and saw gang members tailed to Hong Kong and Dubai.

Read more about the arrest here

Clink go the handcuffs on another Most Wanted hiding abroad

Did you hear the news that another British criminal wanted under Operation Captura was arrested abroad last week?

It’s simply marvellous! Although Mark Ronald Brown was wanted under Operation Captura – Crimestoppers’ campaign to find British criminals believed to be on the run in Spain – he was in fact arrested by Dutch police in the Netherlands. When he was arrested, he said that he felt unsafe in Spain knowing that he was wanted there, which is why he had moved to the Netherlands instead. Doesn’t that just show the super reach that Crimestoppers has gained with Operation Captura? The criminals know we are after them yet they are finding that there is still no place to hide.

I’m certainly glad that Brown was caught this side of Christmas. Not only is he responsible for the importation of class A drugs, but he is also believed to be the head of an organised crime gang who have imported hundreds of kilos of heroin into the UK.

That’s 28 Operation Captura criminals arrested and 22 to go. A mighty well done to the charity Crimestoppers and the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA)! Make sure you have a look at those remaining wanted criminals – you might just be able to contribute the last piece of the jigsaw.

Two most wanted Costa crooks captured - Bravo!

I’ve got some great news for those of you who read my last post on criminals hiding in Spain with interest – this week two more crooks wanted under Operation Captura were arrested within 24 hours. Bravo bravo!

Being Spanish, I of all people understand the allure of the sun and sand. I hope the remaining Most Wanted aren’t too attached to it though, as they can run, but as these arrests prove, they can’t hide forever..

Ronald Priestley was arrested in Malaga. Holy name but he certainly is no saint – Priestly, originally from Leeds, skipped bail while awaiting trial for currency counterfeiting to the sum of £4.25 million. Sentenced to eight years in prison in his absence, he’s finally going to do the time for the crime.

Also arrested was Stephen Burnell, of Scunthorpe. Burnell was found in Crete and detained in connection with child sex offences.

That’s 26 down, 24 to go!

More than half of all those wanted under Operation Captura have now been caught. I bet the 24 remaining men are getting worried. They should be getting ready to rent out their villas and stop drinking sangria, because it’s only a matter of time before they’ll be found and brought back to the UK to face justice.

British criminals are on the run in my homeland

I do not understand how those imbeciles, El Caped Crimestopper and Señora Robyn can be talking about such frivolous things as “men in tights”, when there are British criminals on the run. IN MY NATIVE LAND.

Am I the only one who has seen these latest Operation Captura Most Wanted appeals? Pictures of those criminals have been in newspapers all over the world. Todo el mundo! They include some of the UK’s most dangerous child sex offenders, robbers and drug traffickers.

One of them, a Señor Michael Eddleston, has already handed himself over to the authorities in Mallorca. I am sure he could not bear to see his wanted face all over the media. I know for certain that I could not.

There are nine more criminals left on the latest Operation Captura list, running like cowards from justice. The Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) say they are in the Malaga region. All I know is that if they are hiding away in my beautiful country, they must be found.

We must stop these criminals from getting away with their easy lives in the sun. I urge my fellow countrymen and British ex-patriots to pass on information anonymously to Crimestoppers about these fugitives.

Viva España!