Germany's most-wanted drugs trafficker arrested in Málaga after five years on the run
The National Police arrested in Málaga the drugs trafficker most wanted in Germany, located through surveillance of his brother. He remains in prison pending extradition.
Most-wanted German fugitive arrested in Málaga for drug trafficking
The National Police arrested on 24 August in Málaga the drugs trafficker most wanted in Germany since 2021, according to Google News ES — Crime (es) based on reporting by El País. The detainee, whose identity has not been publicly disclosed, is now in preventive custody pending extradition to Germany, where he is wanted for drug trafficking and membership in a criminal organisation.
"He was like a ghost: we were always chasing after him," declares an officer from the National Police's Fugitives Group who led the operation. During five years, each time investigators managed to identify the alias under which the suspect was operating, he had already adopted a new identity. He changed his name every three months, obtaining false identity documents and passports under different nationalities. His phone number rotated every two weeks. "His ability to hide is incredible. He is among the best we have seen," emphasise officers from the same police group.
Cybersecurity expert with criminal support network
The fugitive had completed specific training in cybersecurity to avoid leaving digital traces. Moreover, according to investigators, "he had significant infrastructure support from organised crime" that facilitated his continual identity renewal. Before settling permanently in Spain, he had passed through several European countries, according to a warning issued by Germany's Federal Criminal Investigation Office (BKA) in 2021, when it first alerted that the suspect could be found in Spanish territory.
The detainee had previously operated in Spain, where he is believed to have led a criminal organisation that loaded drugs onto trucks destined for Germany via France.
The brother as the key lead
The turning point came when officers learned that the fugitive's brother was travelling to Spain by car. He entered via Catalonia and police began surveillance that lasted nearly three days without interruption. The man stayed overnight in Barcelona, continued along the Mediterranean coast to a municipality in Valencia — where he stopped at a service area — and finally headed south.
"Our colleagues spent almost three days following him without being able to rest," the officer notes.
Arrest in Málaga
The brother arrived in Málaga in the early hours of 24 August. He picked up a person whom officers failed to identify and surveillance continued. When the vehicle parked and the occupants got out, police clearly recognised the fugitive and proceeded to arrest him immediately, under a European Arrest Warrant issued by Germany. The Spanish authorities also had their own judicial warrant against him.
The detainee, an expert in martial arts and boxing, threw himself to the ground upon being intercepted. Officers had uncertainly considered his possible reaction. "In the end it was a clean arrest," conclude the same police sources.
After appearing before the National Court, the detainee was remanded in custody pending resolution of his extradition to Germany, where he was considered the country's most-wanted drugs trafficker for leading a network distributing large quantities of drugs in German territory.
Source: Google News ES — Crime (es)