Two ‘most wanted’ arrested in 24 hours
8 October 2009
Operation Captura, the Crimestoppers/SOCA campaign to locate UK fugitives who may be hiding in the ex-pat community in Spain, saw its 25th and 26th arrests this week, within 24 hours of each other.
Ronald Priestly, a counterfeiter who masterminded a £4.25m counterfeit banknote fraud, was arrested in Malaga, and Stephen Burnell, a paedophile who had been on the run since he was convicted in March 2007, was arrested on the island of Crete. Both will now be extradited to the UK to serve their prison sentences.
International Director for SOCA, David Armond, said: “Once again the public have sent a message to criminals that they are not welcome in their communities. Crimestoppers is an ideal vehicle for the public to anonymously help police track down fugitives and Operation Captura is a testament to how public support is helping shrink the globe, leaving criminals nowhere to hide.”
Lord Ashcroft, Crimestoppers Founder and Chair, said: “More than half the criminals who have been featured under Operation Captura have already been caught. Therefore my message to the rest of them, still on the run, is that it doesn’t matter which island they are sunning themselves on, they should put their affairs in order and find a tenant for their villas because there’s a good chance they will soon be on their way home”.
If you have information on crime and want to report it anonymously call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111