Hunt is on for last man outstanding
17th March 2011
The net is closing in on the last man outstanding on a law enforcement hit-list of armed robbery suspects from Salford.
The arrest of Stephen Devalda, 27, at a hotel in Marbella, Spain, earlier this week means only one of the seven wanted men is still on the run. Andrew Moran, 28, was convicted in his absence of conspiracy to commit armed robbery on a Royal Mail vehicle at the Asda store in Colne, Lancashire, in May 2005. Devalda is suspected of being involved in the same incident.
Andrew Moran
The seven men are all being targeted as part of Project Gulf – a multi-agency initiative to combat organised crime in Salford.
SOCA and its partners had been tracking Devalda since his brother Sean, who was also on the hit-list, was arrested less than six weeks ago in a dramatic dawn raid outside Amsterdam. Fearing capture, he fled to Thailand and then returned to Spain using a false passport.
The joint SOCA, Spanish National Police and Greater Manchester Police operation to arrest Devalda involved a team of armed officers who swooped on the hotel at 5.45pm local time on Monday. He is now in custody and extradition proceedings are underway.
SOCA’s Matt Burton said: “The Gulf team pooled all the resources at its disposal to find Stephen Devalda and the other men on the hit-list. My message for Andrew Moran is a simple one – we’re coming for you. No matter where you go, we will hunt you down and bring you back to the UK to face justice.”
Detective Inspector Simon Cheyte, from Lancashire Police, said: “We have worked incredibly hard, not only here in Lancashire, but with our colleagues across the globe in order to trace Stephen Devalda. We are delighted with this latest development which should serve as a clear warning to anybody who thinks they can evade the criminal justice system.”
Project Gulf involves a variety of agencies using a wide range of tools and powers to not only put criminals behind bars but also disrupt their lifestyles. This includes where they meet, how they launder money, how they travel and how they exploit legitimate businesses in order to carry out criminal activities.
The Gulf team includes representatives from Greater Manchester Police, Salford Council, SOCA, UK Border Agency, Environment Agency, Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service, DVLA, Department of Work and Pensions, Security Industry Association, City West Housing Trust, HM Revenue & Customs, and a number of other organisations.
If you wish to pass on information about the whereabouts of Andrew Moran anonymously, please call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 from the UK or 900 555 111 from Spain.