Fugitive wanted for kidnapping in France caught hiding out in Los Alcázares, Murcia
A European arrest warrant led to the capture of the dangerous suspect, who is linked to a violent drug-related abduction in France
The Guardia Civil has arrested a dangerous international fugitive in the Murcia town of Los Alcázares, bringing an end to a months-long manhunt coordinated with French authorities. The operation, codenamed ‘Patinkin’, was carried out by the Judicial Police Unit of the Guardia Civil in the Region of Murcia.
The suspect, whose name has not been disclosed, was wanted in France for his involvement in a brutal kidnapping that took place in Saubens, Haute-Garonne, at the end of 2023. According to the French authorities, the fugitive, who was identified as a member of an organised criminal group, abducted a French citizen in what appears to have been a drug-related incident.
The victim was later discovered at the bottom of a cliff, injured, naked and with adhesive tape around his neck.
Following the crime, the suspect fled France. Investigators believed he had crossed into Spain and was likely hiding somewhere along the Levante coast. The breakthrough came when the Guardia Civil detained the man in Los Alcázares for a separate offence of disobedience. During the arrest, he failed to produce any identification and initially provided false information about his identity.
However, specialists from the Guardia Civil’s Judicial Police force soon uncovered his true identity and confirmed he was the subject of an active European arrest and surrender warrant issued by France. The fugitive has now been placed at the disposal of Spain’s Audiencia Nacional for extradition proceedings.
Authorities described the man as “dangerous” and part of a wider criminal network, although no additional arrests have been reported at this stage.
Image: Guardia Civil
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