One of the country's most wanted fugitives has been arrested in Spain. David Anthony Stuart, formerly of Accrington, has been on the run for the past six years.
He was caught by Spanish police officers on Tuesday following a tip-off from the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA).
The 35-year-old was originally arrested in Rishton in July 2004 for possession of 20,000 ecstasy tablets.
But Stuart, also formerly of Poulton-le-Fylde, failed to attend his trial at Preston Crown Court in June 2005 and was subsequently charged with two offences of conspiracy to supply a Class A controlled drug and possession with intent to supply a Class A controlled drug.
Trevor Pearce, director general of SOCA commented: "This is another excellent result for our partnership with Spain.
"It would seem that plenty of British fugitives and criminals still haven’t worked out that basing themselves in Spain is not a particularly smart move. We won’t stop coming after them – and the Spanish Police are more than happy to arrest them and get them sent back to the UK."
The arrest was made as part of Operation Captura which targets serious criminals wanted by UK law enforcement agencies for crimes committed in the UK who may be living in Spain.
