UK´s Most Wanted In Spain – First “Operation Captura” Arrest

The arrest of 49-year-old Simon Dutton was the first in what Spanish and UK authorities will be all of the 12 most wanted UK fugitives on the run in Spain.

Dutton from Bolton, Greater Manchester, was detained in La Nucía in Alicante during a major Guardia Civil operation carried out in collaboration with the UK’s National Crime Agency just a day after the British Embassy in Madrid unveiled the most wanted list of Brits in Spain.

Dutton, had been on the run and wanted for a re-call to prison. He was sentenced for organising large-scale importations of cocaine and money laundering.

The latest list of ‘Operation Captura,’ which marks its 20th anniversary is a multi-agency initiative which has led to the arrest of 98 fugitives from the 111 who have been publicly identified since the campaign began in 2006.

The National Crime Agency’s Most Wanted campaign is carried out in partnership with the independent charity Crimestoppers, the Spanish Interior Ministry, Spanish police forces and UK law enforcement agencies.

Spain remains one of the most popular destinations for British ex-pats, with authorities in both countries maintaining close cooperation on policing and security matters.

The campaign was officially launched in Alicante, where NCA Director General of Operations Rob Jones was joined by Sarah Cowley, Deputy Head of Mission at the British Embassy, Francisco Javier Marín Lizarraga, Director of Spain’s Centre for Intelligence against Terrorism and Organised Crime (CITCO), senior officers from the Guardia Civil and Spanish National Police, and Crimestoppers chief executive Mark Hallas.

Speaking at the launch, Rob Jones said: ‘As we mark the 20th anniversary of Operation Captura, our message is very clear. Spain is not a safe haven for fugitives and this partnership has shown time and again that if you run, we will not stop looking. We will find you, and we will bring you back to face justice.’

‘Fugitives rarely stop offending while on the run,’ he said. ‘They continue to harm communities in both Spain and the UK, and attempt to stay under the radar by blending into large British ex-pat populations. These are not people you want in your neighbourhood.’

‘Thanks to the strength of our relationship with Spanish law enforcement partners, and the combined determination and capabilities we are able to exploit, 90% of the individuals we have featured in Operation Captura have been located over the past two decades,’ he said.

‘Today, we are asking for the public’s help once more. Loyalties change, time moves on. If you have any information that could help us, now is the time to come forward.’

Francisco Javier Marín Lizarraga, director of CITCO, from the Spanish Ministry of Interior, said: ‘Pursuing a fugitive is a way of recognising the victims. It is an act of justice for the victims, because it means empathising with their loss and suffering. Every open case keeps that harm alive. That is why persistence in the search is, in itself, a form of recognition.’

‘Cooperation in this field is essential,’ he added. ‘Spain and the United Kingdom are a well-established example of effective collaboration. Decades of joint work between our law enforcement agencies have shown that sharing information, coordinating efforts, and building mutual trust delivers results, even in complex legal contexts.’

Other Most Wanted

• Dean Eighteen, 48, is wanted for submitting false VAT repayment claims on behalf of two companies of which he is the sole director. Eighteen is a white male and is believed to have left the UK in January 2019.
•  Derek McGraw Ferguson, 62, in connection with the murder of Thomas Cameron which took place in Glasgow in 2007. Ferguson is likely to be living under an alias and has featured in previous campaigns. He remains one of Police Scotland’s Most Wanted fugitives and age-progressed images of Ferguson are available on the NCA’s Most Wanted website.
• Philip Barry Foster, 50, is wanted to begin his eight-and-a-half-year prison sentence for fraud and money laundering. His victims parted with substantial amounts of money for poor quality photos, on the promise of gaining professional modelling work.
• Alexsandr Kuksov. He is accused of being involved with an organised crime group that laundered multi-millions of pounds of criminal cash between September and October 2022. Kuksov is stocky with mousy brown hair. He was added to the Most Wanted list in January 2026.
•  Spencer Dillon Lamb, 33, is wanted for supplying and cultivating drugs. Lamb has multiple tattoos across his head, neck, arms and abdomen, as well as a scar under his left eye.
•  Liam Michael Murray. The 34-year-old white male has a medium build and a North-East accent is wanted for his involvement in the supply of cocaine, cannabis.
• Francis David Parker, 40, is believed to be a proactive member of the Coggins organised crime group (OCG). He is wanted for directing drug couriers and collecting money on behalf of the OCG. He is stocky with short brown and grey hair.
• Kevin Thomas Parle is wanted in relation to the murders of Liam Kelly in 2004 and Lucy Hargreaves in 2005. The 45-year-old has red hair and has featured in previous campaigns. He is believed to have links to southern Spain.
• Matthew Purves, 41, is wanted for his involvement in a conspiracy to supply multiple kilos of cocaine across the UK. Purves is 6ft tall with cropped auburn hair and is believed to have links to southern Spain as well as Corby and Peterborough.
• John Rocks, 37, is accused of committing sexual offences between 2012 and 2022. He is a white British male with a slim build and fair hair.
•  Charlie Salisbury, who is wanted on suspicion of supplying cocaine and laundering the proceeds of the crimes. The 34-year-old, who was also a user of EncroChat, has a tattoo of a koi carp and a dragon on his entire right arm, as well as tattoos on his lower right leg.