Wanted drugs kingpin captured in Estepona after spectacular high-speed chase

Local Police in Marbella have captured Anselmo Sevillano, a wanted drugs dealer from Cadiz who went on the run while on a prison break. Officers spotted a man talking on his mobile phone while driving and stopped the car. However, the driver put his foot on the accelerator and sped off. Officers eventually stopped the driver by shooting at the wheels of the car following a police chase that stretched from San Pedro Alcántara, Marbella to Estepona.

According to sources, the driver endangered other road users and pedestrians, as he allegedly failed to stop at pedestrian crossings. He joined the A-7 heading in the direction of Estepona, at which point police officers alerted their colleagues in Estepona.

The man allegedly drove at high speed through Atalaya Golf - the same area where he was arrested in 2011 – and there, believing that the police had lost sight of him, he parked his car to try to escape on foot.

However, the patrol arrived shortly after him, so the fugitive got back into his car. The officers got out of the police vehicle, surrounded the Mercedes Sevillano was driving and, while pointing the gun at him, ordered him to get out.

The driver, again ignored them and managed to get away again. It was at that point that one of the officers shot the right rear wheel. However, the offender managed to flee and officers got back into the patrol car and continued after him.

With punctured tyres the driver rejoined the motorway, heading in the Estepona direction. Seeing that he could no longer continue with two tyres completely destroyed, the fugitive moved onto the hard shoulder and left the car to flee on foot. It was at this point that officers managed to catch the man and to their surprise, realised they had just caught Anselmo Sevillano; a wanted drug dealer who had been on the run since the end of March.

The drug trafficker had four mobile phones and two allegedly fake driving licences on him, in which he appeared with the same name (Anselmo), but the order of the surnames was different on each licence. He also had a captain’s licence from Ireland, the authenticity of which is being checked but is presumed to be false.

There was a warrant for Anselmo Sevillano’s arrest, detention and imprisonment issued on 30 March by Huelva's provincial court. The Huelva drug trafficker was serving a sentence of 10 and a half years in prison and had two fines totalling 70 million euros for a 3.6 tonne haul of hashish in the Isla Cristina shipyards in August 2011.

Sevillano was arrested in 2011 in an operation by Spain's National Police, although he had been wanted for several years for other offences. He was arrested in a villa in Estepona where he lived with his wife and young son. He owned a number of high-end cars and operated multiple mobile phones, although in general he is said to have led a discreet life.

After serving time in various prisons around the country, Anselmo Sevillano, 47, was enjoying semi-freedom in a social integration centre (CIS) in Galicia, where he went out to work during the day as a chauffeur for his lawyer.

In March he obtained a leave of absence and was due to attend a trial in Seville, but he did not return to the CIS and the provincial court issued a search and arrest warrant.

Police consider Sevillano to be one of the 'kings of hashish' who is linked with the majority of the hashish shipments exported to Europe in the 2000s, as well as a huge maritime infrastructure. He allegedly had contacts with producers in Morocco and controlled markets in the UK, France and the Netherlands.