UK and Spain launch joint manhunt for its 12 ‘most wanted’ criminals

The UK authorities - the National Crime Agency (NCA) and Crimestoppers - have asked the Spanish Ministry of the Interior for help and launched their ‘Most Wanted 2026’ campaign this Thursday in Alicante to try to track down their highly sought-after criminals and seek the cooperation of both British nationals living in or visiting Spain and Spanish citizens. The National Police telephone number is 091, the Guardia Civil’s is 062, and the number for reporting information regarding this particular campaign is: 900 926 111.

The 20th anniversary of this now historic list, features a wide variety of profiles, although they all share one thing in common: they are fugitives accused or convicted of particularly serious crimes, ranging from drug trafficking and money laundering to murder and sexual offences.

Investigations conducted by the British authorities point to possible links between several of these fugitives and towns such as Marbella, Malaga, Alicante and Tenerife.

During the launch of the campaign, the director of the centre for intelligence against terrorism and organised crime (CITCO), Javier Marín, emphasised the importance of maintaining the search for fugitives of this kind. “Pursuing a fugitive is a way of acknowledging the victims; it is an act of justice because it means empathising with their loss or suffering,” he said. “Every open case keeps the hurt alive, which is why persistence in the search is a form of recognition,” he added.

Since 2019, Spanish law enforcement agencies have arrested 254 British fugitives in Spain who were the subject of international arrest warrants. Of these, 86 were arrested in the province of Málaga and a further 54 in Alicante, two of the main locations chosen by foreign criminals to hide.

The Operation Capture campaigns began two decades ago, spearheaded by the UK’s NCA and Crimestoppers. Since then, collaboration between police, security agencies and members of the public has led to the arrest of 98 of the 111 fugitives publicly named in these campaigns.

The NCA’s Director General of Operations, Rob Jones, also sent a direct message to the fugitives: “Spain is not a safe haven for fugitives, and this collaboration has proven time and again that if you run, we will not stop searching. We will find you and bring you back to face justice.”

These are their faces and descriptions:

Simon Dutton: cocaine and money laundering

Simon Dutton, aged 49, is accused of organising large-scale cocaine imports and money laundering operations. One of the seized shipments was worth £1.5 million. He has the name ‘Rachel’ tattooed on his left arm and has scars on his chin, left hand and right leg.

Dean Eighteen: million-pound VAT fraud

Dean Eighteen, aged 48, is wanted for allegedly submitting fraudulent VAT refund claims through two companies of which he was the sole director. The authorities believe he left the UK in January 2019.

Derek McGraw Ferguson: wanted for murder since 2007

Derek McGraw Ferguson, aged 62, is wanted for his alleged involvement in the murder of Thomas Cameron, committed in Glasgow in 2007. Scottish Police suspect he may be living under a false identity and he remains one of the country’s most wanted fugitives.

Philip Barry Foster: false promises of success as a model

Philip Barry Foster, aged 50, is serving an eight-and-a-half-year prison sentence for fraud and money laundering. According to the investigation, he lured victims by promising them professional modelling jobs after they had handed over money and photographs.

Alexsandr Kuksov: Millions of pounds laundered

Alexsandr Kuksov, a 23-year-old Russian national, is accused of being part of a criminal organisation involved in laundering millions of pounds from illegal activities between September and October 2022. He is of a stocky build and has short brown hair.

Spencer Dillon Lamb: drugs and a distinctive appearance

Spencer Dillon Lamb, aged 33, is wanted for offences relating to the supply and cultivation of drugs. He has numerous tattoos on his head, neck, arms and abdomen, as well as a scar under his left eye.

Liam Michael Murray: cocaine, cannabis and criminal proceeds

Liam Michael Murray, aged 34, is accused of involvement in the supply of cocaine and cannabis, as well as possession of money derived from criminal activities. He is of medium build and has a north-east England accent.

Francis David Parker: alleged member of an organised crime group

Francis David Parker, aged 40, is identified by the British authorities as an active member of the Coggins organised crime group. He is accused of coordinating drug shipments and collecting money for the organisation.

Kevin Thomas Parle: double murder and links to Spain

Kevin Thomas Parle, aged 45, is wanted in connection with the murders of Liam Kelly in 2004 and Lucy Hargreaves in 2005. He has red hair and the authorities believe he has links to southern Spain.

Matthew Purves: large-scale cocaine trafficking

Matthew Purves, aged 41, is accused of participating in a conspiracy to distribute several kilograms of cocaine across the UK. He is 1.83 metres tall, has reddish-brown hair and possible connections to southern Spain.

John Rocks: charged with sexual offences

John Rocks, aged 37, is charged with committing various sexual offences between 2012 and 2022. He is described as a white man, slim build, with light hair.

Charlie Salisbury: EncroChat and drug trafficking

Charlie Salisbury, aged 34, is wanted for alleged cocaine trafficking and money laundering. According to the authorities, he used the encrypted platform EncroChat. He has tattoos of a koi carp and a dragon on his right arm, as well as others on his right leg.