Britain's 'Most Wanted' TV soap star arrested in Alicante

This is the moment heavily-armed police on Spain’s Costa Blanca move in to arrest a former TV soap star named last year as one of Britain’s Most Wanted.

Barry Philip Foster, 51, was held on an international arrest warrant in Orihuela Costa south of Alicante.

Foster played Christian Wright in the long-running Channel 4 series Brookside, which aired from 1982 to 2003.

The National Crime Agency asked for the public’s help in May last year in tracking him down so he could begin an eight-and-a-half year prison sentence for fraud.

This Friday the Guardia Civil confirmed the arrest as they released video footage showing the operation to track down Foster.

The police force said, in a statement giving details of his conviction although they didn’t officially name him as is normal in Spain: “The Guardia Civil has arrested another of the twelve fugitives included in the international 'Most Wanted' campaign in Orihuela Costa in the province of Alicante), launched by the United Kingdom to locate criminals linked to organised crime who could be hiding in Spain.

"The arrest took place during inquiries being carried out by the Homicide, Missing Persons and Fugitives from Justice Team of the Organic Judicial Police Unit of the Alicante Guardia Civil Command in connection with a homicide committed in the same locality.

"The progress of these inquiries led investigators to a man whose identification revealed that he was wanted by the British authorities.

"An international search and arrest warrant for extradition purposes, issued by the United Kingdom, was outstanding against him, where he has an eight-and-a-half-year prison sentence pending enforcement for fraud and money laundering offenses. The checks carried out also confirmed that he was among the twelve most wanted fugitives by the authorities of that country.

"Once his identity had been confirmed, the officers, with the support of the Citizen Security Unit (USECIC) of the Alicante Guardia Civil Command, proceeded to arrest him and searched his home, where they seized 22,000 euros in cash and several false identity documents that he had been using to identify himself, for which he is also accused of an alleged document forgery offence."

Referencing the May arrest in La Nucia just north of Benidorm of fugitive convicted drugs smuggler Simon Dutton, a Guardia Civil spokesman added: “He is not the first fugitive from that list located in the province.

"Last May, coinciding with the presentation of the campaign in Alicante, the Guardia Civil arrested another of those wanted by the United Kingdom as part of an operation against a network engaged in drug trafficking and document forgery.

The new detainee, a 51-year-old British national, was transferred to a duty court in Alicante so he could be placed at the disposal of the Audiencia Nacional court, which has jurisdiction over extradition matters.”

It was not immediately clear on Friday when Foster would make his court appearance in front of an extradition judge. The Guardia Civil offered no more details about the homicide they said they had been investigating that led them to the wanted Brit, whose wife Nicola Jones is understood to have died in May although reports say it was from natural causes.

Rick Jones, NCA deputy director international, said: "Foster's arrest demonstrates the continued success of the most wanted campaign and our commitment to tracking down criminals wanted by UK law enforcement.

"I want to recognise the dedicated work of our colleagues in the Guardia Civil who made this arrest possible. The NCA, alongside law enforcement partners, will continue to do all we can to ensure fugitives are returned to face justice."