A BRITISH fugitive who appeared on a ‘Most Wanted List’ unveiled by the UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA) on Thursday has been arrested the very same day in the Benidorm area.

Simon Dutton, 49, appeared on a new list of 12 men suspected to be in Spain in a joint presentation between the NCA and Spanish authorities in Alicante.

He was wanted by Greater Manchester Police for a recall to prison for cocaine importation, money laundering, false passport offences, and breaching a Serious Crime Prevention Order.

Dutton was arrested by the Guardia Civil in La Nucia – north of Benidorm- following an investigation that started last November.

Authorities got a tip-off from the manager of a parcel delivery service in Benidorm, where a suitcase containing 16 kilos of hashish were found, destined for the UK.

The sender was a woman who presented fake papers when processing the shipment.

She was accompanied by two men – one of whom was Dutton.

Guardia officers conducted searches in Benidorm and La Nucia on Thursday.

LA NUCIA RAID

They found various quantities of drugs, along with cash, false documentation, and two vehicles used by the suspects.

Besides Dutton, another man was detained in La Nucia and the woman was arrested in Benidorm.

The nationalities of Dutton’s associates have not been revealed by the Guardia Civil.

All three have been charged with drug trafficking and document forgery.

Dutton- with a last known address in Bolton- had been sentenced in in the UK for organising large cocaine imports and for money laundering.

DUTTON MUGSHOT(NCA IMAGE)

One police interception yielded drugs with a street value of £1.5 million at a cocaine ‘factory’ in Stockport.

Some of his offences dated back to between 2008 and 2010.

An international arrest warrant in Dutton’s name had been issued at the end of last year.

He has been handed over to the custody of the National Court in Madrid to process his extradition.

Dutton is no stranger to extradition proceedings, having been arrested in the Greek city of Thessalonki in December 2015 on a European warrant for drug trafficking in the UK.

The NCA at the time described him as ‘dangerous and violent’.

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