The effectiveness of European Arrest Warrants and advance passenger checks has been demonstrated once more following the arrest of a Briton wanted for drug offences in Portugal.
The 36-year-old was arrested last week by Spanish Police at Tenerife South Airport shortly after landing on a flight from the United Kingdom.
The arrest took place after border control officers at the airport became aware through routine passenger checks that the wanted Briton was due to arrive on the flight from East Midlands.
Officers confirmed the suspect’s identity and held him at passport control while verification was sought that he was still the subject of a Europe-wide arrest warrant authorities issued by Portugal.
The Briton is said by the Portuguese authorities to have been a key figure in a drug trafficking case in Madeira dating back to 2019, when a total of seven people were intercepted by police near a hotel on the holiday island, which lies north of the Canaries, while carrying over 11 kilos of cocaine hidden in backpacks and bags.
Following his arrest at Tenerife South, a local judge ordered his remand in custody pending arrangements for his extradition to Portugal.
Photo: Spanish Police
