A British man suspected to being a drug trafficking boss has been arrested in the Spanish province of Granada.
Michael Roden along with six others – three women and three men - was apprehended in the early part of October, a police spokesperson announced on Monday.
Roden, who carries the nickname “Dodge”, was one of the UK’s ten most wanted fugitives thought to be living in Spain. He is alleged to be connected to the importation of 70 kilos of cannabis from Spain into Britain in 2013.
He is also wanted for breaking his probation conditions after being released early from his three-year sentence resulting in his 2010 conviction for cannabis production.
"The drugs, of high quality and vacuum packed, were transported using different types of vehicles, such as campers, trucks, and high-powered cars," police said in a statement.
During the operation, 30 kilos of cannabis, several guns, cars and more than €85,000 in cash were seized.
The seven suspects have been charged with belonging to a criminal organisation, drug trafficking, money laundering, illegal possession of arms and falsification of documents.
The Costa del Sol’s reputation as the Costa del Crime came to an abrupt end in 2004 when the European arrest warrant was introduced. Before then, the lack of an extradition treaty meant that many criminals sought to hide there.
Only last week, the Spanish police announced the arrest of another Brit wanted for murder and drugs offences. Robert Dawes was arrested in his home in Benalmádena, near Malaga.
Dawes was named by Dutch prosecutors in court for allegedly ordering the 2002 murder of schoolteacher Gerard Meesters, who was apparently gunned down because his sister and her friend were believed to have stolen a shipment of drugs. Mr Dawes was never formally charged or arrested in connection with the incident.
British authorities have identified what they believe to be his involvement in nine national criminal investigations into large-scale drug shipments.
After moving to the Costa del Sol in 2006, Dawes subsequently fled to Dubai. He was extradited back to Spain in 2011 but released as a result of poor coordination between Spanish and British authorities.
