At the beginning of this month, one of the fugitives from the EU “Most Wanted” list was caught, and even more recently, 3 more #EUMostWanted have been arrested!
One arrest was made possible thanks to citizen collaboration. A tip was confidentially submitted by a member of the public, and ultimately resulted in the arrest of the fugitive.
Consequently, Europol are asking for people to help the investigators track down these most wanted fugitives as part of their awareness campaign #BringThemDown #GameOver
Since the EU Most Wanted campaign was first launched in 2016, according to Europol, over 120 fugitives linked to organised crime groups have been arrested. This year 50 plus profiles of this type of criminal have been added to the website.
See below the list of EU most wanted by the authorities in Spain
KURKUCHEV, Nikolay Shterev
@Europol
Considered dangerous, 54-year-old, Bulgarian born, Kurkuchev is wanted for drug trafficking and participation in a criminal organisation. He is approximately 178 cm tall with blue eyes.
He failed to attend court, and is on the EU and Spain´s most wanted list
Kurkuchev is wanted for being one of the key members of an international organisation. The organisation was dedicated to trafficking large amounts of illegal drugs in containers from South America to Europe. It was specialised in importing cocaine hidden inside legal merchandise, in containers shipped from Colombia. This was done under the appearance of legal trade.
Upon arrival in Europe, the legal merchandise was sent to laboratories where the drug would be extracted. The organisation used to send its own “chemists” to ensure that the maximum possible amount of substance is recovered.
Inside Europe, they moved the cocaine in vehicles with hidden compartments. Three shipments from South America to Bulgaria were registered, involving a total of 740 kilos of cocaine. The investigation revealed that this individual was the organisation’s leader in Bulgaria, where he received the cocaine and organised everything to send it later to other European countries, where it was extracted and distributed. In addition, he oversaw its distribution throughout Europe.
He is considered dangerous and possibly armed.
Also read: Most wanted international criminals thought to be in Spain
DE VENTURA PACHECO, Erick
@Europol
Known as “Peru”, he is wanted for drug trafficking, being the facilitator or organised crime, and for being a member of a criminal organisation. The 36-year-old is Spanish and has brown eyes. He also failed to attend court.
Erick Ventura Pachecho is wanted as the alleged lieutenant of one of the most dangerous and violent criminal organisations in Spain in the past decades.
This gang is said to be led by Angel Suárez Flores, better known as “CASPER”. Flores is a suspect in at least 36 crimes such as drug trafficking, false imprisonment, torture, threat, kidnapping and similar, and for whom the court requests prison sentence of a total of 965 years.
The criminal group was engaged in stealing large amounts of illegal drugs from other traffickers. The group searched for information in the maritime ports to localise containers loaded with drugs and later steal it. Erik, aka “PERU”, was an expert in different technical and computer tools required for surveillance and tracking of traffickers that import drugs. After the substance left the port, they robbed it using kidnapping, torture, and threats.
BAKLAROV, Vassil Nikolov
@Europol
Fifty-five-year-old BAKLAROV, is a dangerous criminal related to different offences within a criminal organisation dedicated to vehicle theft and trafficking.
On August 15th, 1995, together with an accomplice, a Spanish citizen of Venezuelan origin, he killed three people. Two businessmen from Valencia and one Cameroonian national, who were found in a burned car near Alcalá de Henares (Madrid). The three bodies had 16 bullet wounds. Moreover, they had been placed in the back seat of a car that was set on fire.
The motive behind this triple homicide was a failed scam. Seemingly, the victims, who were residents in Valencia travelled to Madrid. They tried to deceive the accused offering them capacities for forging and multiplying money, in exchange of a certain amount of money.
When the accused realised that it was a scam, he decided to kill them. During searches police found firearms and paper of the size of banknotes.
EL HAJ SADEK EL MENBRI, Abdellah
@Europol
Menbri is 38 years old and is wanted on account of being the alleged leader of an international organisation dedicated to trafficking of large amounts of illegal drugs and money laundry, as well of possession of firearms.
He is currently considered to be the head of the biggest hashish trafficking organisations in Spain. Working in Campo de Gibraltar area, he specialised in introducing hashish from North Morocco to Spain, mainly by using strong, high-speed vessels. Once they reached land, they normally loaded the drugs into stolen vehicles, transported to safe locations to hide it until it is sold.
The fugitive has a strong network of collaborators who directly execute the illegal activities. Furthermore, he has a huge number of contact persons and subordinates who carry out all operations within the chain of elaboration and distribution of the drug, from the moment it leaves the place of production, until it is transported to any point in Europe.
This individual has plenty of funds, mainly from his illegal activities, and counts on an extensive network of personal and family links that facilitate his hiding, both in Spain and other countries.
Also read: Narco-boat operation dismantled in southern Spain
VALLEJO GUTIERREZ, Viviana Andrea
@Europol
Known as Vivi, she offered to bring her victims from Columbia to Spain in exchange for €1500 euros. But unknown to the victims, this was an amount they would have to pay back by working as prostitutes in a flat run by her. For the trip to Spain, VIVIANA told them to contact a man in the city of Pereira who would provide them with airline tickets, hotel reservations and fraudulent documentation to pretend that the reason for the trip to Spain was a normal work.
Nevertheless, they were to work as prostitutes. The conditions under which the victims had to work were abusive, having to be available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, without the right to any rest. They could only leave the flat for one hour a day to carry out personal errands, but if a client called her, they had to return immediately.
They shared a room with other women where they performed sexual services. The money earned with the ”services” was kept by Viviana to pay off the debt which became €3000. Viviana also provided cocaine to the flat as the clients requested it.
To see the full list of fugitives on this list, click here. If you recognise anyone, you can give information anonymously.
Also read: UK´s most wanted fugitives thought to be in Spain
