MADRID – The top ten list of Spain´s most wanted criminals is getting shorter. Manuel Herrero Muñoz, accused of murder in Mexico, has surrendered to police in Madrid.
There are now only five people left on the list released by Spanish police in May 2022. In 2012, Muñoz is said to have committed murder in Mexico City. Consequently, he faces a prison sentence of 35 years. The victim was injured with a sharp object. Moreover, the lifeless body was later hidden in an oil drum full of cement.
Increasing pressure from the media and police
As of 2020, Muñoz was listed as a fugitive and wanted internationally. Spanish police worked closely with Mexican authorities. Muñoz eventually surrendered due to increasing pressure from the media and police. He had been hiding in various places in Spain for the past three years.
Also read: Spaniard is one of Spain´s most wanted and also wanted by Europol
Muñoz’s arrest is the fifth on the original list from May 2022. The first to be caught was Manuel Bellido Moreno, a money counterfeiter. Luis Martínez Calleja, a notorious burglar, was arrested in June 2022. Then, in August of the same year, paedophile Diego Darío González Ghersi was arrested. Viviana Andrea Vallejo Gutiérrez, accused of human trafficking, drug trafficking and money laundering, was arrested in Ecuador in October.
Europol’s ‘Europe’s most wanted fugitives’ list
Muñoz was also on Europol’s list of ‘Europe’s Most Wanted Fugitives’. The Interior Ministry reported that Muñoz eventually surrendered due to media and police pressure. He stayed in various locations in Spain and changed addresses every few months. He lived in secret with the help of family and friends.
Spanish authorities are still looking for the remaining five people on the list. The police continue to work intensively with international organisations such as Europol and Interpol to find these fugitives.
Also read: One of the ten most wanted fugitives arrested by FBI in Spain
