An international fugitive has been arrested following an initiative that saw his face broadcast to holidaymakers and ex-pat crowds in Spain.
Anthony Dennis, 47, who was last known to live in Ongar, was arrested in Hertfordshire on Tuesday (August 4) after flying back to the UK.
Officers from the National Crime Agency (NCA) suspect Dennis, who was wanted on suspicion of conspiracy to commit drug trafficking offences outside the UK and conspiracy to import class A drugs, flew back to avoid being spotted in Spain.
In July, his face was broadcast on a 13ft high digital screen mounted on the back of a van, which was driven to ex-pat hotspots including Benidorm, Malaga and Puerto Banus.
He appeared at Westminster Magistrates Court yesterday and has been remanded in custody until August 28.
Deputy director of the NCA, Steve Reynolds, said: “The aim of taking the digital screen to hot-spot areas was to flush the fugitives out.
“This seems to have been the case with Anthony Dennis.
“Having his face displayed in plain sight meant he had nowhere to hide, forcing him back to the UK.”
Dennis was the 69th person to be arrested as part of Operation Captura, a joint initiative from the NCA, Crimestoppers and Spanish authorities.
Crimestoppers founder and chair Lord Ashcroft, said: “We had never used the digital advertising screen as part of Operation Captura before but it is clear that sending it into the fugitives’ ‘back yards’ and putting their faces in plain sight has proved incredibly effective.”
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