Friday 09 Aug 2024 @ 10:15
National Crime Agency
Printable version

Most wanted fugitive arrested in Morocco back in UK

One of the UK’s most wanted men, arrested in Morocco earlier in the year after being on the run for four years, has been brought back to Britain by the National Crime Agency in conjunction with the South West Regional Organised Crime Unit (SWROCU) and the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS)

Alex Male, 32, was detained on 21 January by officers from the Moroccan General Directorate for National Security (DGSN), accused of entering the country illegally using false documentation.

He has remained in custody in Morocco since his arrest and arrived back in the UK on 7th August, escorted by officers from the NCA’s Joint International Crime Centre (JICC).

Male, from Weston-super-Mare, was added to the NCA’s Most Wanted appeal in January 2022 after he went on the run following his arrest by the SWROCU in June 2020.

He is accused of of conspiracy to supply cocaine and ketamine, money laundering and conspiracy to acquire a firearm

Male appeared at Exeter Magistrates’ Court on 8th August, and has been remanded into custody. He will next appear at Exeter Crown Court on 5 September 2024.

David Hucker, NCA International Regional Head of Operations. said: “The arrest of Alex Male shows that no matter how fugitives try to evade UK law enforcement, we will always catch up with them.

“I’d like to thank our DGSN partners in Morocco for their tenacious work in locating and arresting Male. Fugitives who think they can go on the run and stay under the radar should never stop looking over their shoulders, as we and our international partners will always be looking for them”.

Det Supt Tina Robinson, Head of SWROCU, said: “We’re glad to see Alex Male back in the UK where he can finally face the serious charges against him. He has tried to avoid this since going on the run four years ago, but his attempts have ultimately proved unsuccessful thanks to work with our partners both in the UK and internationally.” 

To learn more about the NCA's Most Wanted work, check out episode 6 of our podcast Underworld: Behind the Scenes of the NCA.

Channel website: http://www.nationalcrimeagency.gov.uk/

Original article link: https://www.nationalcrimeagency.gov.uk/news/most-wanted-fugitive-arrested-in-morocco-back-in-uk

Share this article

Latest News from
National Crime Agency

Luxury properties forfeited after six year NCA investigation

05/08/2024 13:10:00

The wife of jailed banker Jahangir Hajiyev has agreed to forfeit a house in Knightsbridge worth approximately £14 million and a golf club in Ascot, following a National Crime Agency (NCA) civil recovery investigation into the acquisition of the properties.

22 years for prolific people smugglers

05/08/2024 11:10:00

Three men have been sentenced for their roles in an organised crime group linked to the smuggling of migrants into the UK by lorry

Operation Venetic: Merseyside gang member who helped ship class A drugs between England and Scotland is sentenced

02/08/2024 16:15:00

A leading member of an organised crime group (OCG) that trafficked heroin and cocaine has been jailed.

NCA shuts down major fraud platform responsible for 1.8 million scam calls

01/08/2024 16:20:00

Today, the National Crime Agency can reveal that they have shut down a platform used by hundreds of criminals to defraud victims across the world.

Dublin police officer extradited to Northern Ireland to serve sentence after money laundering investigation by NCA

01/08/2024 10:20:00

A former Dublin airport police officer who laundered millions of pounds for organised crime groups by smuggling cash out of the country on flights has been extradited to Northern Ireland to serve his prison sentence.

Two Merseyside drugs bosses jailed

01/08/2024 09:20:00

Two Merseyside drugs bosses are behind bars after a National Crime Agency investigation.

Child sex offender caught on the run faces jail for attack in 2003

31/07/2024 15:15:00

A child sex offender caught by the National Crime Agency and international police after five years on the run potentially faces a prison sentence, after being found guilty of indecently assaulting a girl in 2003.

Arrest follows fatal Channel crossing

31/07/2024 14:15:00

National Crime Agency officers have arrested a man in connection with a Channel crossing which led to the death of a woman in France on Sunday.

Convicted: Ringleader of gang which attempted to smuggle cocaine worth £11 million in bananas

31/07/2024 13:15:00

The ringleader of an organised crime group which attempted to smuggle 139 kilos of cocaine into the UK hidden in a consignment of bananas has been convicted.