The National Police in Estepona have arrested a man wanted in France over an alleged alcohol tax fraud
Police detained the 60-year-old man in Estepona, Malaga. the man is the subject of a European Arrest and Surrender Order (OEDE) issued by the French government.
According to a statement from the National Police, the suspect was wanted for allegedly being a part of a criminal group that has defrauded almost 80 million euros in alcohol taxes from France.
The Udyco-Estepona Organized Crime and Drugs Unit, the authorities of France and the United Kingdom, as well as agents from the Local Immigration and Borders Brigade from the Estepona Police Station were involved in the operation.
A Europe-wide search to find the man’s whereabouts finally paid off when the suspect was traced and eventually identified as the person they were after. He had given his address as being in a Marbella (Málaga) residential area. Agents, following the defendant, located him on the Camino de la Resinera in Estepona.
Investigations say the suspect frequently changed his address and tried to go unnoticed among the large British expat community that exists in the area. His immigration status when examined was termed as ´irregular´.
The detainee had played a prominent role in a plot dedicated to fraudulent activities perpetrated in France. In 2019, the suspect was charged with participating in an excise tax fraud on alcohol perpetrated between 2014 and 2018, in the department of Paso de Calais.
The organization used illicit maneuvers and false documents. Investigators estimate the fraud generated around 80 million euros for the gang.
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