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One Of Britain's Most Wanted Men Has Been Arrested
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| Last updated
One of Britain's most wanted men was arrested at Lisbon Airport on Saturday (30 April).
Alex Male, 29, from Somerset, is an alleged distributor of Class A drugs.
He was arrested after arriving from Turkey to Lisbon Airport after allegedly attempting to enter the country with a 'fraudulent' passport.
The UK National Crime Agency spoke about the arrest, calling it a 'fantastic result'.
The agency wrote in a press release: "Male naively believed he could travel across international borders using fraudulent documentation and remain undetected by law enforcement.
"But he underestimated the vigilance and expertise of the Turkish border police, which enabled the Portuguese authorities to act.
"Any arrest of a fugitive is a fantastic result, even more so since Male had only recently been added to our most wanted list.
"He is wanted in connection with dangerous crimes, which have a devastating impact on communities, so I'm delighted he has been caught.
"We continue to work with our international partners to close the net around fugitives, no matter where they are."
The NCA also shared news of the arrest to Twitter.
Any arrest of a fugitive is a fantastic result, even more so since Male had only recently been added to our most wanted list. He is wanted in connection with dangerous crimes, which have a devastating impact on communities.
— National Crime Agency (NCA) (@NCA_UK) May 2, 2022
Adrian Hawkins, a detective inspector from the South West Regional Organised Crime Unit said that the arrest 'brings an end to a long period of investigation taking place in the UK and across Europe'.
He added: "Male will now be returned to the Criminal Justice System in the UK to face the charges he ran away from. This is an example of international law enforcement working together to ensure justice can be done and demonstrating there is nowhere safe to hide."
The arrest was a long time coming as Male was said to have skipped bail in December 2020.
The NCA previously issued an appeal via their website in an attempt to find the wanted man.
They said: "Alleged to be a regional distributor of drugs across the south west of England, buying and selling drugs and managing other distributors who operated under his instruction using the EncroChat encrypted communications network.
"He is accused of conspiracy to supply cocaine and ketamine, money laundering, conspiracy to acquire a firearm."
The NCA went on to note that Male has a 'number of distinctive tattoos including a skull on his Adam's apple'.
He was also said to have 'love' tattooed across his left hand and 'live' across his right hand.
While Male didn't have a 'laugh' tattoo to complete the set, he was said to have a tribal sleeve on his right arm, going onto his chest.
