man believed to have been one of Britain's biggest ecstasy dealers has been held in Spain after working as an undertaker there for five years. David Stuart, 35, who was detained in Castelldefels, near Barcelona, allegedly skipped bail before his trial in 2005 accused of possessing 19,000 ecstasy pills.
Stuart, from Accrington, Lancs is in jail pending a decision on his extradition.Police began hunting for David Stuart, from Accrington, after he failed to attend his trial at Preston Crown Court in June 2005.
He had originally been arrested in July 2004 when he was found with 20,000 ecstasy tablets in his possession.
Stuart was subsequently charged with both conspiracy to supply and possession with intent to supply the Class A drug, earning him a place on the most wanted list.
He was caught in Spain on Tuesday and becomes the 36th person to be arrested from 50 appeals under Operation Captura.
The operation, led by the Serious Organised Crime Agency (Soca) and Crimestoppers, identifies serious criminals wanted by UK law enforcement agencies for crimes committed in the UK.
Soca's director general Trevor Pearce hailed the arrest as "another excellent result for our partnership with Spain".
"Plenty of British fugitives and criminals still haven't worked out that basing themselves in Spain is not a particularly smart move," Mr Pearce said.
"We won't stop coming after them - and the Spanish Police are more than happy to arrest them and get them sent back to the UK."
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