Spanish police have shared dramatic footage of the moment cops detained an “extremely violent” British fugitive in a Benidorm hotel in front of screaming tourists.
Plainclothes police officers caught Paul Brown and threw him to the ground as he left his holiday accommodation for a walk in the typical tourist attire of a T-shirt, green shorts and flip-flops.
Brown has been wanted since 2020 for selling drugs in Manchester, and police say he used encrypted messaging technology to traffic Class A drugs including cocaine and ketamine.
Police tracked him to the Costa Blanca, with footage from his arrest last month showing him being tackled by two police officers, before two others join in as they work to restrain and handcuff him.
Brown’s footwear came off in the scuffle before he was returned to his flip-flops and escorted to a waiting car to be taken to a Benidorm police station for fingerprinting and processing.
Dramatic images show the moment an alleged drug trafficker is arrested in Benidorm, Spain
A horrified woman can be heard screaming in the background as the officers jump on the man.
A plainclothes police officer works to restrain the man, who resists when he is arrested.
A European arrest warrant was issued for the wanted Briton, a 50-year-old man from Manchester, in 2022, two years after an appeal to locate him was first launched.
Brown is now believed to be in prison in Spain awaiting extradition.
In footage of her arrest released today, a horrified woman can be heard screaming in the background and shouting “what the hell.”
The tourist can be heard shouting: “He has escaped, why?” after appearing to receive half an answer from police about what was happening before a detective told one of the officers in Spanish, “Tell them why” as the fugitive was led away.
A panicked British pensioner, caught off guard, shouted: “What’s going on?” “I’m 72 years old.”
Detective Inspector Rick Castley of Greater Manchester Police’s Serious Organized Crime Group said after his arrest: “Brown is accused of a major drug supply conspiracy, and our determination to track him down has not wavered throughout the years.
‘I would like to thank our colleagues at the National Crime Agency and Spanish law enforcement for supporting us in our relentless search to find Brown.
In footage of her arrest released today, a horrified woman can be heard screaming in the background and shouting “what the hell.”
The video clip, shared by the National Police, shows the man being taken to a police station by two officers.
‘Brown may have been exceptional for four years, but we haven’t forgotten him. “Working with specialized resources and our international partners, we will continue to ensure that wanted suspects live a life always looking over their shoulder.”
A spokesman for Spain’s National Police said today: “He allegedly used encrypted communication systems to sell drugs.
“He had been on the run since 2020 and was allegedly involved in the distribution of cocaine, cannabis, amphetamines and ketamine in Manchester.”
They added: “He faces a possible life sentence in the UK if convicted of the offenses of which he is accused.”
Brown’s arrest comes after a series of high-profile drug raids against British criminals in Spain in recent months.
In February, an expat was arrested after armed police raided his Costa home and found almost 10,000 pounds of cannabis resin.
The raid, which was one of the “largest ever” drug busts in Andalusia, took place in La Línea, near Spain’s border with Gibraltar, famous for being a gateway for drugs into Europe.
The large packages containing cannabis appeared to have the names of their recipients written on them.
Drug traffickers use vessels, including high-powered speed boats, to smuggle primarily hashish into Spain from Morocco via La Línea.
It is a popular delivery point due to its proximity to the African continent.
In January, three Britons were arrested on the Costa Blanca after a police chase led to the seizure of more than £10m worth of cocaine.
The loot is believed to have been smuggled into Europe from Ecuador.
The trio were arrested after one of the suspects rammed two police cars during a high-speed chase after the British took over a van containing 300 kilos of class A drugs from two Albanian men who were also arrested. .
Two of the British were in the van and a third in a surveillance car that was driving in front of them to alert them about police roadblocks and other possible problems.