British fugitive nabbed in South Africa
Convicted drug trafficker and fraudster Martin Evans, aged 52, from Swansea in Wales, was arrested in Midrand, Johannesburg.
Convicted drug trafficker and fraudster Martin Evans
Pretoria: 3 August 2014 - Yesterday the South African Police Service’s National Crime Intelligence Unit and SA’s Interpol officers arrested one of the United Kingdom’s most wanted fugitives.
Convicted drug trafficker and fraudster Martin Evans, aged 52, from Swansea in Wales, was arrested in Midrand, Johannesburg.
He had been on the run since 2011 when he failed to return to prison after being released on a five-day licence. He was serving 21 years at the time for conspiracy to supply cocaine and fraudulent trading.
Investigators from the National Crime Agency alerted Interpol that Evans was in South Africa which resulted in intensive surveillance operations being conducted by police intelligence operatives.
These operations led to Evans being tracked down to a security complex in Midrand where he was arrested last night. The National Police Commissioner, General Riah Phiyega congratulated the team for the sterling work. “Both the Crime Intelligence and Interpol teams worked tirelessly to honor the request our British counterparts and we applaud them for this,” said General Phiyega.
Hank Cole, Head of International Operations for the NCA, said: “The exceptional level of collaboration and intelligence sharing with the South African Police Service led to the capture of Evans. This arrest shows the NCA and its partners will pursue fugitives wherever they are in the world. They can run but they can’t hide. We have the capability to track them down and bring them to justice.”
British High Commissioner to South Africa Judith Macgregor said: “This arrest is testimony to the close working relationship between the UK and South Africa on security issues including tackling drug trafficking, organised and fiscal crime. This includes a wide range of bilateral cooperation projects in law enforcement in South Africa and other parts of Africa.”
Evans will be taken to the Pretoria Regional Court on Monday, 4 August 2014 for a procedural extradition hearing.