One of the UK’s most wanted men has been detained in Portugal after four years on the run.
Calvin Parris, from Cardiff, has been brought back to Wales after Portuguese police detained him near the town Boliqueime in the Algarve on 3 October, South Wales Police has said.
The 34-year-old, who was described as having gold upper teeth, was listed as one of the National Crime Agency’s (NCA) most wanted fugitives after he disappeared in November 2020.
Two years later the agency said it believed he was in Spain.
Parris has been charged with conspiracy to supply cocaine, allegedly as part of a gang that used the encrypted EncroChat platform to bring class A drugs into South Wales.
He was brought back to the UK by NCA officers on Tuesday and taken into custody by South Wales Police.
Detective Sergeant Ceri Young said the force believed Parris left the UK “on or before 29 November 2020”, after several co-conspirators were arrested.
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Parris “never returned”, the detective sergeant said, so a manhunt was launched that ended with the suspect’s arrest in Portugal following a Europe-wide investigation with the NCA and other European law enforcement agencies.
Neil Keeping, NCA international regional manager, said the arrest “highlights our commitment to tracing those accused of serious criminality and returning them to the UK to face charges.
“It should also serve as a warning to other fugitives on the run – no matter how you try and evade law enforcement, we will always catch up with you.”
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Parris was remanded in custody after appearing at Cardiff Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday until his next appearance at Cardiff Crown Court in November.
