JOINT POLICE EFFORTS NABBED FUGITIVES

JAMIE ACOURT

INTERNATIONAL co-operation played a key role when Jamie Acourt, one of Britain’s most wanted fugitives, was detained in Spain.

Acourt, 42, pictured above in custody, was held under a European Arrest Warrant in a carefully planned swoop at a gym in Barcelona.

The arrest was the result of a joint effort by Britain’s National Crime Agency, London’s Metropolitan Police and Spain’s national force. Acourt, once a suspect in the murder of Stephen Lawrence in 1993, had been wanted for two years.

After his detention he was swiftly extradited back to Britain.

The NCA’s Ian Cruxton said: “Our ability to share information and work at speed with our international partners ensures there’s no safe haven for fugitives.”

Acourt, of Bexley, south-east London, has always denied involvement in 18-year-old Stephen’s killing in Eltham.

JAMES MULVEY

A EUROPEAN Arrest Warrant was also used to detain drug gang “linchpin” James Mulvey after he had evaded justice for years.

Mulvey, 42, thought he was untouchable as he travelled from country to country “like a ghost” , living in hotels, paying in cash and frequently changing phones to avoid leaving a trail.

But he was finally captured by Lithuanian special forces in 2017, above, and held under an EAW following a relentless probe by the National Crime Agency. After being hauled back to Britain he was jailed for 32 years for his role in an operation thought to have smuggled drugs worth £68million into Britain from the Continent.

The father of five, from Solihull, West Midlands, skipped to Spain when the police started closing in.

But NCA regional head Andy Quinn said: “He probably thought that out-of-sight, out-of-mind, we would give up. But we never give up on individuals like him and we have a long memory.”