Latest news with #FernandoGonzalez
eNCA
5 days ago
- eNCA
Sun, sand and suspects: Spain seduces fugitive criminals
MADRID - With its sun-drenched beaches and vibrant nightlife, Spain has long been a top destination -- not just for tourists, but also for criminals looking to vanish. From drug traffickers to sex offenders and cybercriminals, fugitives from around the globe flock to Spain's coastal havens. That gamble rarely pays off: Police stress that their chances of evading justice are slim. "We're arresting new people every day," said Fernando Gonzalez, the head of an elite Spanish police unit set up in 2004 to hunt down criminals on the run. "Spain remains a very attractive place for traffickers," he added. Last year, his unit arrested 460 fugitives -- mostly foreigners -- across Spain, up from 390 in 2023. The pace has not slowed this year. Recent high-profile arrests underscore the European country's ongoing appeal to fugitives. "We deal with a wide range of profiles," from major criminals to petty offenders, as well as a wide range of nationalities, Gonzalez said as he scanned the latest list of arrests, which included Moroccans, French nationals and a growing number of Latin Americans. Spain's role as a haven for those trying to evade justice is "historic", a French investigator told AFP on condition of anonymity. "It's not just a hideout for fugitives... it's also home to career criminals who operate between Morocco, Spain and France." Criminal defence lawyer and former extradition judge Carlos Bautista said Spain's location "at the crossroads" of Europe, the Americas and Africa makes it a natural hiding spot for runaway criminals. Gonzalez said fugitives can often easily find "contacts who can help" them among the large community of foreigners who live in Spain. He cited as an example the case of a German woman who was arrested in the Balearic Islands where she had lived for years without speaking Spanish. Most fugitives are found along Spain's Mediterranean coast where expat communities are concentrated. Malaga and Marbella on the Costa del Sol, which has long been a popular destination for British expats and tourists, are top picks for criminals on the run, said Bautista. Laying low on the coast does not guarantee safety -- these are regions with some of the highest arrest rates.
France 24
5 days ago
- France 24
Sun, sand and suspects: Spain seduces fugitive criminals
From drug traffickers to sex offenders and cybercriminals, fugitives from around the globe flock to Spain's coastal havens. That gamble rarely pays off: police stress that their chances of evading justice are slim. "We're arresting new people every day," said Fernando Gonzalez, the head of an elite Spanish police unit set up in 2004 to hunt down criminals on the run. "Spain remains a very attractive place for traffickers," he added. Last year, his unit arrested 460 fugitives -- mostly foreigners -- across Spain, up from 390 in 2023. The pace has not slowed this year. Recent high-profile arrests underscore the European country's ongoing appeal to fugitives. In October 2024, police in Barcelona arrested Serbian national Nikola Vusovic, a suspected leader of a major crime gang from Montenegro, the Kavac clan. At the start of this year, officers arrested the leader of a brutal Peruvian mafia group, Omar Luis Castaneda, near the Mediterranean city of Alicante over his suspected involvement in 16 murders in the Latin American country. And in February, police in southern Spain arrested one of the gunmen who in 2024 ambushed a prison van in France to free a drug lord, Mohamed Amra, killing two prison guards. The fugitive was living in a luxury villa at the time. "We deal with a wide range of profiles," from major criminals to petty offenders, as well as a wide range of nationalities, Gonzalez said as he scanned the latest list of arrests, which included Moroccans, French nationals and a growing number of Latin Americans. 'Blend in' Spain's role as a haven for those trying to evade justice is "historic", a French investigator told AFP on condition of anonymity. "It's not just a hideout for fugitives... it's also home to career criminals who operate between Morocco, Spain and France." Spain is home to a large number of expatriates and is the world's second-most-visited country, having welcomed a record 94 million foreign tourists last year, which makes it easier for fugitives to go unnoticed. "It's a place with a high quality of life. It's easy to rent quiet villas with swimming pools. People blend in," the French investigator said. Criminal defence lawyer and former extradition judge Carlos Bautista said Spain's location "at the crossroads" of Europe, the Americas and Africa makes it a natural hiding spot for runaway criminals. Gonzalez said fugitives can often easily find "contacts who can help" them among the large community of foreigners who live in Spain. He cited as an example the case of a German woman who was arrested in the Balearic Islands where she had lived for years without speaking Spanish. 'Cat-and-mouse game' Most fugitives are found along Spain's Mediterranean coast where expat communities are concentrated. Malaga and Marbella on the Costa del Sol, which has long been a popular destination for British expats and tourists, are top picks for criminals on the run, said Bautista. Laying low on the coast does not guarantee safety -- these are regions with some of the highest arrest rates. "It's a cat-and-mouse game. But we usually find them. It just takes patience," said Gonzalez. Police credit wiretaps, monitoring social media and, above all, close international cooperation for their success. Through ENFAST, a network of police officers from across Europe who work together to locate internationally wanted criminals, Spain has become a leader in cross-border arrests. "Spain is extremely active in extraditions. Sooner or later, fugitives get caught," said Bautista. The walls of Gonzalez's elite police unit are lined with mugshots and mementos from years of operations. "There may be fugitives living quietly among us. But that doesn't mean they will escape forever," he said.
Int'l Business Times
5 days ago
- Int'l Business Times
Sun, Sand And Suspects: Spain Seduces Fugitive Criminals
With its sun-drenched beaches and vibrant nightlife, Spain has long been a top destination -- not just for tourists, but also for criminals looking to vanish. From drug traffickers to sex offenders and cybercriminals, fugitives from around the globe flock to Spain's coastal havens. That gamble rarely pays off: police stress that their chances of evading justice are slim. "We're arresting new people every day," said Fernando Gonzalez, the head of an elite Spanish police unit set up in 2004 to hunt down criminals on the run. "Spain remains a very attractive place for traffickers," he added. Last year, his unit arrested 460 fugitives -- mostly foreigners -- across Spain, up from 390 in 2023. The pace has not slowed this year. Recent high-profile arrests underscore the European country's ongoing appeal to fugitives. In October 2024, police in Barcelona arrested Serbian national Nikola Vusovic, a suspected leader of a major crime gang from Montenegro, the Kavac clan. At the start of this year, officers arrested the leader of a brutal Peruvian mafia group, Omar Luis Castaneda, near the Mediterranean city of Alicante over his suspected involvement in 16 murders in the Latin American country. And in February, police in southern Spain arrested one of the gunmen who in 2024 ambushed a prison van in France to free a drug lord, Mohamed Amra, killing two prison guards. The fugitive was living in a luxury villa at the time. "We deal with a wide range of profiles," from major criminals to petty offenders, as well as a wide range of nationalities, Gonzalez said as he scanned the latest list of arrests, which included Moroccans, French nationals and a growing number of Latin Americans. Spain's role as a haven for those trying to evade justice is "historic", a French investigator told AFP on condition of anonymity. "It's not just a hideout for fugitives... it's also home to career criminals who operate between Morocco, Spain and France." Spain is home to a large number of expatriates and is the world's second-most-visited country, having welcomed a record 94 million foreign tourists last year, which makes it easier for fugitives to go unnoticed. "It's a place with a high quality of life. It's easy to rent quiet villas with swimming pools. People blend in," the French investigator said. Criminal defence lawyer and former extradition judge Carlos Bautista said Spain's location "at the crossroads" of Europe, the Americas and Africa makes it a natural hiding spot for runaway criminals. Gonzalez said fugitives can often easily find "contacts who can help" them among the large community of foreigners who live in Spain. He cited as an example the case of a German woman who was arrested in the Balearic Islands where she had lived for years without speaking Spanish. Most fugitives are found along Spain's Mediterranean coast where expat communities are concentrated. Malaga and Marbella on the Costa del Sol, which has long been a popular destination for British expats and tourists, are top picks for criminals on the run, said Bautista. Laying low on the coast does not guarantee safety -- these are regions with some of the highest arrest rates. "It's a cat-and-mouse game. But we usually find them. It just takes patience," said Gonzalez. Police credit wiretaps, monitoring social media and, above all, close international cooperation for their success. Through ENFAST, a network of police officers from across Europe who work together to locate internationally wanted criminals, Spain has become a leader in cross-border arrests. "Spain is extremely active in extraditions. Sooner or later, fugitives get caught," said Bautista. The walls of Gonzalez's elite police unit are lined with mugshots and mementos from years of operations. "There may be fugitives living quietly among us. But that doesn't mean they will escape forever," he said.
Telegraph
08-05-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
Spanish island hit by major power cut
The Canary island of La Palma was hit by a major power cut on Thursday morning, just 10 days after mainland Spain suffered a blackout. According to La Palma's government, more than a third of its 85,000-strong population was without power for around 45 minutes. Alberto Hernandez, the Canary Islands' energy chief, said a substation failure had caused a mismatch between energy supply and demand, which in turn triggered a power cut to protect the generating equipment. The blackout was the second power cut to hit La Palma in a week. A smaller one left around 300 households and businesses without power for several hours last Thursday. Fernando Gonzalez, La Palma's councillor in charge of energy, asked the Canary Islands government to seek solutions to the power problems on the island. He said: 'La Palma is suffering from an energy emergency.' The archipelago's government announced last month that it would install eight temporary fuel-burning power plants across Tenerife, Gran Canaria and Fuerteventura. However, the overall plan, overseen by Spain's climate transition ministry, is to boost the use of renewable energy as sun and wind is relatively reliable on the archipelago, which is located off the coast of northwestern Africa. In 2024, renewable energy accounted for 21 per cent of the electricity generated in the Canary Islands, compared to 57 per cent for the whole of Spain. The blackout that struck Spain on April 28 did not affect the Canary Islands, which, like the Balearic Islands and the Spanish North African territories of Ceuta and Melilla, has its own power supply. Pedro Sanchez, Spain's prime minister, has come under fire from the conservative opposition for not giving a reason for the outage and for refusing to rethink his plan to shut down the country's nuclear power plants.
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Spanish island hit by major power cut
The Canary island of La Palma was hit by a major power cut on Thursday morning, just 10 days after mainland Spain suffered a blackout. According to La Palma's government, more than a third of its 85,000-strong population was without power for around 45 minutes. Alberto Hernandez, the Canary Islands' energy chief, said a substation failure had caused a mismatch between energy supply and demand, which in turn triggered a power cut to protect the generating equipment. The blackout was the second power cut to hit La Palma in a week. A smaller one left around 300 households and businesses without power for several hours last Thursday. Fernando Gonzalez, La Palma's councillor in charge of energy, asked the Canary Islands government to seek solutions to the power problems on the island. He said: 'La Palma is suffering from an energy emergency.' Credit: Reuters | @agusssgtf The archipelago's government announced last month that it would install eight temporary fuel-burning power plants across Tenerife, Gran Canaria and Fuerteventura. However, the overall plan, overseen by Spain's climate transition ministry, is to boost the use of renewable energy as sun and wind is relatively reliable on the archipelago, which is located off the coast of northwestern Africa. In 2024, renewable energy accounted for 21 per cent of the electricity generated in the Canary Islands, compared to 57 per cent for the whole of Spain. The blackout that struck Spain on April 28 did not affect the Canary Islands, which, like the Balearic Islands and the Spanish North African territories of Ceuta and Melilla, has its own power supply. Pedro Sanchez, Spain's prime minister, has come under fire from the conservative opposition for not giving a reason for the outage and for refusing to rethink his plan to shut down the country's nuclear power plants. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
