UK's most wanted fugitives in Spain revealed by National Crime Agency

The suspected crimes include rape and drug trafficking

The National Crime Agency has revealed ten of Britain's most wanted fugitives who are believed to be on the run in Spain. Left to right: Paul Buchanan, Carlo Dawson, Anthony Dennis, Paul Monk, David McDermott, Michael Roden. ( National Crime Agency/PA Wire)

Officials have named 10 of Britain’s most-wanted fugitives who are believed to be on the run in Spain, which include a convicted killer and a rapist.

Amongst the other serious offences for which the men are sought are indecent assault of a child and drug trafficking, the National Crime Agency (NCA) has said.

The list comes as a warning to British fugitives, as Hank Cole, the NCA's head of international operations, warned runaways that Spain is not a "safe haven".

The organisation published the list as part of Operation Captura, which was launched to capture wanted criminals and suspects who are feared to have fled to Spain.

The appeal is the ninth of its kind since Captura was launched by the NCA and Crimestoppers in 2006. So far, 65 out of 76 named suspects have been caught.

Ex-soldier Shane Walford is among the fugitives. He was jailed in 2010 for the manslaughter after he killed Paul Gibbons, an off-duty fireman, with a single punch outside a bar in Coventry in August 2013.

Carlo Dawson, 52, from Croydon, south London, who is wanted on suspicion of indecently assaulting a 12-year-old girl and making indecent photographs of a child, is also on the list.

Police are also searching for Mohammed Jahangir Alam, 32, who was sentenced to 14 years in his absence in March 2010 for rape and sexual assault.

One of the latest to be found in Tenerife was "drugs lord" Stephen Blundell, 36, from Merseyside, who fled the UK before being sentenced for a £1 million heroin plot, the NCA said.

Mr Cole said: "Spain is not a safe haven for British fugitives. The NCA and its partners will continue to pursue these individuals relentlessly and return them to the UK to face justice.

"The exceptional level of collaboration and intelligence sharing with the Spanish authorities has been vital to these arrests. However, we still need the support of the public.

"Be our eyes and ears and tell us if you have any information on the whereabouts of our targets."

Lord Ashcroft, founder of Crimestoppers, said: "Operation Captura has proved a huge success since it was launched in 2006 and the majority of individuals on our most wanted list have been captured.

"However, there are still a number of criminals who are evading arrest. We must ensure these individuals are brought to justice. We are confident that we can successfully hunt them down with support from the Spanish authorities, as well as the Spanish and UK public."

Anyone with information on the whereabouts of the fugitives is asked to call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or contact police online.