Arrested in Dubai for drug trafficking after eight years on the run, Briton Michael Paul Moogan will return to the United Kingdom to be tried there. – DUBAI POLICE FORCE / AFP
A British fugitive among the UK’s most wanted, suspected of being involved in trafficking massive amounts of cocaine, has been arrested in Dubai after eight years on the run, emirate police said on Sunday.
Michael Paul Moogan, 35, from Liverpool (north-west England), fled eight years ago after a police raid on a café in Rotterdam (Netherlands), suspected of being in heart of drug trafficking.
Tracked down and put under surveillance
Michael Paul Moogan used multiple false identities to avoid capture and joined the UAE under a false name and nationality, Dubai police said in a statement.
After being tracked down and placed under surveillance, he was taken into custody on April 21, it is added.
“This arrest is the result of years of investigation involving many law enforcement partners in the United Kingdom, Europe and the Middle East,” said Nikki Holland, director of the UK National Crime Agency (NCA). Michael Paul Moogan “will return to the UK to stand trial,” she added.
During the raid on the Rotterdam café, a 71-year-old Briton was arrested and later sentenced to eight years in prison. Another man involved in the same case had surrendered to the NCA after three years on the run and was sentenced to fourteen years in prison, according to the NCA.