• Spanish police have arrested a man described as Germany's "most wanted" drug smuggler, who had been sought for years on suspicion of leading a gang that trafficked large quantities of drugs into Germany, in cooperation with officers from Germany's Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA).
• The fugitive, reported to be 38 years old and originally from Pakistan, was tracked down in the southern Spanish city of Malaga, where investigations began in 2025 after tip-offs suggested he might be in Spain, and where he had previously lived and led a criminal organization with a warehouse for loading drugs onto lorries and transporting them to Germany via France.
• The drug boss had taken extreme security precautions to avoid detection, changing his phone number every two weeks, his identity every three months, and completing a cybersecurity course in Turkey to prevent his location from being traced via operating systems, devices, and social media, ultimately being located and arrested as a passenger in his brother's car in Malaga on August 24.

Spanish police have arrested a man described as Germany's "most wanted" drug smuggler, who had been sought for years on suspicion of leading a gang that trafficked large quantities of drugs into Germany, police said on Tuesday.

The man, for whom Germany had issued a European arrest warrant for drug trafficking and organized crime, was tracked down in the southern Spanish city of Málaga in cooperation with officers from Germany's Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA).

No official information was released about his identity, but Spanish media, including the TV channel Telecinco, reported without citing sources that he was 38 years old and originally from Pakistan. It was also not disclosed which German prosecutor's office has jurisdiction in the case.

Investigations began in 2025 after tip-offs suggested the fugitive might be in Spain, where he had previously lived, police said. The criminal organization he led also had a warehouse there, where drugs were loaded onto lorries and transported to Germany via France, police added.

To avoid detection, the drug boss had taken extreme security precautions, police said. He changed his phone number every two weeks and his identity every three months.

He had also completed a cybersecurity course in Turkey, which trained him in methods to prevent his location from being traced via operating systems, devices and social media.

The investigation initially led detectives to the fugitive's brother. After several days of surveillance and pursuit across various Spanish provinces, the man was located as a passenger in his brother's car in Málaga and arrested on August 24.