One of the UK’s most wanted men brought back to Wales after four years on the run
Calvin Parris, 34, from Cardiff, was detained by Portuguese Judicial Police officers near the town of Boliqueime in the Algarve, Portugal, on 3 October.
Last updated 16th Oct 2024
One of the UK’s most wanted men has been brought back to Wales by the National Crime Agency (NCA) after spending four years on the run.
Calvin Parris, 34, from Cardiff, was detained by Portuguese Judicial Police officers near the town of Boliqueime in the Algarve, Portugal, on 3 October.
Officers from the NCA’s Joint International Crime Centre (JICC) escorted him back to the UK on 15 October and he was taken into custody by South Wales Police.
Parris, who is accused of a conspiracy to supply cocaine, was named as one of the NCA’s most wanted fugitives after going on the run in November 2020.
He appeared at Cardiff Magistrates’ Court on the 16 October and was remanded into custody until his next appearance at Cardiff Crown Court in November.
Neil Keeping, NCA International Regional Manager, said: “The arrest of Calvin Parris highlights our commitment to tracing those accused of serious criminality and returning them to the UK to face charges.
“It should also serve as a warning to other fugitives on the run – no matter how you try and evade law enforcement, we will always catch up with you.
“My thanks go to our partners at the Portuguese Judicial Police who worked tirelessly to locate and detain Parris, and to our officers for bringing him back into the custody of South Wales Police.”
Detective Sergeant Ceri Young of South Wales Police said: “Calvin Parris is believed to have left the UK on or before 29 November 2020, following the arrest of several co-conspirators."
"He never returned and a joint operation involving South Wales Police, the NCA and other European law enforcement agencies was launched in order to trace and arrest him".
"A European Arrest Warrant was issued for his arrest on 22 December 2020."
Parris is accused of being the final member of an organised crime group involved in a complex conspiracy to traffic class A controlled drugs into South Wales utilising encrypted communications devices operating on the ‘EncroChat’ platform.