One of UK's 'most wanted' men arrested in Dubai over huge drug trafficking plot

Alleged international drug dealer Michael Paul Moogan, aged 35, from Croxteth, Liverpool, was arrested on April 21 but details were only made public for the first time today due to operational reasons, the National Crime Agency said.

Moogan has been wanted by the authorities for eight years since a raid at a cafe in Rotterdam, Holland, which was suspected of being used as a front for meetings between drug traffickers and cartels, and central to an alleged plot to bring hundreds of kilos of cocaine into the UK every week.

NCA officers suspect that Moogan and associates were involved in plans to import drugs from Latin America to the EU.

NCA director of investigations, Nikki Holland, said: “This arrest is the result of years of investigation involving a range of law enforcement partners in the UK, Europe and Middle East.

“He (Moogan) will be returned to the United Kingdom to face trial.

“This case should serve as a warning to others on the run from the NCA – we have a global reach, we never give up and they can never rest easy.”

NCA director general of operations, Steve Rodhouse, added: “The arrest of Moogan further reflects great co-operation between the Dubai Police and the NCA.

“I’d like to commend their work, in particular detectives from the General Department of Criminal Investigation in Dubai, who showed exceptional professionalism and were able to use all the techniques at their disposal to locate him and carry out this operation.”

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