LYON, France – A Romanian national who is the subject of an INTERPOL Red Notice for internationally-wanted persons has been arrested in Spain following close collaboration between INTERPOL’s National Central Bureaus in Romania and Spain and INTERPOL’s Fugitive Investigative Support (FIS) unit at its General Secretariat headquarters.
Ioan Clamparu, aged 42, had been on the run from his native Romania for eight years where he has been sentenced to 13 years in jail for people and drugs trafficking.
Clamparu was one of 450 international fugitives targeted by INTERPOL’s Operation Infra-Red in July 2010 which aimed to locate individuals convicted of serious crimes.
There were European Arrest Warrants for Clamparu from Romania and Italy for prostitution, money laundering and drugs trafficking, and there were several cases pending against him also in Spain.
Among the charges he faces, Clamparu is alleged to have forced young women into prostitution across Europe after promising them jobs as cleaners and waitresses.
“The arrest of Clamparu after years on the run is testimony to the dedication and tenacity of the law enforcement officers of all our member countries involved, and especially in Romania and Spain, who ensured that this fugitive’s crimes and victims were not forgotten,” said Stefano Carvelli, Assistant Director of INTERPOL’s Fugitive Investigative Support unit which ensured international collaboration to coordinate intelligence updates on the case.
“That Clamparu was highlighted as a target in Operation Infra-Red, INTERPOL’s global appeal to the public for information on fugitives, was one of many important steps taken by Romanian authorities to maintain the pressure on this wanted man and use every resource available to them in his eventual location and arrest,” added Mr Carvelli.
A Spanish National Court has remanded Clamparu in custody in Madrid pending extradition hearings for his return to Romania.