Jamie Dempsey, 33, changed his looks after his picture appeared on TV, but was caught near Marbella on Tuesday.
The Serious Organised Crime Agency suspect him of being involved with a £12.6million haul of cocaine, seized in 2009.
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Dempsey, named as one of Britain’s 10 most wanted men, was traced to a villa complex in a joint operation by Spain’s National Police and the paramilitary Civil Guard.
He is being held at a high-security prison near Madrid, awaiting extradition proceedings at the National Criminal Court.
If he agrees to return to Britain, a Soca escort will take him back within the next two weeks.
But if the Essex man decides to fight, the case could take months.
MAN suspected of being one of Britain’s most notorious cocaine dealers has been arrested in Spain.
