A CONVICTED drug smuggler who went on the run after absconding from prison has been arrested in Spain.

Daniel Dobbs, 31, from Malton in North Yorkshire was sentenced to 13-and-a-half years in prison in January 2014, after he was convicted of trafficking heroin and amphetamines following an investigation by National Crime Agency officers.

On 2 November 2018 Dobbs, who was given a serious crime prevention order as a result of his conviction, was found to be missing from his cell at HMP Hatfield Lakes, a category D open prison in South Yorkshire.

After his disappearance the NCA issued a wanted appeal to the media for information on the whereabouts of Dobbs, also known as “Dobbo” to his friends.

Last year the NCA identified him as living in Spain under a false name and on February 11 after co-operation with Spanish law enforcement, Dobbs was arrested in a Guardia Civil investigation into an underground tobacco factory in Malaga, southern Spain.

Alison Abbott, of the NCA’s offender lifetime management unit, said: “Dobbs’s arrest is a fantastic result and shows the power of our international partnerships.

“British fugitives should know that we will catch up with them no matter where they are.”

Dobbs will be returned to the UK once the Spanish investigation and any judicial proceedings have ended.