The arrest yesterday Thursday of Yusef ML, alias “El Pastilla”, from Ceuta, was the result of the conscientious work of investigators from the Fugitive Location Section of the National Police. “El Pastilla” had become a public figure after his bizarre escape from the Alcalá-Meco prison, where he was being held for the alleged responsibility of two murders. The young man, 20 years old, escaped from the penitentiary center on Christmas Eve confused among the visitors who were leaving the facilities after visiting his inmate relatives.
For several days, the escape of “El Pastilla” occupied much of the press, radio and television news, which speculated about his whereabouts. It was even claimed that he had managed to reach Morocco. But that was not the direction he had taken.
“El Pastilla” is accused of the murder of Nayim KA, alias “Tayena”, head of one of the factions of organized crime in Ceuta. He is also charged with the crime of a 26-year-old man whom the gang mistook for a member of a rival group. The National Police arrested Yusef at the end of May in the port of Algeciras
Search and arrest of a fugitive
The first investigations served to raise the hypothesis that “El Pastilla” could be found in the French town of Montpellier. Meanwhile, a joint team made up of the Udyco units of the Ceuta and Algeciras police stations and the Greco group of Campo de Gibraltar, with the collaboration of the Sirene Office of the International Cooperation Division, began to work to determine if the escapee could be found. still in national territory.
Finally, the international exchange of information channeled through the Enfast network seemed to place “El Pastilla” in Montpellier. The Spanish Police then requested the collaboration of their French colleagues (FAST France) to determine if, in fact, the fugitive was in the neighboring country. The investigations later led to Germany and the revelation provided by the German Police that the Ceuta hitman was staying with a family in Cologne. The security cameras had recorded the figure of a man with characteristics similar to those of the fugitive, but there was no certainty that he was the wanted inmate. After performing facial comparison checks, it was determined that it was “El Pastilla.”
The German Police were alerted to monitor the movements of the Spanish fugitive and those of the people around him. The police work concluded yesterday with the arrest of “El Pastilla” at the Leipzig station.