One of the UK’s most wanted men has been arrested by Dutch police as he sat down to eat his Christmas dinner.

Daniel Burdett, 28, from Liverpool, was detained on a European Arrest Warrant at a restaurant in The Hague on Christmas Day after five years on the run, a spokesman for the National Crime Agency (NCA) said.

Investigators suspect Burdett, also wanted by Merseyside Police for drugs offences, is the ringleader of a criminal gang believed to be using corrupt lorry drivers to smuggle firearms and ammunition from the Netherlands into the UK.

He faces ten charges of conspiracy to import firearms and conspiracy to supply class A and B drugs.

One man has already been jailed for eight years in connection with this investigation and another is currently awaiting trial, the NCA spokesman said.

Burdett is due to appear before Dutch magistrates who will consider extraditing him to the UK to face the charges.

Mark Spoors, NCA branch commander, said: “The arrest of one of our long-standing fugitives is a fantastic result.

“Burdett thought he could evade the law by exploiting international borders, but his arrest shows that no matter where you are, we will catch up with you.

“Other fugitives should pay attention to this and remember how determined UK law enforcement is.

“Thanks to the co-ordinated response by the Dutch police and Merseyside Police, Burdett is now facing extradition to the UK.

“The public can be assured that the NCA is relentlessly pursuing those suspected of causing the most harm to the UK, even on Christmas Day.”

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