AN ALLEGED murderer and one of Britain's most wanted men has been arrested in Portugal following a campaign by the National Crime Agency (NCA) and Crimestoppers.
Callum Halpin, 27, was detained on Monday at an address near Vilamoura in the Algarve by the Portuguese Judicial Police.
Halpin is wanted by Greater Manchester Police (GMP) for the 2018 murder of Luke Graham, 31, and the attempted murder of Anton Verigotta.
Detective Inspector Lee Barrow of GMP described Halpin's arrest as 'an important development in our investigation'.
Ambush
Mr Graham, a dad-of-two, was ambushed and shot dead in a drugs turf war in June 2018.
The killing took place in broad daylight on a street in Ashton-under-Lyne, Greater Manchester, as children played nearby.
In July 2019, five men were jailed over the execution, however Halpin had been on the run since the fatal attack.
Halpin, of Openshaw, Manchester, appeared in court in Portugal on Wednesday and was remanded in custody while extradition proceedings got under way.
He was located and arrested after an operation by the NCA, Portuguese police and international partners.
A public appeal to help trace Halpin was made in January this year when the NCA and Crimestoppers launched a new Most Wanted campaign, featuring 12 fugitives who were believed to be hiding abroad.
Since launching, four of the fugitives have been arrested in operations by the NCA and international partners.
'We will not stop'
"Callum Halpin's arrest was made possible after some superb partnership work between the NCA and our Portuguese counterparts to whom we are extremely grateful," said Steve Reynolds, NCA regional manager in Spain.
"Halpin's arrest comes only 48 hours after another fugitive was arrested in Portugal.
"These arrests should serve as a warning to other fugitives and most wanted subjects that we will not stop until they are captured."
Meanwhile, DI Barrow added that GMP were determined to get justice for Mr Graham's family.
"News of Callum Halpin's arrest is an important development in our investigation and we will work closely with the NCA and other relevant international agencies to bring him back to Greater Manchester and continue our pursuit of justice for Luke's family," he said.
"Halpin has been on the run since Luke was fatally shot on that tragic day nearly four years ago and it has been our intention ever since to ensure all those suspected of being responsible for his death are caught and prosecuted.
"I want to thank partners from the National Crime Agency for their work in arresting Halpin and I know this will send a strong message to fugitives — and also the public — that we are totally committed to working with law enforcement agencies across the world to ensure those wanted are caught wherever they try to hide, and ultimately face the serious charges they are accused of."
