‘Diamond thief’ who was one of Interpol’s most wanted to be extradited from UK

An alleged diamond thief is due to be extradited from the UK to Belgium after being arrested following a global Interpol appeal. 

Hugo Javier Marin Salgado is wanted for ‘organised or armed robbery’ and features among the crime-fighting organisation’s Red Notices.  

The Venezuelan man is named in an appeal which asks anyone to contact their local or national police if they have any information. 

The case involves diamonds being stolen from a shop in Antwerp, according to the city’s Public Prosecutions Office. 

Salgado, 68, was sentenced in absentia to 37 months in prison on February 23, 2017 by the Antwerp Criminal Court and his arrest was immediately ordered, the office said.

He was arrested in the UK earlier this year under a Part 1 warrant, which enables the authorities to process extradition requests from ‘Category 1’ territories, including the Netherlands.

In June, Salgado appeared via a live link from HMP Thamesmead in south-east London for an extradition hearing at Westminster Magistrates’ Court. 

Salgado is already serving a custodial sentence in the UK and has consented to being extradited to Belgium in custody, according to court records. Four days later, magistrates ordered that the extradition does not take place until after he completes his domestic tariff. 

The court invoked Section 36C of the Extradition Act 2023, which can be used when a defendant is from a Part 1 country and a serving prisoner.

The Red Notices work through Interpol member countries or international courts and tribunals submitting a request for an appeal about a wanted person. A specialised task force then reviews the application.

If the notice is approved by Interpol’s general secretariat, it is distributed across all of the organisation’s member countries.

Launched in the late 1940s, the list forms part of work to help countries share information and look for international fugitives.

The first major international public appeal led to the 2007 capture of sex offender Christopher Paul Neill, a Canadian national who had been teaching in schools across Asia. Neill was sentenced in Thailand.

At present, there are 6,505 Red Notices in circulation, including one for ‘White Widow’ Samantha Lewthwaite– a suspected terror mastermind who was married to 7/7 bomber Germaine Lindsay.

Do you have a story you feel we should look into? Contact josh.layton@metro.co.uk

MORE: The UK fugitives who feature on global most wanted list

MORE: Ex-UFC fighter in fresh bid for jail pardon after role in £53,000,000 Securitas heist

MORE: Albanian rapist serving jail in UK is wanted for robbery carried out on family home

Add as preferred source