Briton described as 'one of the top ten most investigated criminals in Europe' is arrested by Spanish police over cocaine smuggling Brian Charrington, 57, was detained with his son on the Costa Blanca Spanish police said 485 pounds of cocaine was seized at an apartment Described by police as 'leader of an international gang of drugs smugglers' Brian Charrington was arrested in Spain by police targeting cocaine smuggling between Europe and South America A suspected British drugs baron, described as 'one of the top ten most investigated criminals in Europe', has been arrested in Spain accused of trying to smuggle cocaine into Europe. Brian Charrington, 57, a former associate of notorious gangster Curtis Warren, was detained along with his son on the Costa Blanca near Alicante. The former Middlesbrough car dealer's girlfriend, who detectives allege had travelled to Venezuela to organise a shipment of cocaine back to Europe on a yacht, has also been held. More details of the police operation, which led to the seizure of 485 pounds (220 kilos) of cocaine worth £10million at an apartment in Albir near Benidorm, were due to be given later today at a press briefing in Madrid. Britain's Serious Organised Crime Agency, Venezuelan police and a regional 18-member-state police organisation called Ameripol set up to fight drugs trafficking, were also involved. Seven people were arrested in Spain and six in Venezuela during the joint operation. Spanish police described Charrington today as 'one of the ten most investigated criminals' by European police forces and 'leader of an international gang of drugs smugglers.' A court on the Costa Blanca has embargoed bank accounts, property and other assets worth more than £5million. Two years ago his fortune was put at £20million. In the eighties he teamed up with Curtis Warren, whose personal fortune was so large he appeared on the Sunday Times Rich List, to import cocaine to the UK from Venezuela. Spanish police say they seized 485 pounds of cocaine worth £10million from the Benidorm flat (file picture) The pair were arrested in early 1992 after a shipment of almost 2,000 pounds (900 kilos) of cocaine sealed inside lead ingots in steel boxes was discovered. The subsequent trial collapsed after it transpired Charrington was a police informant for the North-East Regional Crime Squad. Britain's security forces went on to re-home him in Australia but his visa was revoked shortly after his arrival. He then moved to Spain where he is accused of building up a drugs empire. Charrington was acquitted in two drugs trials in the UK before being extradited to Germany and sentenced to seven years jail in 2003 for conspiracy to smuggle cocaine into the country. His son Brian Charrington Jr served four years and three months. Charrington senior was extradited to France following his release in 2006 to serve a two year prison term over the discovery of 1,433 pounds (650 kilos) of hashish found on his yacht in the English Channel in 1995. Mark Lilley was arrested in Spain earlier this month at a panic room in his luxury Malaga villa Fugitive armed robber Andrew Moran was arrested by the swimming pool of his Costa Blanca villa in May In 2004 he lost a civil suit against the Assets Recovery Agency over more than £2million found in his loft which he and Curtis Warren disputed the ownership of. His arrest is the third high-profile detention of a British criminal by Spanish police in the past three months. Fugitive armed robber Andrew Moran was arrested by the swimming pool of his Costa Blanca villa in May. Earlier this month wanted drugs trafficker Mark Lilley was arrested naked at a panic room in his luxury villa in Alhaurin de la Torre near Malaga. The 41-year-old, originally from Newton-le-Willows, Merseyside, is expected to be extradited to the UK within weeks to start a 23-year-jail sentence. Spain remains a popular destination for British criminals, who exploited the lack of an extradition treaty between the two countries for several years until 1985.