In an age when everyone wants to be a star these ten people would rather they remained anonymous. Being identified is not good for their careers or their liberty.

The ten faces seen here are ten of the most wanted British criminals thought to be on the run in Costa Blanca, Spain, and are being hunted by the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA).

They include those wanted for murder, rape, drug trafficking, fraud and kidnap. They are thought to be staying in the Alicante region.

For many years Spain has been an appealing sunny hideaway for British criminals escaping justice. But this all changed in 2004 when European Arrest Warrants came into effect, making it easier to bring British criminals back into the UK's criminal justice system.

The search for the criminals, known as Operation Captura 2, has been instigated after a similar operation in 2006 ended with the capture of 13 fugitives.

It is a joint project between Crimestoppers, SOCA, the British Embassy and the Spanish authorities.

Bill Hughes, Director General of SOCA, said: "This is an innovative partnership which is proving to be very successful, and is delivering a simple message to criminals; you won't escape to the sun, we will find you and bring you back.

“This is just the beginning of an expansion of the project with more areas and countries being assessed where we can actively target these fugitives and return them to face justice, watch this space for future initiatives."

The faces of the most wanted will appear on the Most Wanted section of the Crimestoppers website: www.crimestoppers-uk.org.

Denise Holt CMG, UK Ambassador to Spain, said: "Both British and Spanish residents on the Costas did a fantastic job in 2006 in helping Crimestoppers track down some notorious criminals. We're appealing for your help again.

“There are ten new names and faces of dangerous people that you can help put behind bars. This initiative is a good example of strong partnership working between UK and Spanish authorities, and should help Crimestoppers continue their successful operations."

Crimestoppers founder and chairman, Lord Ashcroft KCMG, said: “With 13 arrests from 30 appeals so far, it is great to know that both UK and Spanish residents are helping law enforcement to capture these dangerous individuals by passing on information, which ultimately helps make their communities safer.

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