Suspected international drugs boss arrested in his pants after fleeing West Midlands for Lithuania

James Mulvey was detained under a European Arrest Warrant in connection with a huge drugs haul uncovered in Belgium 10 years ago.

The 40-year-old was one of six people arrested on March 29 as West Midlands Police officers joined National Crime Agency colleagues on raids in Birmingham, Solihull and Somerset.

He has been questioned over the 2007 seizure drugs that saw police recover 20 kilos of cocaine, 365 kilos of cannabis and 10 kilos of phenacetin.

West Midlands Police say it is suspected the containment was destined for Ireland.

Mulvey, from Solihull, was arrested by Lithuanian Police firearms officers at a house in Kaunas where two ballistic vests were found during a search, while officers recovered a Glock pistol and more than 100 rounds of ammunition at a separate address linked to him.

Five people were jailed in the UK in 2009 for a total of 88 years but the investigation remains live and extradition proceedings have now started to bring him back to the UK.

Investigators believe the five others – a 42-year-old woman from Somerset; a 37-year-old man from Tamworth; a 50-year-old man and a 25-year-old woman from Wythall; and a 58-year-old man from Atherstone – are involved in money laundering and VAT fraud.

A seventh person – a 66-year-old man from Solihull – has also been interviewed as part of the investigation.

All six have been released while enquiries continue.

Detective constable Derek Tinsley, from the West Midlands Regional Asset Recovery Team, said: "This was a fantastic example of several law enforcement agencies – including ones overseas – working together to tackle crime.

"About £40,000 in cash was recovered from addresses in the UK along with computers and digital devices which are now being forensically examined.

"Clearly Mr Mulvey wasn't expecting a visit by armed police: the drugs find was a decade ago and he was living in eastern Europe but this operation shows that people we suspect are linked to crime cannot sleep easily.

"We could come knocking at any time."

The Mauritius Police Force and the Financial Intelligence Unit in Mauritius, who are both supporting the investigation, also searched a number of addresses where documentation and digital devices were seized.

Over 200 officers from the NCA, West Midlands RART and HMRC were involved in the operation. Officers from West Midlands Police and the South West Regional Asset Recovery Team also provided assistance.