Dimitris Kouimtsidis
A WELL known high-end Spanish criminal has been arrested on the Costa del Sol.
Juan Manuel Candela Sapieha, also known as ‘El Sapo’, is famous throughout Spain for stealing works of art worth €300 million from the billionaire, Esther Koplowitz, including works from Goya, Gris and Sorolla.
The notorious criminal has been arrested on numerous occasions by the Spanish police and has served time in prison.
Most recently he was arrested in Marbella a week ago, for a scam that he was involved with in Kenya, worth over €1 million, regarding the purchase and sale of gold.
One more notch in a criminal record in which he combines white collar crimes with violent ones.
According to El Mundo sources, ‘El Sapo’ was living at the El Embrujo de Banus complex in Marbella.
Considered an ‘expert in disguise,’ he disguised himself so as not to be identified and if necessary, displayed fake badges to pose as a police agent.
On this occasion, he adopted the false identity of a Frenchman called Jean Emmanuel Marlon, an identity which he tried to stick to even when he was arrested.
The Kenyan authorities had sent Interpol the arrest warrant, by linking him to a million euro scam involving the sale of gold.
It took agents three weeks to successfully track him down, as he constantly kept changing his place of residence throughout Spain.
‘El Sapo’ was apprehended while walking his dog and confirmed that he had a house in Kenya but that he couldn’t return there due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The National Court will rule as to whether he will be extradited to the African country, seeing as Spain normally doesn’t allow extradition.
