A Scot who was detained in Croatia after fleeing Tenerife is now being held on the Spanish island on a drugs trafficking charge. Aiden Campbell, from Peterhead, was apprehended at Split Saint Jerome Airport on Thursday, July 30, after a warrant was issued for his arrest when he failed to attend a court in Tenerife over an alleged offence dating back to 2024.
Spanish police have confirmed that the 22-year-old was extradited to Spain to face the drugs trafficking charge. He remains in the country and is expected to face the charges at a later date.
Arrest and extradition
Campbell was arrested in Tenerife in September 2024 on public health charges, now revealed to be drugs trafficking. The Provincial Court of Tenerife subsequently issued a warrant after Campbell failed to attend a court hearing.
He was detained by Croatian authorities after travelling to the country in July. It is understood Campbell was travelling with a group of friends when he was stopped at the airport. He is now expected to appear before a court in Tenerife over the allegations.
Official support and statements
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office previously confirmed it was supporting Campbell and his family. A spokesperson said: "We are supporting a British national who has been detained in Croatia, and his family. We are also in contact with the local authorities."
A spokesperson for the High Court of Justice of the Canary Islands said: "Public health is drugs trafficking. There's no court date set yet. Mr Campbell will not return to Scotland for the time being."
Other Scots detained abroad
Campbell's case comes as a number of Scots have found themselves detained by authorities abroad in recent months. In September, a Scottish couple accused over the seizure of 107kg of ketamine in Australia appeared in court in Sydney.
Glam influencer mum Demi McDaid, 23, and her partner Jack Farrelly, 30, were arrested at the end of June at a hotel in the city after police allegedly found 105kg of the drug in a car parked at the accommodation. The Edinburgh pair, who appeared before Sydney’s Downing Centre Local Court, have also been charged with one count of participating in a criminal group contributing to criminal activity. They already face charges of supplying a prohibited drug and supplying a prohibited drug in a large commercial quantity. Neither McDaid nor Farrelly entered a plea.
In June, the Record told how Glasgow man James Farquhar was being held by immigration authorities in Spain after overstaying the maximum period he was permitted to remain in the country. The 42-year-old was taken to the Centro de Internamiento de Extranjeros de Valencia after his passport expired and he faced the prospect of being deported. His situation was further complicated by his alleged involvement in a pub disturbance around a year earlier, during which a man's finger was bitten. Farquhar has denied being responsible. He was being held alongside around 120 other detainees and described the conditions as "scary", with "lurking violence and frequent lockdowns". He said he was "terrified" that he could become stuck at the centre and be forgotten about by authorities.
