Pole Robert Czik had hidden his brown eyes behind sunglasses. Dressed in cap and coat, he tried to remain unnoticed in the crowd of the El Kiosko cafeteria in the Centro Plaza commercial area in Marbella (Málaga, 150,725 inhabitants), next to the bullring and a step away from the luxury of Puerto Banús. It was his favorite place, where he went almost every morning. It was also his biggest mistake. Last Thursday, at around 11:30 a.m., a group of police officers quickly grabbed the cell phone from his hands, stopped it and arrested him with little time to react. By then he had a search and arrest warrant from the national court and was part of the European Most Wanted Fugitives 2022 list, which includes the most prominent fugitives from justice in each country. He was one of the three most wanted in Poland. He had €6,000 in cash and a wad of €10 and €20 bills in his belt pouch. And in the wallet a fake ID. He is already in prison awaiting extradition. Until his arrest, the fugitive went completely unnoticed in the business district of Marbella, where he regularly tasted a coffee with a piece of pastry, dressed in dark clothing and with his face barely visible. But on his recent 44th birthday – he celebrated it on February 20 – Czik is amassing a long criminal record.
According to his country’s authorities, he was allegedly responsible for organizing and directing a criminal organization dedicated to committing tax and money laundering offenses of large sums. He issued VAT invoices to mislead tax authorities, prepared false accounting records and his criminal group generated a “solid revenue stream” on a large scale, according to Europol. He is considered one of the most important white-collar criminals in Poland and has been accused of numerous crimes: against public order, forgery of documents, money laundering, tax offenses and belonging to a criminal organization.
Born in the city of Rzeszów (population almost 200,000) in the southeast of his country, he hid in Spain. He was arrested during a routine check in Marbella in May 2021. The judge released him on charges and set a date for delivery to his country. Czik didn’t show up, he ran away again. The regional court then issued a search and arrest warrant, which is why he has now been arrested. In Poland, however, they had been looking for him for a long time. His authorities cared so much that they decided to list him among the most wanted criminals in Europe in 2022 and published a file with his photo and some of his characteristics: 185 centimeters tall, brown eyes and “tattoo marks on his face”.
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In October last year, the Polish police contacted the Spaniards. They were convinced that he was still hiding in Spain. Finding him was not easy as he was geographically very mobile and moved quickly between provinces. The two places where he was followed the most were Alicante and Malaga, simply the most popular destinations for those fleeing justice because there they find anonymity between large urbanizations and foreign communities.
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According to police sources, he always maintained tight security and an attitude of “extreme vigilance” by observing what was happening around him at all times. “He didn’t leave any traces, he didn’t make any mistakes, he took great care of himself,” says one of the agents who has been involved in the investigation for six months. Until the many hours spent on the street had an effect on the group pursuing him and someone gave him the key information: his usual breakfast spot.
Last Thursday, March 2nd, during a surveillance and surveillance session, Czik was spotted, of all places, over a quiet coffee at El Kiosco, where he used to go many mornings. It is a place on the edge of the Centro Plaza commercial area, next to a roundabout and the Marbella bullring, a few meters from Puerto Banús. He was hiding behind sunglasses, a hat, and a coat, all in dark colors. It did not save him from an arrest carried out by several national police officers.
A search of his belongings found more than 6,000 euros in cash and a fake Polish document allowing him to impersonate someone else. The investigations were carried out by the Department of Refugees of the National Police of Madrid and Malaga with the support of the Special Response Group for Organized Crime (Greco) Costa del Sol. He is already in prison and is expected to be extradited in the next ten days.