Taulant Toma, known for escaping four European prisons, was detained in Tarragona. Spanish police acted after months of surveillance. The arrest ends a long search for one of Europe’s most elusive fugitives.
Spanish police have arrested Taulant Toma, a 42-year-old Albanian national infamous for a string of daring prison escapes across Europe. The operation took place in Tarragona’s Campclar district, where officers from the National Police located and detained Toma after several days of surveillance. The arrest, which occurred on Friday, marks the end of a months-long search for a man who had managed to break out of four different prisons—three in Italy and one in Belgium—earning him the nickname ‘Maestro de las fugas’.
According to police sources, Toma was found in a vehicle accompanied by several individuals. When officers moved in, he resisted arrest, and one of his companions attempted to dispose of a Sig Sauer pistol by throwing it into nearby bushes. The weapon was later recovered by the Mossos d'Esquadra. The arrest drew a crowd in the neighborhood, but police managed to restrain Toma and quickly remove him from the scene. Investigators believe Toma had been living in Spain since January, using high-quality forged documents. He had previously been detained in Girona for possession of weapons and explosives, but his distinctive tattoos and a deep scar on his right cheek allowed authorities to confirm his identity.
Toma’s criminal history is marked by a series of high-profile escapes. His first breakout occurred in 2009 from a prison in Terni, Italy, where he was serving a sentence for violent robbery. Exploiting a moment when other inmates were distracted, he slipped through a hole in a fence and scaled the prison wall using bedsheets. He was recaptured two months later. In 2013, Toma escaped from a facility in Parma, Italy, with the help of a cellmate. The pair sawed through cell bars, used bedsheets to descend, and fashioned a makeshift pole to clear the perimeter wall. After several months on the run, he was arrested in Belgium, only to escape again from Lantin prison later that year. That escape involved accomplices who took a guard hostage and created a diversion, allowing Toma to climb over the wall using a human pyramid and flee in a waiting car.
His most recent escape took place in December 2025 from the high-security Opera prison in Milan. Italian media report that Toma once again used a file to cut through bars, bedsheets to descend, and a homemade pole with a metal hook to scale the wall. Following his arrest in Tarragona, Toma is now being held at Mas d’Enric prison while Spain’s Audiencia Nacional processes his extradition to Italy, where he faces a lengthy sentence for his accumulated crimes and escapes. Authorities are still searching for another Albanian national who assaulted officers during the arrest.
The case highlights ongoing challenges for European law enforcement in tracking and apprehending high-profile fugitives who operate across borders. Similar cross-border police actions have drawn attention in Spain, such as the recent investigation into police conduct during unrest at Elche-Barça. The arrest of Toma underscores the importance of international cooperation and the persistent risks posed by organized criminal networks with the resources and determination to evade capture.
Spain’s role as a destination for fugitives is not new, given its geographic position and the presence of established migrant communities. The country’s law enforcement agencies have increasingly relied on coordination with European counterparts to address transnational crime. The extradition process for Toma is expected to proceed swiftly, given the seriousness of his offenses and the international warrants issued for his arrest. The case also serves as a reminder of the evolving tactics used by escapees and the need for constant adaptation by security forces.
