Spanish police have turned to AI in their hunt for one of the country’s most wanted fugitives after he disappeared while on prison leave in Andalucia.
The Policia Nacional have launched a new public appeal to locate Jesus Manuel Heredia Heredia, a convicted drug trafficker from Algeciras better known as ‘El Pantoja’.
He has been on the run since March 2025, when he failed to return to prison after being granted temporary leave.
Police are now focusing on his distinctive tattoos, warning that they ‘cannot go unnoticed this summer’, while also releasing an AI-generated image showing how he may look today.
Investigators believe Heredia may have deliberately changed his physical appearance to avoid being caught.
He is around 1.80 metres tall, of heavy build, with olive skin, brown eyes and dark hair with a receding hairline.
Officers have described him as highly dangerous.
Heredia was sentenced in 2022 for drug trafficking and belonging to a criminal organisation, although he was already in prison for another case when that sentence was handed down.
Investigators believe his organisation inherited part of the structure previously led by Abdellah El Haj Sadek El Membri, the notorious trafficker known as the ‘Messi of hashish’.
Police also suspect Heredia has contacts in Morocco, logistical support in southern Spain and access to an infrastructure that could help him stay hidden and avoid justice.
The Policia Nacional are urging anyone who recognises him, his tattoos or the AI-generated image not to approach him, but to call 091 or email losmasbuscados@policia.es.
If investigators believe he has left Spain, the search will be supported by ENFAST, the European Network of Fugitive Active Search Teams, which coordinates operations to locate and arrest wanted fugitives across borders.
Read more Andalucia news at the Spanish Eye.
