One of the Britain’s “most wanted criminals” was arrested in Sandown, Isle of Wight on Friday (14th January).
The 49 year old man, Michael McNiff, is alleged to have imported 100Kg of heroin into the country, which at street prices, would be worth ~£2.5m – £4.5m, but lived in the town, not raising the suspicion of people there.
All that changed on Friday when five plain-clothed officers wrestled McNiff to the ground, knocking him into the doorway of the Lloyds Bank in High Street, Sandown.
Such was the confusion, that the bank staff themselves called the Police, uncertain of what was going on as five officers sat on top of McNiff.
Those working in the bank told VB that it was quite sometime before the police officers (some from Nottinghamshire – where McNiff was previously based – and other from the Met) had cleared the doorway to the bank, so the bank’s customers had to stay inside.
“You’d never know”
People living in Sandown tell VB that plain-clothed Police had been showing a photo of McNiff to shopkeepers around the town and asking about him that morning.
One man VB spoke to said that he often saw McNiff walking his Patterdale dog on the beach in Sandown, a trip he did two to three times a day.
“He seem pleasant enough when I chatted to him and I often saw him around town with his wife and kids.” He thought that the children were between four and eight.
“I reckon he’s been living in Sandown for 12-18 months. He wasn’t hiding himself away, or keeping a low profile. Most people knew him. He was quite inoffensive.
“If you’d have seen him, you wouldn’t have thought that he had millions. He didn’t wear posh clothes or anything.”
McNiff lived near the centre of town in a small flat despite having been on the Crimewatch Website under ‘Most Wanted’ for nearly two years.
Speaking to a Sandown resident, they told VB, “I’m amazed he chose the Isle of Wight and didn’t leave the country.”
What happened to McNiff’s dog?
Those that VB spoke to were particularly concerned about the welfare of McNiff’s dog, who was apparently left tied up outside the bank, after the officers swooped.
We understand that the dog was taken by the Isle of Wight Dog Warden, who are now holding the dog, awaiting its return to Nottingham.
McNiff appeared at Enfield Magistrates’ Court in London yesterday (Monday 17 January) and has been remanded into custody.
Many thanks to those who talked to us about this.
