To keep his identity obscured, alleged drug trafficker burned his skin and got fingerprint implants

A scanned fingerprint.
(Image credit: Ian Waldie/Getty Images)

He could have just worn gloves for 15 years straight, but instead, an alleged drug trafficker in Spain cut and burned off the skin of his fingers, then underwent surgery for fingerprint implants.

"It was a very sophisticated, specialist process that took place over a number of years," a Policía Nacional spokeswoman told The Guardian. Police say the man, originally from northwest Spain, was arrested on Tuesday near Madrid after 15 years on the run. His fingerprints were no longer recognizable, and he had also had a hair transplant to alter his appearance.

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.