A tip-off line for Dutch people living on Spain’s Costa del Sol who have information about possible drug-related activities by Dutch criminals has resulted in an arrest, the Dutch public prosecution has said.

The arrest, the first since the launch of the phone link in June, took place on July 7 but has only now been made public.

A 32-year-old man from Soesterberg was apprehended on the Costa del Sol for dodging a 1.5-year jail sentence for the possession of large amounts of cocaine and cannabis, the public prosecution office told crime show Het Misdaadbureau. He has since been extradited to the Netherlands.

The department said that it had received “dozens of tip-offs” linked to drugs and other criminal activities since the phone line, aimed at the 10,000 Dutch people who have made the Costa del Sol their home, was established.

The Costa del Sol, also dubbed the Costa del Crime, has long been a haven for international criminals, including from the Netherlands, with many taking up permanent residence there.

The geographical position of the south coast of Spain has become a logistical hub for drug smugglers, with marijuana coming in from nearby Morocco and cocaine from South America.