Spanish police arrest art dealer suspected of faking works by Picasso and Dali

Spanish police have arrested an art dealer accused of selling fake works by Picasso, Dali, Warhol and other 20th century masters to unsuspecting U.S. buyers and evading arrest for years.

Oswaldo Aulestia, 72, sold limited edition prints with falsified signatures serial numbers and certificates of authenticity as part of a fraud ring, police said on Friday.

He is accused of copyright infringement and was the target of a High Court search-and-detain warrant in 2016 for his extradition to the United States and an arrest warrant from a Barcelona court since 2017, police said.

“Since the Interpol warrant for the well-known counterfeiter, there have been innumerable attempts to find the fugitive who adopted extreme security measures to avoid justice,” the police said.