Galician drug runners, who sparked a diplomatic incident when they were chased into Gibraltar Port by a Spanish Guardia Civil launch

Courts in Gibraltar have found the two alleged Galician drug runners, who sparked a diplomatic incident when they were chased into Gibraltar Port by a Spanish Guardia Civil launch, guilty of entering Gibraltar illegally and illegally importing a launch with two 2,500 cc outboard motors, prohibited on the Rock. They were also charged with entering a military zone.Francisco Javier Otero and José Antonio Falcón, both from Pontevedra, were each fined 5,000 pounds Sterling, and given 90 days arrest. They have now however been handed over to the Spanish authorities. They face charges in Spain of obstructing justice.Meanwhile the Gibraltar police commissioner, Louis Wink, has been giving more details of the incident, and says that the chasing Guardia were in a state of shock when they questioned them. He denied reports that they had been advised by the Civil Guard of their presence with a set of signals, saying it was a resident in Harbour Views who had alerted them to the chase.Wink said he hoped the incident would not be repeated as relations between the two police forces were excellent. He also revealed that the Gibraltar police checked the guns of the Civil Guards, and saw that they had not been fired.Back in Spain the four Civil Guards have given their version of the events to the enquiry opened after the event and El País reports that no disciplinary action is to be taken against them.

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Body of a tramp, with an axe buried in his head, has been found in a Fuengirola car park.

The victim was well known in the area, and reported to be a user of the Las Lagunas health centre, and was found by the National Police on Friday morning after the health service received a phone call just after 5am, saying that a doctor was needed in the street, Calle Antonio Rubio Torres, to certify the death of a person.
The National Police have opened a full investigation.

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Four people have been arrested in Alicante in connection with the illegal recording of new feature films in local cinemas

Four people have been arrested in Alicante in connection with the illegal recording of new feature films in local cinemas. Police say the recordings were made at off-peak times and have described the operation as the largest of its type in Europe against the making of pirate recording in cinemas.The case broke when one of the group was caught recording a film with high definition equipment in an Alicante cinema, and police say the group then uploaded the recordings made to the internet, using servers in France and Germany.Police carried out searches in two homes in Alicante and Callosa de Segura, and impounded computing and copying equipment, as well as documents which showed the income obtained from advertising on the internet web pages.It is estimated that the losses to the film makers involved could be more than 70 million € given that the four are believed to have recorded hundreds of films many of which were downloaded as many as 10,000 times.

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100 kilo lioness escaped from the vehicle which was transferring her to Italy.

A-92 motorway was closed to traffic near Loja, Granada province, on Saturday morning, after a 100 kilo lioness escaped from the vehicle which was transferring her to Italy. The alarm was raised by passing motorists shortly after 9am on Saturday, and the Sevilla-bound carriageway was closed off after the animal was found calmly wandering along the road at kilometre 191 of the A-92.
Experts from the Junta de Andalucía’s environmental department brought the lioness down with tranquiliser darts when she came to a halt beneath an almond tree, and she was taken to an animal shelter in Pinos Genil to await collection by her owners.
The lioness is reported by Ideal newspaper to have been born on a private finca in Cádiz province.

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clients affected by the collapse of the Trampolin Hills golf resort in Campos del Río gathered at the site on Saturday in a protest

100 or so of the hundreds of clients affected by the collapse of the Trampolin Hills golf resort in Campos del Río gathered at the site on Saturday in a protest to demand their money back and for those responsible to be sent to prison. The first of the more than 2,500 units planned at the resort were sold four years ago, but none were ever completed.It’s affected clients in Spain, the UK and Ireland, amongst other countries, and it’s understood from La Opinión de Murcia that a group of those affected have made a formal request in writing to a court in Mula to ask that the two owners – Antonio Martínez and Rafael Aguilera – be imprisoned for fraud amounting to 60 million €. Joaquín Guzmán, a lawyer who represents many of the investors concerned, said he believes the two owners could attempt to flee Spain or to destroy evidence.The company is now in administration, but sources at the Grupo Trampolín told the newspaper that they believe the project will still go ahead. They said a way will be sought to pay those who want their money back, but have proposed to some of the purchasers the idea of forming a cooperative to allow the urbanisation to be built. There was no indication of the response to their proposal.
Trampolín Hills was recently fined the amount of 350,000 € for failing to put in place a bank guarantee for their investors. Such a guarantee is required under Spanish law to cover refunds for unfinished properties.

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Frankie Weber in prison on the Costa del Sol last night accused of three attempted murders.

Frankie Weber was in prison on the Costa del Sol last night accused of three attempted murders.Frankie Weber, 25, from London, is alleged to have fled to Gibraltar after stabbing three Spaniards in a street fight in Marbella.
He was returned to Spain where he now faces trial. Spanish police said the wounded were only saved by swift action by medics.25 year old Martial Arts expert is wanted in connection with the stabbing of three people in a street fight in Marbella
A British man has been extradited from Gibraltar to Spain to face charges of three attempted homicides.The 25 year old is accused of trying to carry out the homicides in Marbella, and the extradition comes as a result of a request made by Instruction Court Two in the town. The court has now ordered the suspect to be held in prison on remand.The case dates back to the early hours of January 24 this year when Spanish National Police were called to a fight in the Plaza de los Olivos in Marbella, which resulted in one very serious stabbing and two more suffering serious stab wounds. The most seriously hurt has had to undergo several surgeries. Police found many large knives at the suspect’s home and established that he had fled to Gibraltar. The agents from the UDEV Specialist Violent Crime Unit describe the suspect, who is an expert in martial arts, as ‘very dangerous’. They say a 30cm long machete was found in a nearby rubbish bin shortly after the aggression, which they believe he dumped during his escape.

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Gibraltarians treated them ‘almost like criminals ’Four Maritime Guardia Civil intercepted

Four Maritime Guardia Civil were intercepted and held for two hours by the British authorities on Gibraltar on Monday while they were in pursuit of a boat thought to be involved in drug trafficking.Reports indicate that the Spanish Minister for the Interior, Alfredo Pérez Rubalcaba, then had a conversation with the Gibraltar First Minister, Peter Caruana, and this resulted in the four agents being allowed to return to Spain. El Mundo reports that Rubalcaba apologised to Caruana for the ‘incorrect action’ of the Guardia Civil. It seems that they had followed the zodiac launch they were chasing into Gibraltar Port ‘in the heat of the chase’.
Two men in the zodiac were also questioned on the rock.The four men held say that they had to give statements to the authorities on the Rock, and that their firearms and the launch were impounded for a time. These items have now been returned to Spain. El Mundo reports the four say have been very affected by the experience, claiming that the Gibraltarians treated them ‘almost like criminals’. They will now be called to give an explanation to their Spanish superiors.

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Police are investigating how two men attempted to force Grace Preston, 15, into their car in broad daylight.

Police are investigating how two men attempted to force Grace Preston, 15, into their car in broad daylight.The English girl, from Woking, was walking home from school at 2.30pm when two men confronted her outside her local supermarket.The ‘Spanish-looking’ men in their late 20s, ran around in front of her as she walked along the pavement, but she managed to run into crowded shopping centre Las Jarales and hide in a bar. one of the men had chased after her, but didn’t spot her cowering in Harley’s Bar.

“You never think it’s going to be your son or daughter until it happens to you.”
“It was terrifying, and I just fled,” she explained. “I ran into a local bar and noticed that the man followed me and looked inside to see if he could find me.”

Grace, who attends the European Sixth Form College in Calahonda, then called her parents who were in the supermarket next door.They straight away called the police, who are now investigating the case.Grace’s father Quentin Preston, an architect, was shocked by the attack. He said: “You never think it’s going to be your son or daughter until it happens to you.“But they are teenagers. We can’t watch them all the time,” he added.The architect, who has lived in La Cornisa with his wife Helen for the last six years, insists that young people should not go out alone.
He is pleased that Grace’s school is taking new measures to protect its pupils. Barbara Dyson, deputy director, confirmed: “We have told the students not to go home alone and to note down the number plates of suspicious cars.”
She added that the school had also appealed to the town hall for more security at home time.Teenager Amy Fitzpatrick, 15, went missing nearly two years ago from the very same area. She has still not been found. More alarmingly, it is the second attempted abduction to have taken place in Mijas Costa on the same day.
“Arabic-looking” man attempted to force a 19-year-old English girl into his car later that night.The incident happened on the Avenida Espana, a major thoroughfare, at 10pm.Local barmaid, Rachel Jones, 19, revealed that her English friend, 19, had been walking up to see her boyfriend in Calahonda. “This guy grabbed her and tried to pull her into the car, but she smacked him in the face and managed to prize herself free and run off, while the guy fled in his car.”Two weeks ago two teenage boys were also targeted in nearby Riviera del Sol in broad daylight.

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Four attempted teenage kidnappings over the past month in Calahonda.

Fortunately, in each case the victims have managed to escape the clutches of their assailants in the nick of time.However, the mental damage will long linger in the minds of the young victims and their distraught families. Most frightening of all is the attempted abduction of 15-year-old Grace Preston. On a routine walk home from school, two men attempted to snatch her off the street. It is a tribute to Grace’s quick-thinking and sheer bravery that she managed to flee and hide from these sick people. For it doesn’t bear thinking about what may have happened. It is almost, exactly two years since the disappearance of Irish teen Amy Fitzpatrick, and fears still persist regarding the safety of the Costa del Sol’s young, vulnerable youths.

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man allowed himself to be stripped off by the dancers in the full view of a number of young girls who were watching the show close to the stage.

Alicante prosecution service is investigating an event organised by a motorbike club in Pilar de la Horadada earlier this month which included exotic dancers and a striptease held in front of children. El Mundo reports that it was subsidised by the local Town Hall, who provided the marquee for the event.It was held by the Moto Club 12+1 on 15th November and brought together more than 3,000 people, including one man who allowed himself to be stripped off by the dancers in the full view of a number of young girls who were watching the show close to the stage.Another person who was there told El Mundo that all the children who attended the event were accompanied by their parents, and a warning was given to the parents over the microphone when the striptease was about to start.The Town Hall has come under harsh criticism from the opposition over the issue, and is now considering withdrawing its subsidy for future events. The Moto Club 12+1 said they have received no complaints from any of those who attended.

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Costa del Sol Hospital in Marbella child eating cake which had been made with vodka and marijuana

three year old girl was admitted to the Costa del Sol Hospital in Marbella last Sunday night after eating cake which had been made with vodka and marijuana.
There are contradictory versions about exactly what happened, but it is clear that the Local Police received an emergency call on Sunday from Nueva Andalucía. Once in the property they called an ambulance, and the child is now back home after undergoing detoxification treatment. Local police have arrested two women in relation with the case, one is a family member to the child, and the other is said to be a friend. They are expected to appear in court shortly.

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Police in Málaga have shot dead a 54 year old

Police in Málaga have shot dead a 54 year old unemployed labourer, Antonio S.F., after he had fired at them with a hunting rifle, injuring one agent seriously, and another less so.The National Police were called to the scene in the Santa Rosalia district of Málaga city on Wednesday evening on reports of a possible case of domestic violence and found that the man had already injured two people. He had stabbed his daughter and her boyfriend.Neighbours told the La Opinión de Málaga newspaper that the aggressor, known locally as ‘El Manzanillas’, was a very good person, but who had fallen into depression some months ago, and had not accepted that his daughter had left her previous boyfriend some four or five months ago

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72 year old man was found hanging by the neck at his home in the Almería village of Cóbdar

72 year old man was found hanging by the neck at his home in the Almería village of Cóbdar on Thursday morning, who it appears committed suicide after killing his wife and brother. It’s understood from EFE that the 80 year old brother had a disability and lived with the couple at their home.There’s little information on what happened, but it’s believed that Antonio N.C. first killed his wife, Herminia, aged 67, and then his brother, before committing suicide. The Civil Guard found the three bodies after a phone call was made to emergency services at around 8am.Cóbdar is a small village of some 200 inhabitants 76 kms from the provincial capital.

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Santiago Mainar, the forestry worker accused and found guilty of killing Miguel Grima, the Mayor of the town of Fago

Santiago Mainar, the forestry worker accused and found guilty of killing Miguel Grima, the Mayor of the town of Fago, has been sentenced to twenty years and nine months in prison. The prosecutor had asked for just three months more for the killing and the illegal possession of firearms.The accused was told the verdict in hospital in Zaragoza where he was admitted last Tuesday after a suspected overdose of pills, although his family who have visited say he has denied trying to commit suicide.
He will also have to pay 105,000 € in compensation to the victim’s family.
The court case was heard in the Huesca provincial court last month, and the murder has achieved widespread coverage in the Spanish media since it took place in January 2007. Mainar at first admitted the crime, but two days later denied it in court, and in his last statement, made on November 25, he continued to defend his innocence.

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Torrevieja shotgun fired in the street

young man brought panic to Torrevieja on Friday by firing a shotgun in the street. It happened at 1020am in the centre of the town in Calle San Pascual and Calle Villa de Madrid.The local man fired several shots into the air causing no injuries but sending pedestrians in the area running for cover.More than twenty police and civil guards, some of them with pistols in hand took part in the operation to capture the man who is said to suffer mental problems. He was first taken to the Civil Guard barracks and then later transferred to a health centre.

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76 kilos of hashish hidden in the airbag of their car.

Police in Madrid have arrested two people who were found to have 76 kilos of hashish hidden in the airbag of their car.There were ‘acorns’ of hashish were also hidden in the side back panels of the car.Police had been following the car since Granada, and were aware that the traffickers were using a second advanced vehicle to advise the presence of any controls.Police followed the cars before intercepting when they headed to a district in the north of the capital. Those arrested had used a sophisticated electronic system which was activated by remote control to gain access to the drugs.

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eight Spaniards, six men and two women, all aged between 20 and 45, have been arrested in Santa Pola, Alicante for growing and then selling marihuana

eight Spaniards, six men and two women, all aged between 20 and 45, have been arrested in Santa Pola, Alicante for growing and then selling marihuana. Five kilos of the drug was recovered by the Guardia Civil in the operation and they note that one of those detained kept the drug in shoe boxes, classified by its quality. Three homes in Elche were also searched as part of the operation and precision scales and a sum of cash seized.

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British man and woman, both in their 50’s have been arrested at the El Altet airport

British man and woman, both in their 50’s have been arrested at the El Altet airport in Alicante after they were found to be carrying 1,540 grams of cocaine.
The two are named only with initials in reports, but the man is known to be 53 year old A.M., and the woman 57 year old A.G.The arrest, on charges of a crime against public health, took place at about 1pm last Friday December 4th in the arrivals terminal of the airport. The drugs were found hidden in the rucksack that the woman was carrying while the man also had two packets of the drug packed with his belongings.
The couple will appear in court shortly.

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Alleged Mafia Busts Across Southern Italy possible Costa connection

In three separate and unrelated sweeps across Italy police have arrested more than 100 suspected mobsters and seized $360 million in assets allegedly implicating the Parisi clan from the Sacra Corona Unita or Puglian Mafia, the Cosa Nostra or Sicilian Mafia, and the Somma-La Marca clan from the Camorra or Neapolitan Mafia as reported by Adnkronos. The largest bust involved the arrest of 74 alleged members and associates of the Parisi clan, including politicians and businessmen, in the city of Bari as reported by Nicole Winfield for The Associated Press:The 48-year-old head of the clan, Savino Parisi, was arrested overnight along with his closest associates. They are accused of attempted murder, drug trafficking, loan-sharking, interfering with the bidding process for public contracts and money laundering.

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Spanish lawyer has disappeared along with an estimated €5 million of client’s money

British expats are amongst 26 investors who fear the worst after a Spanish lawyer has disappeared along with an estimated €5 million of client’s money. The lawyer in question Jose Luis Maseda was handling transactions for the purchase of new holiday homes in the Costa del Sol.Maseda, who speaks fluent English, is believed to have handled the money, whilst advising his clients to invest in a number of suspect apartment developers across the south of Spain.One development that Maseda is thought to have dealt with is the controversial golf resort in Antequera, which is currently under investigation.The lawyer’s Benalmadena based company Eurobrokers has now closed and Spanish police have confirmed that they are looking into a series of allegations, which date back more than five years.Detective Juan Martin, who is leading the investigation, said “As the investigation goes on, more people are coming forward saying they have lost money, and Maseda´s name is mentioned.”

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Simone Castello was arrested in Archena, some 24 kms from Murcia City

9 people were arrested in Palmermo for links to the Sicilian mafia's former boss of bosses.A suspect has been arrested in Murcia in connection with an operation by police in Italy against the Sicilian mafia which saw nine people taken into custody in the island’s capital, Palermo. An eleventh arrest warrant was issued for another suspect who is already serving time in prison.All 11 are believed to have provided help to the Sicilian mafia’s former ‘boss of bosses’, Bernardo Provenzano, during the 43 years he was on the run. He was arrested in 2006.The Murcia suspect is named by EFE as Simone Castello, a 60 year old who had moved to the Region and set up an import and export company of fruit and vegetables with links to Sicily. It’s valued at 2.5 million € and it’s understood the company’s headquarters were sealed by National Police as part of the operation.He was arrested in Archena, some 24 kms from Murcia City, early on Tuesday.

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