Gibraltars Offshore gambling sites on the Internet have revolutionized the sports betting industry

Gibraltars Offshore gambling sites on the Internet have revolutionized the sports betting industry. The offshore betting sites compete for the bettors’ money, and are constantly improving consumer services

Sunday, 25 January 2009

Fernando Moreno was victim of ‘express kidnapping’ abandoned white van with British number plates found

Fernando Moreno ran a family construction business, founded some 40 years ago. He was last seen at 10am on Wednesday morning and family members reported him missing that same morning, reportedly fearing that he may have been kidnapped. They then received a phone call from a person with a Latin American accent who demanded two million € for the businessman, and throughout the day there were more calls in which the amount demanded was reduced. The final call at 1600 on Wednesday demanded 600,000 €. The phone then went silent until 2200 when the kidnappers said they had released the businessman ‘close to the Ojén reservoir’.
Police say they think he was victim of a so called ‘express kidnapping’ and were also investigating an abandoned white van with British number plates found in the area of the body, and thought to have been used by the kidnappers.76 year old Marbella businessman who died during an express kidnapping attempt last week, Fernando Moreno, did not meet his death through natural causes. His body was found, in a chair hands tied above his head, with feet and neck also tied and mouth taped up, and with his head covered up, on Thursday inside an abandoned building between Marbella and Ojen with no outward signs of violence. However the autopsy carried out on Friday indicates that he suffocated to death through swallowing a piece of the cloth which had been placed in his mouth. Sources indicate that the autopsy was a full one and lasted for seven hours, and that several samples taken could help to resolve the case.The investigators consider that he was probably still alive when his kidnappers left the scene after negotiating his release and the payment of a ransom with him and his family. Police say no money was paid, and they are interested in the statement from one of Fernando Moreno’s workers who saw an old white right-hand drive van, with British number plates in the area. The van has now been located in Marbella and forensic scientists have been combing it for prints and DNA.Government Sub-Delegate in Málaga, Hilario López Luna, has confirmed that the businessman was kidnapped. Reports say that the kidnappers were of Latin American origin. Initially in phone calls to the family they demanded two million €, a sum which later was reduced to 600,000 €. Reporting restrictions have now been imposed in the case.

Friday, 23 January 2009

Spanish crime gang used an Irish trawler to land €850,000 of cannabis

€850,000 of cannabis that was seized in Dingle last year was smuggled into the country by a Spanish crime gang using an Irish trawler.At Tralee Circuit Criminal Court on Monday Ignacio Goyeneche with an address in San Tando, Spain, and Lisa Basire of Scanlon’s Cottage, Ballyhea were jailed for their part in the massive drugs seizure in Dingle last July.Cannabis, worth €850,000 was found by gardaí in early morning raids in different locations in the Dingle area on July 8 last. The majority was found at Lisa Basire’s bedsit, the rest in Mr Goyeneche’s car.
Both pleaded guilty to ‘possession for sale or supply’ of the drugs Judge Carroll Moran sentenced Ignacio Goyeneche to seven years in prison and Lisa Basire to three years. In the course of the trial, details emerged of how the huge haul was brought into Ireland with the assistance of a major Spanish crime figure and Irish smugglers. After the haul was uncovered, thanks to an anonymous tip, Ignacio Goyeneche told gardaí how the massive consignment had been brought into the country. The Spaniard, an unemployed fisherman who lived in Dingle 18 years ago, was a key figure in the operation which began in Spain where the drugs were provided by a major Spanish crime figure. Ignacio Goyeneche said he watched as 72 kilos of cannabis was stashed in an Irish owned and operated trawler, which then sailed from northern Spain to Bantry in Cork. According to Goyeneche the drugs were successfully landed in the Bantry area in early July 2008. Once the shipment was safely ashore, Ignacio Goyeneche said he helped break up the drugs and transport them to Dingle where the majority, 65 kilos worth €785,000, was stashed in hidden compartments under a bed in the home of Lisa Basire in Ballyhea. The rest, 50 bales worth €76,000, was hidden behind panels in the boot of Mr Goyeneche’s Volvo car. Gardaí said Mr Goyeneche had refused to name the Spanish crime figure who supplied the drugs or the Irish fisherman who helped smuggle the drugs. Goyeneche said he was afraid to name the Spanish crime figure whom he described only as “a heavy.” The Kerry coastline has long been known as a haven for smugglers. The sheer scale of the waters and coastline involved, coupled with the many bays and inlets of Kerry and west Cork, has made the work of gardai, customs and the Navy extremely difficult. Even a recent US Drug Enforcement Agency Report raised concerns that the Kerry and Cork coast has become a major European drugs gateway. Meanwhile, English woman Lisa Basire, who was jailed for three years this week for her part in last summer’s €850,000 cannabis haul in Dingle, was described in court as a loner who made no profit whatsoever from the deal. Miss Basire, originally from London, spent her 38th birthday in Tralee Circuit Criminal Court on Monday where she pleaded guilty to possessing €785,000 worth of cannabis at Scanlons Cottage, Ballyhea on July 8 2008. Gardaí at the trial said they believed Lisa Basire when she said she had no part in importing the drugs, was not a drug dealer and had not benefited financially in any way from the drugs.

UPDATED:Spanish police seize fake and stolen Dalís at a hotel in the southern Costa del Sol region.

Spanish police are seeking the owner of a £1.1m bronze elephant, possibly sculpted by Salvador Dalí, that was stolen with a major haul of work purportedly created by the mustachioed master of the so-called paranoid-critical method.The three-metre-high elephant was impounded with 81 works that had been on display at a hotel in the southern Costa del Sol region. It was not clear whether the pieces were stolen, genuine or fakes.The works, which included sculpture, bas reliefs, lithographs, textiles, furniture and cutlery had been transported to the hotel in Estepona from France and were due to be auctioned there. The asking price for the elephant sculpture, believed to be a work known as the Space Elephant, was €1.2m (£1.1m) .Police said they were investigating reports from around the world that up to a dozen pieces similar to those on display had been stolen. The robberies had been reported in the United States, France, Belgium and Spain. An unidentified Frenchman was arrested and charged with fraud and faking documents, they said.frenchman was arrested yesterday for trying to organize an exhibition of works by Dali in a hotel in Fuengirola, an coastal town between here and Marbella. Yes, a hotel in Fuengirola is a likely place for a serious art exhibit. So it's pefectly normal for the works to be thrown into a truck sent here from France. And of course you'd store over sixty Dali originals in one of the hotel's rooms with no special security. Right. And exactly who did this guy think was going to buy these valuable pieces of art? Dali is one of the most forge artists in the world. I guess the guy figured he'd find plenty of suckers here who wanted to launder some money. And probably a very reasonable supposition

Neil Davison is currently at large having been arrested on a European arrest warrant in February 2008.

Neil Davison, also known as Richard Neil Davison, was taken into custody almost five years ago when Spanish customs officers swooped as part of a large-scale operation with their Suffolk counterparts.The bid to smash the multi-million pound drugs racket netted 16 other suspects in Malaga, Nerja and Estepona, who were alleged to be involved in the trafficking operation.Around 70 Spanish officers carried out the raids aimed at preventing drugs being smuggled from north Africa to Spain.However, despite his arrest in March 2004 Davison, who ran a boat-building company in Lowestoft, has yet to stand trial.After being released pending further inquiries, Davison skipped bail during the intervening years. He was apprehended again last year after a warrant was put out for his arrest.Despite fleeing once before, Davison was granted bail and went on the run again. A year on he is still a fugitive.
Davison, formerly of Colville Road, Lowestoft, was originally arrested as he came out of his flat overlooking the beach at Estepona on the Costa del Sol.At the same time his home in Lowestoft was raided by Suffolk customs officers and separate amounts of cash totalling £1million were seized at the premises. Several boats at Davison's company were also seized and impounded.Davison had settled in the Costa Del Sol several years before. The flat he was in at the time of his arrest was believed to be one of at least 10 he had in eastern Spain.At first Davison was remanded in jail following his arrest and held in a prison near Malaga. However, he was subsequently released on bail, from which he absconded for the first time.
A spokeswoman for HM Customs and Revenue confirmed Davison had not returned to answer his bail on two separate occasions.She said: "Neil Davison is currently at large having been arrested on a European arrest warrant in February 2008. He was granted bail from which he has absconded."Over the years the nature of drug trafficking between Spain and Morocco, known as the 'hashish gateway' changed, leading to different types of high-speed boats being used to outrun the authorities.
Davison's boat-building firm produced powerful semi-rigid hull inflatable boats, known as RHIBS.In just over a year before his arrest around 100 such boats, worth an average of 60,000 Euros, are believed to have been seized in southern Spain.

Thursday, 22 January 2009

Arrested five Britons in the Costa Del Sol and Tenerife



Police have arrested five Britons in the Costa Del Sol and Tenerife, and confiscated assets believed to be worth as much as twelve million euros after accusing the entire group of being involved in the distribution of the drug 'speed'. The investigation started after 70 Kilos of speed was found in a truck in Oxford, that had been sent by the group from Belgium. Amongst the assets confiscated were: a duplex apartment in Marbella of over 300 square metres; nineteen other pieces of real estate; various bank accounts, and several Porsches, Hummers, Mercedes and Ferraris as well as two luxury yachts. What apparently drew the attention of the police was that one of the detainees, who is not even thirty, and apparently without any job at all, managed to acquire fifteen pieces of real estate over two years.

Castellón confiscated over two kilos of cocaine

Guardia Civil in Castellón have detained some seven people - five Spaniards, a Columbian and a Venezuelan - and accused them of forming a drugs syndicate that bought, transformed and sold cocaine in the province. After the arrests, police confiscated over two kilos of cocaine as well as a large amount of acetone that is used to transform the drug for its commercial sale.

Wednesday, 21 January 2009

Man accused of three murders and several robberies, who has been on the run since 2004, has been arrested in Fuengirola.

Man accused of three murders and several robberies, who has been on the run since 2004, has been arrested in Fuengirola.A local police patrol from Mijas tried to identify the man who was driving a top of the range car, but before being questioned he drove off. A police car chase ensued ending with his arrest, according to a press release from Mijas Town Hall. The man was armed at the time and in the company of a woman.

Drug-related settling of scores body of a chopped up man has been found in an abandoned suitcase

body of a chopped up man has been found in an abandoned suitcase on waste ground in Benimaclet, Valencia.A passerby saw the suitcase and called the Local Police to the scene in Calle Mistral at 6pm on Tuesday night. They advised the National Police once they saw the suitcase contained the chopped up male body, which is still to be identified. Police think a drug-related settling of scores is the most likely motive for the crime.

Raids in Marbella, on the Costa del Sol, and Tenerife, in the Canary Islands, resulted in the Britons being arrested.

Ronald O'Dea, 42, and James McDonald, 39, both from Glasgow, were detained following police raids in November. Londoners Stephen Denis Brown, 42 and Brian Rawlings, 63, were also arrested in a joint operation with the Scottish Crime and Drug Enforcement Agency. The men are expected to spend several months in prison before facing trial at the National Criminal Court in Madrid. The operation also resulted in the arrest of Gerard Mooney, from Dublin, in October 2008. It is alleged that a truck that he was driving to Scotland contained 70kg of speed when it was stopped by police near Oxford. The subsequent raids in Marbella, on the Costa del Sol, and Tenerife, in the Canary Islands, resulted in the Britons being arrested. The money laundering charges relate to the seizure of property in Spain along with luxury goods worth nearly £11m. These included a Ferrari F430 Spyder, a 599 Fiorano, two Hummers, a Porsche Cayenne turbo, an Audi Q7, a Mercedes 63 AMG and two BMWs. A luxury yacht was also confiscated.

Tuesday, 20 January 2009

Settling of scores between drug dealers

While out walking in Novelda a man came across the body of a man of around 30 years . The man had been dumped at the side of a pathway close to the castle and alongside the river Vinalopo.The police were called and the man was quickly identified who was a known criminal and had a police record for drug trafficking .The body showed signs of violence and he had also been shot in the face .Early indications point to a settling of scores between drug dealers as a motive for the murder.The victim was well known to the police and the GuardiaCivil in the area . Three years ago he was arrested while driving a van containing 100 kg of hashish . He was also part of a gang who kidnapped a nightclub owner in Sax .

Police have found 11 tons of hashish hidden in two garages in the Avenida de la Innovación in Sevilla.

Police have found 11 tons of hashish hidden in two garages in the Avenida de la Innovación in Sevilla. It’s the largest amount of drugs to be found in the city for the past decade, one of the largest found in Spain, and is valued at 16 million €.
National Police say the drug was packed into 361 bales, and was found after they were in chase of a member of a drug-trafficking organization.Named as 32 year old Benjamín R.R he was arrested along with one other who is thought to have been purchasing some of the drug although its thought the main destination for it was the countries of the north of Europe.

Drug Smuggling gang 28 years and nine months prison has been handed down in total


Prison sentences have been confirmed against nine people who were found guilty of transporting as much as 2,000 kilos of hashish to Dénia. A total of 28 years and nine months has been handed down in total to the none, most of them serving some three years inside. The group brought a haul of 2,000 kilos of the drug from Melilla to Dénia in an operation which was organized from Málaga, and intercepted by the police on the Dénia beach.

Monday, 19 January 2009

Malaga University carried out 1300 ” victimisation Surveys ”

Malaga University has done a piece of research into the reporting of crime by members of the public and compared the results with the statistics which are published by the authorities .The team carried out 1300 ” victimisation Surveys ” on 2005 asking members of the public if they had been the victims of crimes such as car theft , having something stolen from a car , being threatened , sexual assault and having their homes burgled .Sixty six percent or two out of every three said that they had been victims of such crimes but only 41% said that they had reported the incidents.The reluctance to report them might be that they didn’t trust the system , were embarrassed or they might have been too scared to do so .Damage to vehicles was the most common crime , yet it was the least reported while car thefts and burglaries were the most reported and yet occurred less often , maybe because of the insurance connection .Published statistics are based on the crimes that are reported and what the survey discovered is that this is not always a true reflection of what is actually happening .

Salvatore Zazo leader of the Mazzarella crime family captured in Barcelona


Italy's paramilitary Carabinieri police working with Spain's Civil Guard arrested Salvatore Zazo as he was making a phone call in a shop in Barcelona on Saturday.Italian police say a Neapolitan fugitive wanted on drug trafficking charges has been captured in Barcelona.Italian police official Angelo Mazzagatti said on Sunday that an arrest warrant had been issued for Zazo a few months ago. He said Zazo, 52, was suspected of international trafficking in cocaine.Investigators say they believe Zazo has been leading the Mazzarella crime family in the historic center of Naples. It is part of the Camorra criminal syndicate.Police say authorities will ask for Zazo's extradition to Italy to stand trial.

Friday, 16 January 2009

Local man has been sentenced by the Málaga Provincial Court to 18 years in prison for killing another in a bar in San Pedro

Local man has been sentenced by the Málaga Provincial Court to 18 years in prison for killing another in a bar in San Pedro de Alcántara in September 2006.It apparently started when the two men collided by mistake in the bar, with the aggressor then going to his home to get a knife and returning to the bar to stab the other man who died the following day.The aggressor was also found guilty of attempting to kill the victim’s friend, stabbing him from the back. After the aggression the man went back home and then went to the Local Police with his mother. He had claimed he only wanted to frighten the other men with his knife. The court heard that the man was considered to be emotionally unstable and also ordered him to pay 250,000 € in compensation.

Spain's anticorruption prosecutor has opened an investigation into Bernard Madoff's alleged fraud

Spain's anticorruption prosecutor has opened an investigation into Bernard Madoff's alleged fraud, which may cost clients of Banco Santander, the nation's largest lender and the owner of US-based Sovereign Bancorp, $3.1 billion.The probe began last month, said an official at the prosecutor's office who asked not to be identified.Santander said on Dec. 14 that customers were at risk from investments with Madoff through its Optimal Investment Services hedge fund unit.Madoff's New York-based firm collapsed in December after he told his sons it was a $50 billion Ponzi scheme, according to a complaint filed by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
"Santander has been very transparent about its exposure to Madoff," said Luis Benguerel, a trader at Interbrokers Espanola SA in Barcelona. "Santander is a victim in this case."The Wall Street Journal reported that Spanish prosecutors are investigating how Santander lost client money through Madoff's alleged fraud. A spokesman for the bank declined to comment. The official at the prosecutor's office said Santander wasn't a target of the probe.The anticorruption prosecutor will be examining the relationship between Santander, the investment fund Fairfield Greenwich Group, and the Madoff funds, the Journal reported. Fairfield had $7.5 billion with Madoff.About two-thirds of losses incurred by Santander clients were borne by investors in Latin America, the Journal said.

Wednesday, 14 January 2009

Sir Steve Redgrave invested in a £2million off-plan villa on Royal Marbella Group in return for a discount on the property




Trio of sporting stars who backed property developments in Spain with their own money and persuaded other British Fly to Let investors to do the same, are now counting the cost after the schemes were scrapped.The Daily Mail carried the story of how five-time Olympic champion Sir Steve Redgrave, 1966 World Cup hero Sir Geoff Hurst, and former England World Cup rugby star Tony Underwood were all endorsers and investors in the Royal Marbella Group, which later became the Royal Duja Group.
Some of Royal Duja's projects, such as Royal Cabanas in the Algarve, where other well known names, such as Spurs manager Harry Redknapp, invested, did go ahead. But the newspaper reported that another of the investment projects, Lince Sanctuario near Seville, will never be built. It was said that Redgrave invested in a £2million off-plan villa on this site and in return for a discount on the property had allowed his face and name to be used to promote the development on Royal Duja Group's billboards. He is now seking legal advice over the issue.In an interview with the Daily Mail, Redgrave said: “It's been a disaster, with the planning permission revoked. I have lost my investment. I've done promotional work for the developer and that was half the payment for the plot I had. I've lost a hell of a lot of time and image.“I've been talking to Geoff Hurst and he has similar problems. He has invested and he has friends who invested,” added Redgrave.The newspaper report explained how Hurst's and Underwood's off-plan flats at the former Royal Marbella development at Aldea Beach in Manilva on the Costa del Sol were issued building licences illegally by local mayor Pedro Tirado.Tirado has now been imprisoned for accepting bribes and Hurst is leading a group action to try to get back money he and other investors put into the development which are now unlikely to materialise.

Guardia Civil officers arrested two people caught trying to smuggle 6.5kg of cocaine

drug-mules-at-tenerife-north-airport.jpgGuardia Civil officers at Tenerife’s north airport arrested two people caught trying to smuggle 6.5kg of cocaine into the island. 


The couple, identified only by their initials, have been charged with crimes against the public health.

The man, 24-year-old D.A.M.B and his female companion, 35-year-old D.R.A., both Uruguayan nationals, arrived on a flight from mainland Spain.

After police became suspicious of the pair they were questioned, which raised suspicions even more and led to a body search, which revealed the drugs strapped to their bodies.

Police also discovered a large quantity of money and the pair have been detained without bail pending a court appearance.

Monday, 12 January 2009

Guardia Civil officers arrested two Estonian men

Guardia Civil officers arrested two Estonian men, aged 23 and 24, at TFS on Friday for carrying 1,793 grams, almost 2 kilos, of cocaine inside their bodies. Agents became suspicious at the high level of nervousness in the two at routine airport clearance checks, and they were even more suspicious when searches of the men’s luggage found nothing. The pair were taken to have X-rays, and both were found to be carrying capsules. After these were evacuated, it was discovered that the first man was carrying 92 capsules containing 1,012 grams of cocaine, and the other 71 containing 781 grams. They are now being judicially processed.

Seized 4,400 kilos of hashish from a yacht flying the British flag

Seized 4,400 kilos of hashish from a yacht flying the British flag off the coast of Torrevieja early last Friday morning and arrested the two crew members. Antonio L.R., aged 37, is a Spaniard with previous convictions for drug smuggling, and Daniel D.D., 28, is a North African who was carrying French identification and a British passport as well. Customs had spotted the craft during the afternoon on New Year's Day sailing 12 miles out to sea and considering it ‘suspicious', sent the Arao patrol boat to investigate. Provincial customs and excise department chief Arturo Marcos said that it had been sailing very slowly with its lights turned off. The yacht, a 12-metre-long vessel called the Masquerade, changed course and officers decided to carry out a search when it entered Spanish waters. Three officers boarded without resistance at 07.00 and immediately saw the contraband in several packages on the deck of the boat. They obtained a search warrant and took the crew and cargo to Alicante port, arriving at around 11.00. The drugs were unloaded on the quay, attracting the attention of several passersby, and the suspects were taken to the National Police headquarters. The investigation into the intended destination of the shipment, valued at 18 million euros, remains open.

Saturday, 10 January 2009

Arrested by police on the Costa del Sol Rolf Dieter-Glaetzner

Rolf Dieter-Glaetzner absconded prior to a scheduled Edinburgh High Court appearance and spent more than six years on the run before his re-arrest in Spain.47-year-old German national accused of sexually abusing two young girls in Scotland, skipped bail in the UK and has been arrested by police on the Costa del Sol, Spain, it was confirmed on Thursday.Detectives indicate that the fugitive will now face extradition proceedings. Charges against him in Scotland include a series of violent sexual assaults on two girls, aged six and seven at the time.Dieter-Glaetzner appeared initially at Stirling Sheriff Court in October of 2001, and was granted bail.He subsequently broke conditions of his bail, returning to his native Germany where he remained for about one year.When he returned to Scotland in July 2002, he was rearrested, and brought before the Edinburgh High Court.Once again, Dieter-Glaetzner was granted bail, pending a trial at Forfar High Court in Forfar in October of 2002. He left the country, however, for the second time, and remained at large until his capture in Spain was announced on Thursday of this week.
A Central Scotland Police spokeswoman confirmed reports that a suspect had been arrested by Costa del Sol police.

Friday, 9 January 2009

Leónidas Vargas Vargas has been shot dead in his bed of a Madrid hospital


Colombian drug trafficker has been shot dead in his bed of a Madrid hospital. Leónidas Vargas Vargas received four shots from a pistol with a silencer after an individual entered his room in the 12 de Octubre Hospital at 8pm last night.
There were two people in room 543 and the assassin asked first which one was Vargas.
Police consider the shooting is almost certainly a settling of scores, with Vargas known as ‘El Viejo’ and to be linked to the Medellín drugs cartel. He was arrested in 2006 but was now granted release because of a lung problem. Police are now studying security tapes to see if the assassin has been caught on camera.Leonidas Vargas, a once powerful Colombian drug trafficker, has been shot dead in his hospital bed in the Spanish capital, Madrid. Police said that a gunman entered his room and fired four shots at Vargas, who was being treated for lung disease.
Vargas, 59, was the head of the Caqueta cartel which ran vast cocaine laboratories in Colombia in the 1980s. After serving a prison sentence in Colombia, he was arrested in Spain in 2006 and was on bail awaiting trial. The Spanish authorities stopped him up for carrying a fake Venezuelan passport, and he was later charged in connection with a 500kg (1,100lb) cocaine haul. His trial was delayed and he was admitted to the Doce de Octubre hospital for treatment in early January. Witnesses say two people entered Vargas' room on the fifth floor of the hospital. One man took out a pistol with a silencer and fired four shots at Vargas, who was asleep. His killing is believed to be part of a settling of accounts between rival drug-trafficking organisations, says the BBC's Jeremy McDermott in Colombia. Vargas assumed a low profile after being released in Colombia, but in the 1980s he was allied with the powerful Medellin drug cartel of Pablo Escobar. An idea of the scale of his wealth at the time was revealed after the Colombian state seized $29m worth of properties from him.

Tuesday, 6 January 2009

32 year old drug mule who came over a bit poorly at Reina Sofia last night.

32 year old drug mule who came over a bit poorly at Reina Sofia last night. He told the medical services at the airport that he was feeling unwell. A couple of hours later and 78 capsules of cocaine lighter, the Guardia Civil are now keeping him company at the hospital in Santa Cruz.

Peaceful protest march in Almeria

peaceful protest march in Almeria
City this Friday, January 9th 2009 - a year exactly after Len and Helen Prior's house
was demolished by the Junta de Andalucía. It's being organised by AULAN, AUAN (both anti-property abuse associations inAlmeria), Ciudadanos Europeos and others. This is our first big opportunity to showthat the arbitrary treatment towards property owners must be stopped.

Monday, 5 January 2009

Immigrant has been shot dead by the Moroccan police when trying to cross the border fence in the Spanish enclave of Melilla

Immigrant has been shot dead by the Moroccan police when trying to cross the border fence in the Spanish enclave of Melilla. The police opened fire against a group of 80 Sub-Saharan people who were storming the fence at Iyasenen, and another 14 people were arrested. The dead man died when on his way to hospital, and the rest of the group managed to escape, but none made the crossing into Spain.There was a similar attack from a group of 150 last November.

Sunday, 4 January 2009

18 year old’s arrested in their van at Adra

two 18 year old’s from Melilla were arrested in their van at Adra, Almería after 150 kilos of hashish was found in hidden compartments in their car.

Almería launch was heading to shore with 1,400 kilos of hashish on board.

Four crew from a small launch, two of them underage, have been arrested in Almería.
It happened at 4am on Saturday in the waters of Níjar, close to Punta Polacra. The launch was heading to shore with 1,400 kilos of hashish on board. On the interception by the Maritime Guardia Civil two of those on the launch jumped into the sea in an effort to swim to shore. Both were resuced by the authorities.

Large arms find in Majorca

Spanish police have broken up an arms trafficking gang, seizing nearly 300 weapons as well as 350 kilos of ammunition, police said Friday. Five people were detained in Palma Majorca and in Zamora in the north of the Spanish mainland. They included the owner of an arms store and an expert who repaired used weapons. The confiscated weapons ranged from revolvers to rifles and machine guns. Police also seized mortars and grenade launchers.

Saturday, 3 January 2009

€50m had been stolen from account at Barclays in Marbella between 2001 and 2003.

Sheikh Abdul Aziz Al-Thani,had €50m stolen from account at Barclays in Marbella between 2001 and 2003. Last month Barclays was reportedly ordered to post €20m as security with a Spanish court as part of a legal battle. At the time a settlement was said to be still some way off after a letter from the sheikh in the summer which vowed he would pursue every legal route possible to recover his money.
The sheikh claims a former employee set up a bank account at Barclays' Marbella branch, using his own name and the sheikh's. The sheikh claims he had no knowledge of this and his signature was forged. It is alleged money from another of his accounts was siphoned to the joint account, and later withdrawn or transferred to Monaco, the British Virgin Islands and Switzerland.

Marbella,Three Brits were arrested and another was on the run

Three Brits were arrested and another was on the run last night after police in Spain seized almost four tonnes of hashish in a raid on a Costa del Sol warehouse.
Spanish drugs squad officers swooped on the industrial unit in Antequera, near Malaga, earlier yesterday before arresting the three suspects.A fourth British man was cornered during a similar raid on an apartment building in the Costa del Sol resort of Marbella, but he managed to escape through a first-floor window and was still at large, police officials said.A drugs squad officer said: "We carried out the raid after a tip-off and made one of the largest drugs seizures of the past 12 months."Three British men resident on the Costa del Sol are being held in custody facing charges for drugs trafficking."The officer confirmed: "A fourth British man, who is believed to be connected to the other three, escaped and is still on the run."

Friday, 2 January 2009

32-year-old man who reported feeling unwell to the medical services yesterday morning was found to be carrying 78 capsules of cocaine in his body

32-year-old man who reported feeling unwell to the medical services yesterday morning was found to be carrying 78 capsules of cocaine in his body, a total weight of 854 grams. The man sought medical assistance in arrivals in Reina Sofia airport, and admitted that he was carrying drugs within his person. He was immediately transferred to a Santa Cruz hospital, where he was operated upon to remove the drugs. He is still in hospital under Guardia Civil arrest.

Wednesday, 31 December 2008

Leighton Richardson arrested in Tenerife after his girlfriend was found dying in a pool of blood at her apartment has been released


Leighton Richardson arrested in Tenerife after his girlfriend was found dying in a pool of blood at her apartment has been released from custody after being held since Christmas Eve.Before making his bail decision the judge studied police information which – despite earlier reports – said no baseball bat had been found at her flat.
But while investigations continue Leighton Richardson, born in Wrexham and who grew up in Mold, remains a suspect.He has been ordered to report daily to the court at Arona, on the holiday island’s south coast, where the investigating judge in charge of the case is based.Richardson has also had to surrender his passport to the court.
He was arrested in the early hours of Christmas Eve after Lisa McConway, 28, from Blackrock, County Dublin, Ireland, was found by police at her flat in the brash resort of Playa de las Americas.She was in a critical condition and had severe bruising to much of her body.She was rushed to hospital but died at 1pm that day.Reports said police had gone to the flat after neighbours telephoned just after 3am to report a violent row was taking place.
The investigating judge decided to grant Richardson “provisional liberty” – the Spanish term for bail – after studying a written report by pathologists following an autopsy.
The experts were reported as concluding Miss McConway, who had a British passport, could have died either as the result of a beating or following a fall, it was reported yesterdayAlthough her injuries were consistent with an attack the autopsy revealed she suffered from a blood clotting condition which could cause extensive bruising as the result of a fall, court sources told local journalists.Before making his bail decision the judge had also studied a police report which despite earlier reports said that no baseball bat had been found at Miss McConway’s flat.Nor had any witnesses been found to back-up the claim reportedly made by the initial caller a serious row had taken place.
But two witnesses had said earlier Miss McConway had been “drinking a lot” and they had seen her “drunk”. The witnesses said she had fallen down opening a gash in her head.For his part
Richardson had emphatically denied throughout his time in police custody and later at a closed door hearing in front of the investigating judge he had beaten Miss McConway.

Following Miss McConway’s death Jose Antonio Batista, the Spanish Interior Ministry representative in Tenerife, described the scene which greeted officers at her apartment as a “Dantesque spectacle”.He was quoted as telling local reporters: “All the furniture was overturned and there was blood on the floor and the walls.”The official also said Miss McConway had telephoned Richardson, who lived elsewhere, at 3am last Wednesday to say she felt unwell. The boyfriend arrived shortly afterwards at her flat.Reports yesterday said the couple’s young son would be handed over to Richardson on his release.

Sunday, 28 December 2008

Family of Lisa McConway are due to arrive on the island early next week to take care of her young son and fly her body home

family of Lisa McConway, the 28-year-old woman bludgeoned to death in Playa de Las Américas on Christmas Eve, are due to arrive on the island early next week to take care of her young son and fly her body home.Lisa McConway died after being attacked with a baseball bat in her apartment in Palo Blanco in the early hours of the morning. Neighbours say they heard a massive row in the apartment before her body was found

Fuengirola Mafia boss arrested


Guardia Civil officers, in collaboration with the Italian Arma de Carabinieri, have arrested a 44-year-old member of the mafia-like criminal organisation, the Camorra, in Fuengirola. The man is an important member of the Clan Mariano of the Naples Camorra, and has had an arrest warrant on him for 17 years.The police operation was launched thanks to information the Guardia Civil received from the Arma de Carabinieri. The intelligence revealed that an important Camorra hitman who had escaped from Italy could be living on the Costa del SolOfficers from the Guardia Civil’s Team Against Organised Crime (ECO) along with Carabinieri officers from Naples in Italy searched for the man in areas where they suspected he was. The officers knew that the suspect was living on the Costa del Sol and used public cyber-cafés to contact other members of the Camorra.The camorrist was finally arrested at the entrance of a cyber-café thanks to a picture provided by the Arma de Carabinieri.

Captured Trainer gang which smuggles coke into Spain

The drugs were being smuggled from Argentina concealed inside specially adapted shoes that were worn by a couple in their late fifties who were arrested at Valencia's Manises airport on Christmas Day after stepping off a plane from Buenos Aires in possession of 1.6kg of uncut cocaine.

Five members of a gang that has been smuggling cocaine into Spain by hiding it inside training shoes, have been arrested. The couple's two sons and a third individual responsible have since also been detained. It seems that the gang has been operating for some time and also trafficked a variety of other recreational drugs for sale in the Balearic Islands, mainly Ibiza.

Paul Hickey is currently serving 15 years at Fontcalent jail, one of Spain's toughest penitentiaries.

Hickey, is currently serving 15 years at Fontcalent jail, one of Spain's toughest penitentiaries.Sandra Conroy said she would block any attempt by Paul Hickey to move to an Irish prison for the rest of his sentence.He was sentenced in November when he admitted battering Celine (26) to death at their holiday home on the Costa Del Sol three years ago. He can apply to be transferred to an Irish prison, but this would have to be approved by both the Spanish and Irish authorities."I'm still in contact with my solicitor, it's still not over for me," Sandra said."I'll keep up the fight if there is any way they can even consider letting him come home. If it's the courts or the Dail, I'll tie myself to the railings if I have to to keep him in Spain."
Sandra remains sceptical about claims Hickey (31) has made about being stabbed repeatedly in jail.She said she was sickened by a recent press interview he gave complaining of conditions at the notorious prison."He said he'd been stabbed in prison, but I didn't see any marks on him when he was in court," Sandra said. "It was all about himself and how hard he was having it."Meanwhile, Sandra has said she is still haunted by Hickey's sneering attitude as he was sentenced.The family spent Christmas together and visited Celine's grave in Glasnevin.

National Police and the Guardia Civil have reported that the charred body of a man has been found in a burned out vehicle

National Police and the Guardia Civil have reported that the charred body of a man has been found in a burned out vehicle in inland from Villajoyosa .The car and body were found on a piece of wasteland last Tuesday in an area known as Partida Ripalmes .The identity of the man remains unknown and the police have not released any further details .Both the National Police and the Guardia Civil have joined forces to try and solve the possible crime .It is possible that the death was an accident but it could also be murder .A post -mortem will be carried out this week .

Guardia Civil are looking for two un-named British people in connection with the disappearance a year ago of the Irish youngster Amy Fitzpatrick


Diario Sur newspaper reports that the Guardia Civil are looking for two un-named British people in connection with the disappearance a year ago of the Irish youngster Amy Fitzpatrick from Mijas Costa. One of the people wanted for questioning is a man, another a woman, and both are said to be in the United Kingdom although it is reported that they don’t know each other. They are under investigation at the request of Amy’s family.Amy’s mother Audrey says in an interview with the paper that it has been the longest year of her life, and that it is impossible to stop thinking about Amy. She says she is living a nightmare but has not given up hope of being reunited with her daughter.

Thursday, 25 December 2008

Lisa McConway, who has family living in Dublin, was found unconscious at her home . Irish woman, resident on Tenerife

The 28 year woman, named as Lisa McConway, who has family living in Dublin, was found unconscious at her home near Playa de las Americas in Tenerife.She died this afternoon after allegedly being hit by her boyfriend with a baseball bat, which the aggressor then through out the window.British woman, resident on Tenerife, is the victim of the latest domestic violence tragedy in Spain.Her beaten body was found in Urbanisation Palo Blanco in Playa de las Américas in the south of Tenerife, after neighbours heard the fight and called 091, and reports indicate that she died from her injuries on the way to hospital. The alleged aggressor, also British, was arrested at the scene and police say there were signs of a fight in several rooms of the flat.The case is being instructed by Court Number 7 in Arona.Police have arrested the woman's boyfriend who has been named as Leighton Richardson.The 28-year-old, who has been named as Lisa M, was discovered in an apartment block in the Playa de las Americas resort.According to statements made by her boyfriend, the victim phoned him at around 3am GMT on Wednesday morning and asked him to go to her apartment because she was feeling ill.
After the boyfriend arrived at the flat in the Pala Blanco housing development, the couple are believed to have had a fight.Police were called when neighbours heard a violent row.It is thought that the woman, who had been beaten with a baseball bat, had suffered a cardiac arrest.She was taken to a local hospital where she died at around midday Christmas Day.A post-mortem examination has taken place but the results have not yet been released.Her boyfriend has been arrested after apparently giving conflicting statements to police, and for the marks on the woman's body.Further details of her identity have not yet been released as Foreign Office staff attempt to contact her family.Her father Jim McConway, speaking from the family home in Blackrock in Dublin last night, said they had received very little information about the death

Leighton Richardson

Spanish police smashed an international drug ring that trafficked cocaine from Peru to Israel and via several other countries, including Spain.

Spanish police smashed an international drug ring that trafficked cocaine from Peru to Israel and via several other countries, including Spain.Port of Barcelona authorities, as part of a joint operation with Peruvian, Israeli, U.S. and Bahamas police, seized 674 kilograms of cocaine shipped from Peru on a vessel bound for Jordan’s Aqaba port. The drugs had been stuffed into an industrial paper shredder.
In early December, Caribbean, Peruvian and Spanish police intercepted cocaine shipments hidden in lead-plated heavy machinery designed to fool airport x-ray security scans.A month prior, Peru’s police drug enforcement unit, Dirandro, carried out four simultaneous raids in Lima’s districts of Miraflores, Ate, Chorrillos and San Isidro, seizing more than half a ton of cocaine. Five people were arrested, including four Peruvians and an Israeli national.Spain is Europe’s main entry point for cocaine from South America, although large quantities are now transported via West Africa. And, according to a UN Office on Drugs and crime report published in January, Spain has become the top consumer of cocaine in continental Europe.

Monday, 22 December 2008

65-year-old father Robert Orchard had done a deal with drug-traffickers in his home town of Marbella.

65-year-old father Robert Orchard had done a deal with drug-traffickers in his home town of Marbella.He agreed to hide the drugs under the bed on which Cheyrl, of Denny, Stirlingshire, and her eight-year-old son had been sleeping.On Monday a jury at Canterbury Crown Court consisting of seven women and five men found her not guilty of drug importation.Her father pleaded guilty.Innocent Cheyrl was flown out to the Costa Del Crime by her father, but while she was sunbathing the gang was stashing the chocolate-coloured blocks into the camper-van.Robert Orchard cynically took the pair to EuroDisney knowing full well they were sleeping only inches above the consignment.Cheyrl told the court she knew nothing of her father’s plot to smuggle the drugs through Europe to Ireland.After the jury unanimously found her not guilty, she spoke of her loathing of the father who risked her freedom in a sordid drugs deal.She said: “I thought it was a routine Customs stop. I had no idea there were drugs on board.“I have only contempt for my father, who used us. It is
supposed to be the time of goodwill to all men, but I doubt if any goodwill I have will extend to him.“As far as I’m concerned I haven’t got a father and my son hasn’t got a grandfather.“I thought the authorities were going to take my boy away from me. I couldn’t think about Christmas, but now I’ll be able to celebrate it with my son.
“I don’t care about my dad – he’ll be spending his Christmas behind bars.”But it wasn’t all comfort and joy for Cheyrl as she was fined £200 for breaking her bail by smoking in a prohibited area outside the front door of the court on Friday.She apologised and told Judge Michael O’Sullivan she had been under a great deal of strain.The judge accepted her apology but told her the restriction was put in place to stop her accidently bumping into jurors.Robert Orchard is due to be sentenced next week.

British man stabbed during shooting incident near Tarragona thought the shooting, which involved four people, was linked to drug trafficking

British person has been injured in a shooting incident in L’Ametlla de Mar in Tarragona today, in which a German man has died. The 33 year old German was shot in the thorax and abdomen and suffered a heart attack.Spanish police think the shooting which involved four people in total was a settling of scores related to drug trafficking. An Italian is seriously hurt after being shot in the neck. He made his own way to the local health centre from where he was taken by helicopter to the Joan XXIII hospital in Tarragona where he has had surgery.
The Briton was stabbed in the thorax and treated in a local ambulance. His involvement in the affair is still being investigated and as yet he has not been arrested.It happened at 4,30pm on Monday in a chalet in Calle Rovelló, in the Sant Jordi Alfama urbanisation in L’Ametlla.All four men involved in the shooting and stabbing were living locally and reports say some of them have a previous record for drug trafficking.

Wednesday, 17 December 2008

Santander Europe’s second- biggest bank by market value, may drop after saying its hedge fund unit invested 2.33 billion euros with Bernard Madoff

Europe’s second- biggest bank by market value, may drop after saying its hedge fund unit invested 2.33 billion euros ($3.1 billion) of client funds with Bernard Madoff, who allegedly ran a Ponzi scheme that cost investors $50 billion.
Santander’s Optimal Investment Services unit placed money with Madoff through its Optimal Strategic U.S. Equity fund, the Spanish lender said in a statement yesterday. France’s BNP Paribas SA may lose 350 million euros and Swiss private bank Reichmuth & Co. could have $330 million of losses as Madoff’s scheme reaches victims across the Atlantic Ocean. “People are going to take it badly in the market,” said Alberto Espelosin, who helps manage the equivalent of $7.7 billion at Zaragoza, Spain-based Ibercaja Gestion. “It’s not Santander’s own money, and they’re not to blame, but of course it will be taken as something negative.” Santander, based in the Spanish city of the same name, lost 53 percent of its market value this year. Madoff, 70, who had advised the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on how to regulate markets, was arrested Dec. 11 and charged with operating what he described as “one big lie.”

Tuesday, 16 December 2008

arsonists fire-bombed the home of the family of a Spanish man, Rafael Hidalgo Castro, who has been in jail since December 1st accused of murder

Police are fearing a backlash of reprisals against the family, who were forced to abandon their home several days ago.
Nobody was injured last Saturday night when arsonists fire-bombed the home of the family of a Spanish man, Rafael Hidalgo Castro, who has been in jail since December 1st accused of the murder of a Gypsy man, 51-year-old José Reyes, on November 9th.
The victim's son is calling for calm and said that those responsible for the attack "are not doing us any favours in our struggle for justice for our father's murder. We are not looking for revenge. If we had, we would already have exacted it." The incident took place in Santiago, one of the poorest districts of Bujalance and home to both Spanish and Gypsy families. At the time of the murder, Castro had been on the run since February 2006, when he failed to return to jail after being granted an eight-hour pass to visit his sick mother, and since when police suspect him of committing around 25 other offences. Local mayor, Rafael Cañete, described the incident as "totally deplorable, adding that: "If we start down this violent path, nothing will get resolved. Rafi's family has not done anything and the Talion Law of an eye for an eye is not the solution."

Santander Group admitted yesterday that it has €2.3 billion euros invested in the firm managed by Bernard Madoff, who was arrested last week

Pedro Solbes has described the impact of the Madoff investment fraud as "of very little concern for the Spanish market." Speaking to the press following the 'Spain in the IMF and the World Bank: a 50-year relationship' conference in Madrid, Mr Solbes said that, at the moment, the only figures available indicate that the total amount lost by Spanish finance companies may be as little as €38 million euros although he informed that the Spanish stock market watchdog, the CNMV, is undertaking a "specific analysis." According to the Economy minister, the three Spanish insurance companies affected by the scam have lost €2 million euros while nine pension funds have been affected to the tune of €36mn, equivalent to only around 0.04% of their total investments. The total value of the fraud worldwide is estimated at around €37.4 billion ($50 billion US dollars), and has been described as "the biggest financial scandal, possibly in the history of the markets".
Mr Solbes concluded by saying that the Madoff case is further proof that the "systems of financial supervision and control are failing in some countries."
Notwithstanding, the Santander Group admitted yesterday that it has €2.3 billion euros invested in the firm managed by Bernard Madoff, who was arrested last week and charged with fraud while the BBVA bank estimates its losses at around €30 million.

Mother of missing teenager Amy Fitzpatrick says she won't be celebrating Christmas this year as she continues to wait for news




THE mother of missing teenager Amy Fitzpatrick says she won't be celebrating Christmas this year as she continues to wait for news of her daughter's disappearance.Amy vanished on the evening of January 1 this year, when she left her friend's house in the tourist resort of Riviera Del Sol in Spain's Costa Del Sol, to walk the 15-minute journey home. Mother Audrey Fitzpatrick said: "As well as not being able to do it myself, I don't want to ruin it for my family as well."
She said Amy's accent had changed since the family's move to Spain. "Since living here in Spain, Amy has developed a very strong English accent as all her friends are English. So people may make the mistake of thinking that she has an Irish accent, she doesn't."She was speaking to RTE's 'Crimecall' which travelled to Spain to talk to Ms Fitzpatrick and her partner, Dave Mahon, as they continue their search for Amy. More information is available at www.missingamy.com.'Crimecall' is broadcast tonight on RTE One at 10.15pm.

Monday, 15 December 2008

Man has been arrested after being stopped by a Guardia Civil traffic control in Fasnia for possession of cocaine

45-year-old man has been arrested after being stopped by a Guardia Civil traffic control in Fasnia for possession of cocaine intended for sale. His nervousness gave him away after being pulled over for a routine check, and officers searched his vehicle. They found a bag with 14 grams of cocaine and a weighing scales.

Spain's largest bank Santander said customers of its hedge fund Optimal have an exposure of €2.33 billion to the alleged fraud committed by Madoff.

Spain's largest bank Santander said customers of its hedge fund Optimal have an exposure of €2.33 billion to the alleged fraud committed Madoff. The bank, Europe's second largest by market capitalisation, also said it had invested €17 million of its own funds in Madoff products. “The exposure of Santander customers in Optimal Strategic is €2.33 billion, of which €2.01 billion is from institutional investors and customers from private international banking,” it said in a statement. Madoff was arrested last week for allegedly defrauding his customers through a giant pyramid scheme, with prosecutors alleging that the 70-year-old, a decades-long veteran of Wall Street, confessed to losing at least $US50 billion ($75 billion) in the so-called Ponzi scheme. Madoff's company, Bernard L. Mr Madoff Investment Securities, attracted “the world's financial aristocracy,” said the Spanish newspaper El Pais. Among his clients were international banks as well as discreet private banks and companies involved in managing the fortunes of a single wealthy family. French bank BNP Paribas said it could lose up to €350 million in the scandal. BNP Paribas said that it had no direct investment with Madoff's company but “it does have risk exposure to these funds through its trading business and collateralised lending to funds of hedge funds”. “If, as a result of the alleged fraud, the value of the assets of these hedge funds is nil, BNP Paribas' loss could amount to around €350 million,” the bank said. Swiss bankers face losses of up to $US5 billion, Geneva's Le Temps newspaper said. It said that Union Bancaire Privee, a major asset management institution specialising in hedge funds, could be exposed to the tune of $US1 billion. UBP refused to comment on the report, which said that 90 per cent of fund management companies operating in Geneva invested in Madoff products.Among the small Swiss private banks,Reichmuth & Co warned investors that around Swiss francs 385 million ($493 million), or 3.5 per cent, of its assets under management, were affected by exposure to the alleged pyramid scheme run by Madoff.
In a letter to investors, the Luzern-based private bank said that its Matterhorn fund of hedge funds has exposure to several hedge funds which could be affected by the scheme. "Provided the mentioned hedge funds will have to face a total loss, the performance impact on Reichmuth Matterhorn would amount to 8.6 per cent," the bank said in the letter. Another Spanish fund manager, MandB Capital Advisor, headed by the son of Santander president Emilio Botin, could also be exposed up to hundreds of millions of US dollars. In the collapse of Lehman Brothers in September, Spanish investors had exposure of between €1.3 and €2.6 billion. In London, an investment fund that counted itself a client of Mr Madoff criticised the “systemic failure” of regulators in the United States. Bramdean Alternatives said the accusations against Madoff raised “fundamental questions” about the American financial regulatory system. “It is astonishing that this apparent fraud seems to have been continuing for so long, possibly for decades, while investors have continued to invest more money into the Madoff funds in good faith,” the firm said in a statement. Bramdean Alternatives invested around £21 million ($47 million), or around 9.5 per cent of its portfolio, with Madoff's company. Several British newspapers reported that among Bramdean's clients is property magnate Vincent Tchenguiz, one of Britain's richest men, who apparently invested £40 million pounds with the firm. A spokeswoman for Royal Bank of Scotland said that the bank had “some exposure” to Madoff's company, but declined to give details. Europe's largest bank, HSBC, meanwhile, declined to confirm any relationship with the alleged fraudster. Rumours talk of £400 millions lost.

Sunday, 14 December 2008

FORGERY DISTRIBUTION GANG linked to the Italian mafia have been arrested in Alicante

FORGERY DISTRIBUTION GANG linked to the Italian mafia have been arrested in Alicante for dealing and spending counterfeit Euros.The gang are alleged to have purchased the fake cash from the Calabresa Mafia at a price between 30% and 40% of the face value of the notes. They then spent the money in local markets and small shops across the region.The Guardia Civil say they have arrested a total of 20 people in relation to the case, in Alicante, Valencia, Murcia, Málaga, Almería and Lugo, and that the notes were also distributed in Portugal and the North of Africa. 150,000 € worth of 20 and 50€ notes were recovered by the Guardia Civil, in an investigation which started at the end of last year.It’s thought the gang has distributed as much as a million fake Euros since being established.

Spanish investors could have up to 3 billion euros ($3.98 billion) of exposure to funds managed by Wall Street trader Bernard Madoff,

Spanish investors could have up to 3 billion euros ($3.98 billion) of exposure to funds managed by Wall Street trader Bernard Madoff, accused of masterminding a fraud of up to $50 billion, Expansion said on Saturday. 'The first estimates suggest both groups (large fortunes and Spanish funds) could have invested more than 3 billion euros in vehicles managed by Madoff,' the financial daily said without naming its sources. Investors in hedge fund Optimal, run by Spain's largest bank Santander, Santander's private banking subsidiary Banif, M&B Advisers Gestion (M&B Capital Advisers) and Spain's second largest bank BBVA were among those affected, the same sources told the paper. A spokesman for BBVA said BBVA customers in Spain were not exposed to the fraud. 'BBVA has not commercialised in its network of retail clients or private banking in Spain products managed or deposited in Madoff Investment Securities,' he said. A spokesman for Santander declined to comment on whether it had exposure. Santander's Optimal has commercialised more than $3 billion dollars of Madoff funds, the newspaper ABC said, citing data from Bloomberg. Two funds of M&B Capital Advisers have $578 million invested in a Madoff hedge fund, ABC said, citing Bloomberg data. No one was available to comment at M&B Capital Advisers.

Saturday, 13 December 2008

Daniel Paul Johnston and Keith Burke have been arrested

28 year old Daniel Paul Johnston and 47 year old Keith Burke have been arrested in what is more success for the crimestoppers campaign.Both men were on the top 30 most wanted list, with Johnston found in the Sevilla village of Pruna following a tip-off. He is reported to have been living there as a handyman. He’s wanted for armed raids in Derbyshire in 2004 and 2005 and is expected to return to England for questioning.Keith Burke, known as ‘Tattooed Keith’ because of a devil and swallow tattoos on his neck, is wanted in connection with an attack on a bar near Doncaster in 2001.

Friday, 12 December 2008

Alan Dickson, 37, from Falkland in Fife, masterminded an operation to smuggle over one million pounds worth of cannabis into Scotland from Spain.

Alan Dickson, 37, from Falkland in Fife, masterminded an operation to smuggle over one million pounds worth of cannabis into Scotland from Spain. In 2002 he was caught and jailed for ten years. However, he allegedly fled Castle Huntly jail four years later. This month he was returned to Scotland after being discovered in the Costa Del Sol. He appeared on petition from custody at Perth Sheriff Court accused of walking out of the jail on 28 December 2006 and spending two years on the run.
He is also accused of defeating the ends of justice by absconding from the jail while serving a ten-year sentence imposed at the High Court in Edinburgh on 5 March 2002. Dickson made a brief appearance in private and made no plea or declaration in relation to the absconding charge. He was fully committed for trial and remanded in custody after making no application for bail. In 2002, the High Court in Edinburgh heard how Dickson was the head of a gang smuggling cannabis to Scotland from his home in holiday resort Torremelinos. Dickson, who was also jailed for five years for drug trafficking in 1997, dispatched couriers with suitcases packed with cannabis resin from his apartment.

Sunday, 7 December 2008

Icod de los Vinos Guardia Civil have arrested a 22-year-old woman for possession of 29 bags of cocaine

Icod de los Vinos Guardia Civil have arrested a 22-year-old woman for possession of 29 bags of cocaine amounting to 15 grams which she is presumed to have intended to sell. The woman was caught on the TF5 by a checkpoint, and the cocaine was seized along with 160€ which is thought likely to be the proceeds of previous sales.

Friday, 5 December 2008

Drug trafficking gang operating in the Canary Islands have been arrested in a series of raids in Fuerteventura and Gran Canaria.


Drug trafficking gang operating in the Canary Islands have been arrested in a series of raids in Fuerteventura and Gran Canaria. According to a Guardia Civil statement released yesterday, the gang had laundered part of the proceeds by investing in local business such as restaurants and bars, and buying property, while the rest was diverted to bank accounts in Morocco and Melilla. A total of 800kg of cannabis has been confiscated, 300kg of which was discovered in a lorry on board a ferry travelling from Fuertventura to Las Palmas while the remaining 500kg was found during a search of a chalet on the outskirts of Pájara in southern Fuertventura.
It seems that the drugs were smuggled from north Africa using high-powered motor launches, four of which have been confiscated. Sixteen bank accounts have been blocked and embargoes have been imposed on several chalets, apartments, and garages, as well as two restaurants and a bar, in Puerto del Rosario, Cotillo and Antigua.

Thursday, 4 December 2008

Plot to import millions of pounds worth of drugs into the UK was foiled when Spanish police became suspicious of a consignment of five pallets

Plot to import millions of pounds worth of drugs into the UK was foiled when Spanish police became suspicious of a consignment of five pallets awaiting shipment to Cumbria, a court heard. Police in Seville opened the boxes and found more than four tonnes of cannabis which would have been worth £12 million if it had reached the streets of Britain.They replaced the drugs with sand and bricks and sent the load on its way.Then, a jury at Carlisle Crown Court was told, they alerted their counterparts in Cumbria, so they were waiting when the consignment arrived at a cash and carry warehouse in Windermere.The alleged ringleaders were arrested on the spot and charged with various drug-dealing and money-laundering crimes.Further investigations showed that cannabis worth a total of £35m could have been sent in four previous consignments.The prosecution says a gang of local people, led by George Tymoszycki of Storrs Park, Bowness-on-Windermere, were involved in importing the cannabis.Tymoszycki died in June.Those on trial are his ex-wife Sharon Ambrose, 48, of Storrs Park, Bowness-on-Windermere; John James Nightingale, 65, of Lane End West, Windermere who runs Lakes Car Hire in Windermere and Duncan William Maxwell, 43, of Lake Road, Windermere. Nightingale has pleaded not guilty to conspiring to supply cannabis and to money laundering, while Ambrose and Maxwell have both denied money laundering.The court was told that Nightingale supervised the deliveries while Nightingale, Maxwell and Ambrose then put the money through their bank accounts in an attempt to hide its origin.The trial is expected to last about three weeks.

Guardia Civil arrested a 50-year-old German yesterday for trying to bring 1,090 grams of cocaine into Tenerife through the airport.

Guardia Civil arrested a 50-year-old German yesterday for trying to bring 1,090 grams of cocaine into Tenerife through the airport. The arrest was made in the arrivals hall when Guardia Civil officers approached the man and asked the reason for his visit to Tenerife. Apparently, he was unable to give a convincing reason, and although a search of his suitcase revealed nothing, he was taken to a hospital centre in Santa Cruz for X-rays where it was established that he was carrying the drugs inside his body. The packets were expelled under medical control, and turned out to be 88 capsules of cocaine amounting to 1,090 gramos.

Wednesday, 3 December 2008

Police in Spain have arrested two people on suspicion of having swindled a total of 65 million euros from foreigners.

Police in Spain have arrested two people on suspicion of having swindled a total of 65 million euros from foreigners. Around 200 people, most of them Britons, had invested money in non-existent schemes along Spain's Costa del Sol.Twenty people are suspected of money laundering, falsifying documents and fraud after they approached foreign investors through Internet, telephone calls and real estate fairs.

Daniel Paul Johnston wanted for four robberies in Derbyshire now thought to be living in Spain

FUGITIVE wanted for four robberies in Derbyshire now thought to be living in Spain is still being hunted by crime-fighters.
Police issued a photograph of Daniel Paul Johnston, 27, in January, along with an appeal for information from the public.
But Johnston, who is originally from Matlock and is wanted for four robberies at off-licences in Derbyshire, remains on the run and is still believed to be in the Costa Del Sol.As part of Operation Captura – a scheme launched by the Serious Organised Crime Agency, Crimestoppers and the Spanish authorities – Johnston was named on a list of 20 fugitives police wanted to trace.
An agency spokesman said: "We are still making efforts to trace this man and continue to work with colleagues to do so. There are indications that he went to Spain and we believe he is still living there.
"While we cannot talk about the specifics of investigations, we can say that work with the relevant authorities in Spain is on-going."
Johnston is thought to have committed two robberies in September, 2004, and one in January, 2005, at Bargain Booze, in Limetree Avenue, Midway.
Another, in October 2004, took place at Wellwood Road Stores, in Newhall.
A knife was brandished and cash stolen.
Operation Captura identifies people wanted by British police for crimes committed in the UK. To date, 14 fugitives have been brought to justice following 20 such appeals on the Crimestoppers' Most Wanted website.
The appeals ask members of the public, either in Spain or the UK, to contact the authorities to help trace suspected criminals.
SOCA co-ordinates the appeals and then processes a European arrest warrant, which is used to bring fugitives back to the UK.
The introduction of European arrest warrants came about in 2003 as part of the Extradition Act and is used to speed up the transfer of suspects from one country to another.The spokesman added: "We have had great success from the operation so far and we will do all we can to bring people to justice."
The Costa del Sol, in Andalucia, was given the nickname "Costa del Crime" over 20 years ago because of the number of suspected UK criminals thought to be living there.

Saturday, 29 November 2008

Sotogrande 600 kilos of hashish hidden in petrol cans

National Police has been involved 600 kilograms of hashish hidden in cans of petrol in a pleasure boat moored Dutch flag in the marina of Sotogrande, Cadiz who had as the final destination Palma. Three people have been arrested as alleged perpetrators of a crime against public health. Praise arrested have been identified as RB, aged 61, born in Harlen (Netherlands); RGF, a native of Madrid, 25, and DABG, 19, born in Puerto Plata (Dominican Republic) The investigation focused on an organized group of Dutch and Spanish settled on the Costa del Sol, Morocco and Holland, who were dedicated to the introduction of large quantities of hashish by pleasure craft from the Moroccan coast to Spain. Investigators found out that the group had intended to transport a large quantity of the drug until a marina on the island of Mallorca, but due to technical problems, they decided to divert its route to Sotogrande. Responsible for transporting the drug from Tangiers, aboard the yacht 'Sea Pilot' with a Dutch flag and 11 meters in length, were arrested RB and R.G.F. Departed from the port of Cadiz in the early months and 18 days the researchers found the boat and its occupants on his return to Spain, which established a monitoring device. Days later showed how one of the crew, of Dutch nationality, got inside the boat three containers of 25 liters of gasoline each and introduced into a vehicle. The next day, accompanied by another of the crew, of Dominican nationality, returned back to the boat and took it another five containers of fuel. At that time both were arrested because the gasoline containers were filled with hashish pills. In the records of the other boat were recovered Hashish twenty-six drums that contained, with a gross weight of approximately 600 kilograms.
Registration of the home of R.B. were found three revolvers and two carbines, abundant ammunition for the 22 and 9 mm, a ski mask and two tablets of hashish.

40 year old man who was seriously injured when attacked with a baseball bat

40 year old man who was seriously injured when attacked with a baseball bat while taking a walk on the El Postuguet beach in the city, has died in the Alicante General Hospital.The emergency services were called to the scene of the aggression at 7,15am on Wednesday morning.

Friday, 28 November 2008

Costa del Sol real estate scam 200 Brits affected

Several searches of real estate companies were carried out in Fuengirola and Mijas yesterday in connection with an alleged fraud which is thought to have affected hundreds of British citizens.The scam consisted in offering investment in what turned out to be false construction projects on the Costa del Sol, according to La Opinión de Málaga this morning.One Briton affected by this made a complaint to the British courts and they have sent a commission to the Costa to investigate. The British judiciary gave the information to the National Court in Spain, which in turn passed it on to the courts in Fuengirola.The swoops yesterday, in both homes and businesses, were carried out by the Central Operations Unit of the Guardia Civil, and it’s thought that several people will now face charges.Meanwhile in what is described as a parallel operation, the Anti-corruption Prosecutor ordered searches of two ‘little known’ lawyers in Mijas. The investigation is into allegations of money laundering, not thought to be linked to the real estate scam.
The scam consisted of offering investments in real estate projects on the Costa via companies in financial havens, with the value of the supposed projects, many of them rural, multiplied in some cases tenfold. Many of the contacts were made over the Internet. The total amount defrauded as none of the projects came to fruition is some 65 million €. The case is being instructed in court two in Fuengirola and started to be investigated by the authorities two years ago.The Spanish anti-corruption prosecutor has been working closely with the British authorities on the case, and sent several officers to the U.K. to interview nine victims there.Two people were arrested by the Guardia Civil on Tuesday as searches were carried out in businesses and homes in Fuengirola and Mijas on Tuesday and Wednesday. The judge has called 20 people of different nationalities to give evidence in the case as investigations continue.

Wednesday, 26 November 2008

Arrested for trying to con his parents out of €30,000

young man from Murcia has been arrested for trying to con his parents out of €30,000 euros in ransom money by pretending to have been kidnapped. It seems that the man was detained after police traced a call he had made to his parents to inform them of the time and place they were to leave the money, and to let them know that the kidnappers had instructed him to collect it personally. When questioned, he admitted that he had wanted the cash to move out of the family home and to another city.

British 'martial arts experts' are being questioned by police after a foiled kidnap and extortion attempt on an expatriate in Tarifa.

British 'martial arts experts' are being questioned by police after a foiled kidnap and extortion attempt on an expatriate in southern Spain.Shoppers in the resort of Tarifa rescued the British victim as he was being bundled into a jeep by four men outside a supermarket. The suspects were arrested at a roadblock last Thursday on their way to the Strait of Gibraltar.Spanish detectives believe the group, who they describe as 'martial arts experts who belong to a criminal organisation', travelled from the UK on the orders of a criminal paymaster who had been attempting to force the victim to transfer £100,000 into British bank accounts. Spanish police said the victim was 'a law-abiding man' without criminal links, but would not say why he was targeted or release his name. A spokesman for Spain's Civil Guard said: 'The victim had been the object of a campaign of extortion. When he refused, the person demanding the money hired four British men to obtain the cash by kidnapping him.' Investigators said they believed the gang planned to fly back to Britain on Friday after carrying out the kidnap. Details of the four men, aged between 40 and 55, have been passed to British detectives.

Friday, 21 November 2008

Five bodies have been found inside suitcases in the province of Malaga.

The latest suitcaase murder containing a human skeleton has been found in a dry river bed next to the MA-387 road in Mijas. Pathologists at the Institute of Legal Medicine are analysing the skeleton in an attempt to identify it. Whilst a preliminary examination suggests it is that of a large, middle-aged man who died about one year ago, existing environmental conditions may have delayed or accelerated the putrefaction of the body. Investigators have found what appears to be a bullet hole in the back of the skull and are investigating all disappearances reported up to one year ago. In recent years, no fewer than five bodies have been found inside suitcases in the province of Malaga.

Thursday, 20 November 2008

Depot manager at Movers International, became suspicious about a request to ship furniture from Alicante to Preston

Depot manager at Movers International, based at Red Scar Industrial Estate, became suspicious about a request to ship furniture from Alicante to Preston.
And when Spanish police checked the furniture they discovered £250,000 worth of cannabis destined for the streets of Liverpool.
This week Peter Thomas, 47, of Upper Brassey Street, Birkenhead, who had earlier pleaded guilty to conspiring with others to supply 122 kilograms of the Class C drug, was jailed for three-and-a-half years at Preston Crown Court.
Thomas' conviction follows a joint operation between Lancashire Constabulary's Serious and Organised Crime Unit and the Guardia Civil Police, based in the Alicante area of Spain, which began in June 2006 and was sparked by the depot manager's suspicions.Codenamed Operation Hazel, it targeted the importation of cannabis from Spain into the UK.Preston Crown Court prosecutor Robert Platts said in July 2006 the cannabis resin was seized by the Spanish authorities in Alicante after the manager at Movers International became "highly suspicious'' of a request to ship furniture from Spain to Preston.The cannabis would have been delivered with the furniture to Preston and was then to be delivered to an address in the Liverpool area.As a result of the investigation Thomas was arrested and later charged with conspiracy to supply cannabis.A spokesperson for the Serious and Organised Crime Unit said: "This is another excellent example of Lancashire Constabulary's Serious and Organised Crime Unit disrupting the importation of controlled drugs into the UK .
"We have developed partnerships with colleagues from enforcement agencies on the European mainland and this investigation illustrates how, by working together with the Spanish police, we were able to prevent the supply of the cannabis and disrupt a well developed network."We will continue to work with colleagues across Europe to protect the communities of Lancashire and the United Kingdom from drugs and other highly profitable organised crime."

Tuesday, 18 November 2008

Paul Charleston, 45, of Leigh, was taken into custody by Majorcan police, along with another Briton – Donna Marie Messe,

Paul Charleston, 45, of Leigh, was taken into custody by Majorcan police, along with another Briton – Donna Marie Messe, 38, of Seisdon, Staffordshire – a Spaniard and a Canadian.Detectives from the National Police Economic Crime unit carried out the swoop, codenamed Operation Sofia.The four were taken into custody after detectives raided the premises of Onix Office Management in Palma. Police also raided a property in Santa Ponsa on the south-west coast.All four were accused of selling property shares through Onix at six times their real value to 30 victims, mostly British.Mr Charleston was being held in Majorca after appearing before an investigating judge at a closed door hearing. Meese was allowed bail.

Andrew Alderman,one of the10 most-wanted British criminal suspects hiding in southern Spain handed himself in


Andrew Alderman, who was sentenced to 10 years in jail for indecent assault and the rape of a girl under 16, handed himself over to Britain's Consulate General.He is the fourth person on the "most-wanted" list to be tracked down since it was launched two weeks ago."This is excellent news," said Denise Holt, Ambassador to Spain. "This is another good example of the close cooperation between our two countries."Crimestoppers and the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) started Operation Captura on November 6, publicising details of suspects they believed were on the run in the Alicante region.Within 24 hours of its launch, two of those on the list, Anthony Kearney and Donna McCafferty, who are both accused of fraud, had been apprehended.A third suspect, Alan Gordon who was wanted for drug offences, was found in prison in Majorca for separate offences he committed in Spain.
Mick Laurie, Crimestoppers' chief executive, said Alderman had been forced to hand himself because of the publicity the scheme had attracted.
"This is yet another great success for Operation Captura. Due to Alderman's face being so widely circulated, the pressure became all too much and he decided to give himself up," Laurie saidAndrew Alderman, 49, from Maidstone, fled this country before he could be sentenced in August 2006 after being convicted of the rape and indecent assault of a 14-year-old girl.He was placed on a list of top ten Most Wanted criminals on the run in Spain earlier this month in a joint operation launched by Crimestoppers and the Serious Organised Crime Agency and an appeal was made to the British ex-pat community on the Costa Blanca to shop him.
As a result of the pressure put on Alderman he handed himself in to the British consul in Madrid at 10am this morning (Tuesday).He will go in front of a Spanish court in the next two weeks before he is sent back to Kent to be re-sentenced.
A judge at Maidstone Crown Court gave him a ten-year prison sentence in his absence, but he is now facing longer behind bars for trying to cheat justice. It is believed he moved between France and Spain to escape capture.His victim’s mother this afternoon said she was struggling to accept that Alderman was in custody after being told by phone 30 minutes after he gave himself up.She said: “I just couldn’t believe it, I keep taking deep breaths and pinching myself to make sure it is all really happening and that I did actually get that call.“I called my daughter straight away to tell her, she just laughed and cried, and kept laughing and crying, it really hasn’t sunk in yet.“It is amazing news, we are going on holiday next week to Tenerife together for the first time since my daughter told me everything, that will be a brilliant way to celebrate.”She added: “When he is back on British soil – I want to see him sent down. I hate him, I will never feel anything but hate for him.”
Detective Inspector David Berry, who worked on the rape case as part of Kent police’s child protection team, said: “This is a major thing and shows other criminals that our police system does work, and that the world is not a small place anymore, it’s harder to hide from justice.
“Being on the Most Wanted list is a huge pressure on someone, and I think he decided he couldn’t hide from it anymore

British man laundering some 200,000 € from the sale of heroin daily

38 people have been arrested across Spain of a gang of drug runners who were allegedly distributing heroin from Turkey though a centre in La Cañada Real in Madrid.The arrests were carried out in Oviedo, Gijón, La Felguera in Asturias, Unquera in Cantabria, Arganda del Rey in Madrid, Sevilla and Fuengirola in Andalucía and El Ferrol in Galicia in an operation which was opened in April.13.5 kilos of heroin, 1.8 kilos of cocaine, more than 14 kilos of material to cut the drugs, money, jewellery and other items have all been recovered. Police say the group was laundering some 200,000 € from the sale of the drug daily using a British man to do so. The others arrested are Spanish, Turkish, Pakistani, Bulgarian and Greek.

Monday, 17 November 2008

Sixteen year old youth was stabbed

sixteen year old youth was stabbed in the early hours of Saturday morning in a street fight on the promenade in Fuengirola. The emergency services received a call at 1.45 a.m. this morning informing them that a young man was lying on the ground with a knife wound which was apparently inflicted during a fight. He was taken to the Costa del Sol hospital in Marbella for treatment.

Sixteen year old youth stabbed

sixteen year old youth was stabbed in the early hours of Saturday morning in a street fight on the promenade in Fuengirola. The emergency services received a call at 1.45 a.m. this morning informing them that a young man was lying on the ground with a knife wound which was apparently inflicted during a fight. He was taken to the Costa del Sol hospital in Marbella for treatment.

Friday, 14 November 2008

Ronald O'Dea, 42, and James McDonald, 39, both of Glasgow, and Stephen Brown, 42, Brian Rawlings, 63, and Debra Learmouth, 45 were arrested

Six people arrested in raids on a suspected drug smuggling gang based in Spain.
Police seized 70kg of speed, thought to be destined for sale in Scotland, after stopping a lorry near Oxford. A Spanish police spokeswoman said the arrests - five in Marbella, southern Spain, and Santa Cruz, Tenerife - followed an intelligence operation which lasted months. Cops seized around £84,000 in euros and £6000 in Scottish banknotes in the Spanish raids. They also confiscated two Ferraris, a Hummer, a Porsche, an Audi Q7 4x4, a BMW, three quad bikes, four jet skis and a 30ft boat. Ronald O'Dea, 42, and James McDonald, 39, both of Glasgow, and Stephen Brown, 42, Brian Rawlings, 63, and Debra Learmouth, 45, all from London, were arrested in the raids in Marbella and Santa Cruz. Trucker Gerard Mooney, of Dublin, was arrested in Oxford.

Fuengirola attempted security van robbery

National Police have arrested six people, four men and two women, from a gang of jewellery thieves who had been acting in Málaga province. The arrests came just as the gang were about to assault a security van in Fuengirola.A police statement that the arrested men were five Argentineans and a Paraguayan and that following two searches a large amount of jewellery had been recovered. The leader of the group has been named with the initials J.F.G. and is known as Joe.The gang has been linked to two violent robberies in Málaga and Torremolinos, but they could later be linked to other incidents. Police investigations were started last September, and it’s thought the gang could also have acted elsewhere in the country. They were professional thieves who planned their operations to the letter.

Tuesday, 11 November 2008

Jose Ignacio International arrest warrant has been issued for a terrorist from the Basque separatist group ETA who is believed to be in Ireland.

International arrest warrant has been issued for a terrorist from the Basque separatist group ETA who is believed to be in Ireland. The warrant was put out by a Spanish judge today after Jose Ignacio de Juana Chaos failed to appear at the National Criminal Court in Madrid. De Juana was released from prison this summer after serving 21 years for the murder of 25 people in the 1980s. He was due to answer questions from the Spanish judge over an alleged case of exalting terrorism - which is a criminal offence in Spain.

Monday, 10 November 2008

Christopher Wiggins, of Apartment Six, Block 10, Mirador de Costalita, Cancelada, Estepona, Malaga


Christopher Wiggins (42)Philip Doo (52), and David Mufford (44) were brought before a special sitting of Clonakilty District Court on Saturday night amid tight security. A force of up to 30 gardaí, including detectives armed with Uzi submachine guns, surrounded the courthouse.The three men, all from Britain, were charged that on November 5th, 2008, on the vessel Dances with Waves , a ship not registered in any country or territory, they had possession of cocaine knowing it was intended to be imported illegally.The offence, which is contrary to Section 34 (2) (4) of the Criminal Justice Drugs Trafficking Act 1994, carries a maximum penalty upon conviction at Circuit Court level of a a fine or seven years in jail or both.
Det Garda Ronan Cowley of the Garda National Drugs Unit gave evidence of arrest, charge and caution in relation to Mr Doo, of Rocklands House, Higher Manor Road, Brixham, Devon, and told the court that Mr Doo did not wish to reply to the charge after caution.Det Garda David Kennedy of the Garda National Drugs Unit gave evidence of arrest, charge and caution in relation to Mr Wiggins, of Apartment Six, Block 10, Mirador de Costalita, Cancelada, Estepona, Malaga.He said Mr Wiggins made no reply to the charge.

Guardia Civil have broken up a car-theft gang suspected of 17 forced robberies in the La Orotava area

The Guardia Civil have broken up a car-theft gang suspected of 17 forced robberies in the La Orotava area. The four arrested, males of 46, 23, 22 and 21, are charged with break-ins to cars and building sites, as well as other burglaries, especially in La Perdoma. Two were caught in the act of a burglary of building materials from a construction site. The arrests follow months of surveillance.

Friday, 7 November 2008

Mark Stephens guilty of conspiring to import 7,100 ecstasy pills and 3 kilogrammes of cocaine

Briton was on Wednesday jailed for 25 years and fined €60,000 after a panel of jurors found him guilty of conspiring to import 7,100 ecstasy pills and 3 kilogrammes of cocaine in 2003. After just over 4 hours deliberating, the jurors returned a guilty verdict of 7 votes to 2, announcing Mark Stephens guilty of conspiring to import 7,100 ecstasy pills and 3 kilogrammes of cocaine in 2003.
Defence counsel Joe Brincat asked the judge to take into consideration the fact that the verdict was not a unanimous one and that Mr Stephens had spent about a year in preventive custody in Spain. Gregory Eyre, a key witness in the trial, was arrested on court orders and investigated on perjury charges after saying one thing during the compilation of evidence and another during the jury trial. Last Monday, he said that Mark Stephens was not his supplier but named another person, Andrew Woodhouse.

Shot two Moroccans in Calle Carretería in Málaga

Police in Málaga have arrested another person in connection with the shooting of two Moroccans in Calle Carretería in Málaga on Tuesday night. Both the victims also face charges. One of the two victims remains in a serious condition in hospital after being shot , while the other has been allowed home. The third arrest is also Moroccan with all three of the men being aged between 26 and 42. Police investigations in the case are ongoing.

Wednesday, 5 November 2008

Captain was killed in a fight with one of the crew

crew of a Guardia Civil coastal patrol boat has boarded an Italian merchant vessel - the 'Paxi C', sailing from Alexandria (Egypt) to Gijón anchored off Fisterra since its captain was killed in a fight with one of the crew. They were sent to take charge of the investigation after an SOS message sent at 6.20am by the ship's first officer, who was ordered to drop anchor and prepare to be boarded after explaining what had happened.

Ferry from Tangiers seven Portuguese have been arrested

Seven Portuguese have been arrested in Tarifa port after they were found to be carrying a total of 4.2 kilos of hashish hidden in their internally.A statement from the Civil Guard said the group were given a scan when they arrived on a ferry from Tangiers yesterday. 600 small pellets of the drug were found in the travellers aged between 18 and 47.

Monday, 3 November 2008

Gary Dunne,body is being kept under local hygiene laws.

Gary Dunne, 22, was killed by a machete-wielding thug on Spain's Costa del Sol in March 2006. His body is being kept under local hygiene laws. A heartbroken family have won the support of Sports Secretary Andy Burnham in their battle to bring home the body of their murdered son. But Mr Burnham, who has met Gary's parents Stephen and Lesley, told officials in Spain last month: "The return of Gary's body is crucially important to his family." Killer Victor Posse Navas was recently jailed for just nine years after a court heard he was under the influence of drugs.
But Gary's dad Stephen, of Liverpool, said: "Gary is not going to walk in, in nine years and say, 'Hi Dad, fancy a pint?'. Yet his killer will be free by then."
The parents presented a 50,000-strong petition to Downing Street in July.

Double murder and attempted suicide

Two women have been stabbed to death in Abarán, Murcia. Next to the bodies the police found a seriously injured man who was also suffering from stab wounds to his neck. It appears that the man had tried to commit suicide after presumably killing the women.The Guardia Civil say that the 74 year old Spaniard had a sentimental relationship with one of the women, a 40 year old from Honduras, who spent her time looking after the other, a 75 year old Spanish woman.The alleged aggressor is now in a critical condition in hospital in nearby Cieza. There were no previous reports of domestic violence against him. Local Mayor, Antonio Gómez, said the village was considerably upset by what had happened.

Saturday, 1 November 2008

Robber has died in a shoot out with police in Seville.

Robber has died in a shoot out with police in Seville. It happened at a supermarket in the Nervión area of the city at 8,30pm on Friday night, and a 54 year old off duty police commissioner was also injured in the groin. Witnesses say the two robbers arrived on a moped which they left with the engine running outside the store. The commissioner was shopping inside with his wife and daughter, and realising that a robbery was underway, tried to intervene. He announced his presence only to see the robbers take out and use their weapons.In the following shoot out, one robber was shot twice and has died, while the other made his escape.

Not guilty.two Romanians and a Moroccan, accused of torturing and killing a German couple in their home in Chilches, Málaga,

Provincial Court in Málaga has found the three men, two Romanians and a Moroccan, accused of torturing and killing a German couple in their home in Chilches, Málaga, not guilty.Inconsistencies in witness statements and the lack of DNA evidence were deciding factors in the verdict.The attack which also saw the theft of 60,000 € and jewellery took place on January 22 2007, and the three accused have been held in prison since then. The group was however found guilty of the theft of a Volkwagan Polo in Granada, and sentenced to 23 months in prison on that charge. Conflicting witness statements as to the presence of that car at the scene of the crime was key to the verdict.

link

Related Posts with Thumbnails