Panorama urbanisation killings prosecutor is calling for a total of 113 years in prison

prosecutor is calling for a total of 113 years in prison for the three men, two Romanians and a Moroccan, who murdered a German couple in their home in Chilches on the eastern Costa del Sol in January last year.The men assaulted the property, tied up the occupants, put black plastic bags over their heads, and then shot them in cold blood several times, but then only made off with a four by four vehicle, some 13,000 € in cash, and jewellery.La Opinion de Málaga reports that the Prosecutors Office considers that the men travelled from Granada to carry out the attack thinking that there was a large deal of cash from a house sale in the property owned by the German couple in the Panorama urbanisation.

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Roca back in prison as a result of the increase in the bail money

Roca back in prison as a result of the increase in the bail money demanded by National Court Judge, Pablo Ruz, in the Saqueo 1 case, the judiciary continues to investigate how Juan Antonio Roca and his family had assembled 1,450,000 € bail money needed between that case and the Malaya case to fund his freedom from jail. Eyebrows were raised given that the instruction judge in the Malaya case had ordered that all the ex municipal real estate assessor’s assets be frozen.
The family say that the new bail amount of 3 million € in the Saqueo 1 case is ridiculous and it is impossible for them to raise such an amount. Roca found the original 450,000 € bail in the case back in April 2002.He’s now inside the Soto del Real prison in Madrid, and his lawyer, José Anibal Álvarez claims that the million € bail found in the Malaya case came from friends and family. The ex Deputy Mayor of Marbella, Pedro Román, is thought to be among those to have put up some of the case, but the judge also considers, and even said in his summary, that for sure Roca has large assets outside the country. Román also faces charges of bribery, money laundering and fraud, and other suspects in the case such as the lawyer Antonio Abril and Roca’s wife, Rosa Jimeno, are thought to have each put up 100,000 € of the total.

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Mohamed Taieb Ahmen, has been on the run for five months after escaping from a Moroccan prison in Kenitra, he was thought to have been on the Costa

Spanish police arrests "El Nene" fugitive Moroccan citizen
Police say he had bribed his way out of jail and Moroccan authorities issued an international arrest warrant in December after discovering he was missing.A man known as ‘El Nene’, one of the most wanted hashish drug traffickers in the world, has been captured by the Spanish National Police in the Spanish North African enclave of Ceuta.The Moroccan, Mohamed Taieb Ahmen, has been on the run for five months after escaping from a Moroccan prison in Kenitra, 40kms north of Rabat, where he was serving eight years for international drug trafficking. It seems he simply bribed six prison officers to help with his escape and he was thought to have been lying low on the Costa del Sol.The man who was arrested again on an Interpol warrant is said to have more millions than years; he is 32 years old.

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Plane loaded with drugs crashes at Spanish banker Botin's estate

The plane was carrying 200 kilograms (441 pounds) of hashish when it missed the airfield and crashed into a nearby gully, Dmaz-Cano said. Two people were killed at the crash and a third one was arrested.
Police are investigating a small plane loaded with drugs that crashed Friday at the estate of one of the country's most prominent bankers, killing two people on board, an Interior Ministry representative said.The plane crashed around midday Friday as it tried to land at a private airstrip on the country estate of banker Emilio Botin, Maximo Dmaz-Cano said.The plane was carrying 200 kilograms (441 pounds) of hashish when it missed the airfield and crashed into a nearby gully, Dmaz-Cano said.A third person has been detained at the 11,000 hectare (27,180 acres) estate, located 230 kilometers (143 miles) southwest of Madrid. Police are combing the area in search of other people who might have been involved in the suspected smuggling.
Botin is president of Banco Santander Central Hispano, Spain's largest bank by market capitalization.

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Frank Rijkaard, saw his home robbed while he was inside

Barcelona Manager, Frank Rijkaard, saw his home robbed while he was inside with his family on Sunday night. The thieves climbed up outside the front of the building to gain access through a bedroom window. They made off with luxury watches and jewellery and what is described by the regional Catalan police, Los Mossos d’Esquardra, describe as ‘a lot of money in cash’.Rijkaard lives in the Sarrià district of Barcelona, and only realised that the theft had taken place when he saw the upturned bedroom.Rijkaard’s son heard the dog barking and saw one of the thieves.
The police commented that they did not know whether the thieves were stupid, but they must realise attacking the home of someone so well known would not benefit them in the long run. They think the house was probably chosen therefore by chance.

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National Policemen in Málaga have each been sentenced to two years in prison for carrying out thefts from 19 industrial warehouses in the city.

Two National Policemen in Málaga have each been sentenced to two years in prison for carrying out thefts from 19 industrial warehouses in the city.A cage with three parakeets, 41 boxes of olive oil, a lingerie display, electrical and other items all made up the booty for the policemen who were found guilty of the thefts carried out between 1999 and May 2000. Total value of the products taken has been estimated at 33,000, according to La Opinión de Málaga. The policemen always acted with four security guards who have already been served similar sentences.

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Costa del Sol Health centre robber caught

Police finally caught the woman, named only with the initials, M.I.C.G. in the act at the Carlos Haya Hospital in the city where she was in the offices and taking personal items which belonged to health staff.A 42 year old woman who dressed up in a white lab coat and put a stethoscope round her neck so she could steal from health centres has been arrested in Málaga. Diario Sur reports that she had carried out thefts in Ambulance stations, hospitals and health centres along the Costa del Sol, such as Las Lagunas in Mijas, in the search for wallets and other items. She now faces four charges of theft, two of them violent, and another count of attempted theft.

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Lady in the lake identified

The Guardia Civil are searching for the ex boyfriend of the young woman whose body was found on Monday floating in an irrigation reservoir in Pilar de la Horadada.
She has now been identified as a 19 year old from the town, L.J.J. who vanished on April 10th. Her aunt had reported her missing to the authorities on the 15th, thinking that she could have run off with her ex boyfriend. She was found floating with both her hands and legs tied and a heavy metal belt around her which is thought to have initially caused the body to sink.Her ex Ecuadorian boyfriend is now being searched for, with the tragedy of the case being that she had denounced him for ill-treatment back in December.

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Million Euros siezed from drug-traffickers in Estepona

Nearly a million € cash has been recovered by police from a gang of drug-traffickers in Estepona. Four French people of Algerian origin have been arrested, accused of moving more than 825 kilos of haschis in a car which was intercepted in France.
The first phase of the operation was on the 16th of this month in Estepona port when the four arrests took place and 820,400 € in cash was recovered from the gang. This was not reported in the media at the time as the case remained open, and in the second phase now it has been confirmed that the group was linked to the French traffickers. The arrested men have been named as 34 year old Salim B. A., 28 year old Boulaiche H., 30 year old Jaouad M., and 44 year old Latreche J. A large amount of documentation and two top of the range cars have been seized in the National Police operation. All the accused will appear before the National Court in Madrid shortly.

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Body found in pond Evidence points to the woman meeting a violent death about a week ago.

The body of a woman has been found floating in an irrigation pond in Alicante. The find at Pilar de la Horadada, Alicante, close to Murcia, came just after 8am this morning. Divers were needed to recover the body, in an advanced state of decomposition, some ten metres out of reach.
Once recovered a metal belt was found round the body, thought to have weighed it down initially under the water.
As yet there are no details on the identity of the victim, or the cause of death, but she has been described as being in her 20’s and blonde, possibly from Eastern Europe.The case is in the hands of Instruction Court One in Orihuela, which has placed reporting restrictions in place, given that the evidence points to the woman meeting a violent death about a week ago.

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Juan Antonio Roca investigated where he has obtained his bail money

Juan Antonio Roca, who was controversially released on 1 million € bail last week, has given an interview to the El Mundo newspaper.He told the paper that he became the cashier and money collector for the Town Hall, and claimed that he did not have any of the money which had been stolen from the town. He said that he did not give any money to the local councillors as had been claimed, but merely lent it to them. He said it was up to the Municipal Treasurer to sat what had happened to the missing 10 billion pesetas – some 60 million €.After two years in prison on remand, Roca has had plenty of time to reflect on his future which now sees more than 50 judicial procedures on the horizon. His current freedom has come at a price – 1 million € bail in the Malaya case and 450,000 in the saqueo case. He also told the paper that he was considering in reclaiming his work post at the Town Hall.Meanwhile the instruction judge in the Malaya case, Óscar Pérez, has asked the police money laundering unit to investigate where Roca has obtained his bail money.

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British woman arrested in Benidorm on an international arrest warrant

45 year old British woman, named with the initials A.H., has been arrested in Benidorm on an international arrest warrant. The arrest was carried out at a hotel in the town on the request of the Italian authorities who want to talk to the woman about her alleged connections to the Sicilian Mafia. She is alleged to have carried out extortion, drug trafficking and even a killing for which she faces 24 years in an Italian prison.She will appear before Instruction Court 3 in the National Court in Madrid shortly according to National Police sources in Alicante.

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Baggage handlers arrested at Airport

Four workers at Barajas airport in Madrid have been arrested for allowing cocaine into Spain. Three of the workers come from the baggage handling department, and unloaded the suitcases from the planes. They would then hide the drugs in rucksacks where they also put their lunch, and then sent it out of the airport later in found luggage.17 kilos of cocaine was intercepted when the airport’s own anti-drug force intervened.Those arrested have been named as 31 Clara A.R. from Madrid, 27 year old Luis Ismael C.M. from Cádiz, 33 year old Luis Pablo S. from Argentina, 26 year old Julian Yasid G.L., 30 year old Jimmy Darío M.B., 30 year old Alejandra María Z.O., 39 year old Maria Clemencia L.R, 38 year old John Jairo V.F, all from Colombia and Sergio Stalin M.M. from Ecuador.

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Chief Inspector of the UDYCO specialist anti-drug and organised crime unit of the police in Málaga has been arrested.

Chief Inspector, named only in reports with the initials V.I.T. was arrested in the Málaga main police station by members of the Civil Guard on Saturday as part of an on-going operation based in Melilla against drug trafficking from North Africa.member of the UDYCO specialist anti-drug and organised crime unit of the police in Málaga has been arrested.Reports indicate that this latest arrest is not linked in any way to other arrests made of four UDYCO officers on the Costa del Sol last month.It’s understood the latest officer to be arrested faces charges of revealing confidential information and failing to report a crime.

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Malian national living in Germany was arrested

A Malian national living in Germany was arrested Thursday, , at the port of Tangier, in possession of 1.2 kg of cocaine that he was trying to smuggle to Morocco aboard a car registered in Germany. The banned substance was concealed in a bag placed in the trunk of the car.

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Liberian national has been arrested in the Moroccan city of Casablanca with 1.5 kg of cocaine

A Liberian national has been arrested in the Moroccan city of Casablanca with 1.5 kg of cocaine, police sources said in Rabat on Friday. The Liberian, whose identity was not indicated, was caught red-handed in a boule vard in Casablanca, while he was selling the drug. According to the police, the culprit confessed that he decided to sell the drug in Morocco instead of smuggling it into Europe and had been dealing in it between Rabat and Casablanca.

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Spanish Police seized a suitcase full of fake $100 notes which they say was used to convince some victims who came to Spain

Law enforcement officers seized a suitcase full of fake $100 notes which they say was used to convince some victims who came to Spain in person to collect their "prize money". Spanish police have arrested 87 Nigerians suspected of defrauding at least 1,500 people in a postal and internet lottery scam. The arrests were made in and around Madrid in an operation co-ordinated with the FBI. Police said millions of euros were taken from the victims, most of them in the United States and European Union. Those targeted were wrongly told they had won a lottery and asked to send a payment before prize money could sent. Thousands of letters and e-mails, most in ungrammatical English, were sent out to prospective victims every day, police said. The faked documents asked them to make an initial payment of 900 euros ($1,400, £720) in taxes or administrative costs.
The scam is estimated to have netted around 20 million euros, but the actual sum could be many times that, say police.
Police said the number of those defrauded could run into many thousands, as most of them probably failed to report the crime out of embarrassment. Police estimate that only one in 1,000 recipients of the letters needed to fall for the fraud for it to make a profit. An Anglican bishop was among those duped, according to Spanish officials. The operation to track down the gang began in May 2007 when a huge number of identical letters destined for addresses in the US was discovered at Madrid's Barajas airport. Police confiscated hundreds of computers, mobile phones and 60,000 letters in a raid on more than 30 homes and businesses.

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Stepfather of 18 year old Yulisa Antonia Pérez re-arrested and charged with her murder

stepfather of 18 year old Yulisa Antonia Pérez from the Dominican Republic, whose corpse was found on a rubbish tip near Arrecife (Lanzarote) at the end of last year, five days after she was reported missing, has been re-arrested and charged with her murder. The suspect was first taken into protective custody on the day Yulisa's body was found after being accused of her murder by some within the local Dominican community, who were threatening to lynch him. Yulisa's partially-buried body was found by a local man out walking his dog on November 13th and the autopsy revealed that she died of ashpyxiation. However, apart from having her hands tied behind her back, there were no other signs of violence, and she had not been raped. It seems that Yulisa's mother, Irma had moved in with the suspect around six months before Yulisa was killed. The family lived in the Los Geranios district of the island's capital.

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70 year old Russian woman has been arrested for murder

70 year old Russian woman has been arrested for the murder of an elderly man of the same nationality who was found on Saturday evening at his home on the Los Altos de Torrevieja residential estate. The woman, who reportedly suffers from schizophrenia, is under arrest at Torrevieja Hospital, where she is being treated for a barbiturate overdose. She was found unconscious next to the body of her former husband at around 8pm last Saturday by one of the couple's grandchildren, who had gone to check that everything was okay after a couple of days without news.
The woman, who seems to have tried to take her own life after murdering her former husband, was arrested after her fingerprints were detected on the murder weapon - an axe - that was found next to the dead man's body.

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Juan Antonio Roca innocent, that some of the charges against him were "full of irregularities," and vowed to begin setting about preparing his defence

Juan Antonio Roca, the man accused of masterminding widespread urbanisation-related corruption within Marbella Town Hall, was released from Albolote jail in Granada yesterday after spending the last two years behind bars. It took Roca's representatives 22 days to raise the one million euro bail payment demanded by the court. On his release from jail, Roca told journalists that he was innocent, that some of the charges against him were "full of irregularities," and vowed to begin setting about preparing his defence.
Roca is charged, among other things, with embezzlement, tax-fraud, money-laundering, forgery, illegal firearm possession, influence-trafficking and prevarication

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"Martin the Bag"Lance arrested suspected Coke boss of Marbella

Spanish police have arrested a British man suspected by French authorities of being the head of a cocaine trafficking network, the interior ministry said Monday.It identified the man as Martin Lance N., 40, also known as "Martin the Bag", born in the central English town of Oadby near Leicester and a resident of the southern Spanish resort of Marbella.It said he was detained in the northeastern city of Barcelona.He is the object of an international arrest warrant issued by French authorities."He is suspected of being the head of a group involved in importing, manufacturing, producing, providing or acquiring narcotics, specifically cocaine," an interior ministry statement said.In particular, French police believe he was involved in smuggling 144 kilogrammes (317 pounds) of cocaine hidden in four mattresses that were found in Paris in June 2006.

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Six specialist prosecutors to fight against drug trafficking on the Costa del Sol

Málaga province is to get six specialist prosecutors to fight against drug trafficking on the Costa del Sol. It will make the Málaga anti-drug unit the most important one in the country when it comes into operation next month. Diario Sur reports that the prosecutors to run the service are expected to be named later today, in what is a pilot program which will focus attention on Marbella, Torremolinos and possibly Vélez-Málaga.

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four drug traffickers arrested in Orihuela

600 doses of cocaine and 500 of hashish were recovered in the operation. Three of those arrested are Spaniards local to Orihula while the fourth is Romanian.The man thought to be head of the gang has a previous record of 18 arrests and had created what police describe as a ‘real fort’ complete with cameras and guards in the street, against any possible raid by the police. 6000 € and other drug related equipment were also found. National Police in Orihuela have arrested four drug traffickers and cleaned up a point of sale near the Santo Domingo College.

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Ger Dundon returns to Estepona on the Costa del Sol

Ger Dundon, the 21-year-old Limerick gang figure,is believed to have travelled to Spain last week. Dundon was stopped in one of the armour-clad cars, a BMW 3 series, for speeding in January. The other is a 4X4. Both cars, which are less than two years old, have now been seized by the Criminal Assets Bureau. The vehicles are built to order by specialist companies in Germany. Most of their sales are to Russia and eastern European countries with high crime rates and the two vehicles seized by CAB are the first to have come here.Gardai believe that Dundon left Limerick in the company of another young man and woman and went to Spain last week. He has been a regular visitor to the resort of Estepona on the Costa del Sol where he was known to keep company with Dublin gang figure, Paddy Doyle, who was shot dead in the resort in January. Ger Dundon received a suspended sentence for possessing drugs for supply three years ago and has no known legitimate means of income. Doyle was one of the two feuding Dublin gangs originally based in Drimnagh and was suspected of carrying out three murders in November 2005.Last month, when Ger Dundon appeared at Limerick District Court on traffic offences, he pulled up outside the courthouse in the armoured 4X4 and summoned associates, all wearing body armour, via an external PA system built into the front grille of the car. They gathered around the car door and shielded him as he made his way to the entrance.
Gardai also believe the recent upsurge of violent attacks in the city was directed from prison by Dundon's brother, the notorious gang leader Wayne Dundon. The McCarthy-Dundon gang have been building up supplies of weapons and other equipment and were said in court last year to have been behind the attempt to buy 20 automatic assault rifles, RPG rockets and handguns from people they believed to be arms dealers. It was, in fact, a sting organised by gardai and British police. Two associates of the gang were imprisoned in December for their part in the plot.
According to sources in Limerick, the McCarthy Dundons became the dominant gang force in the city last year after outgunning their deadly rivals, the Keane-Collopys. Tensions in Limerick had been rising in recent months before the latest round of murders. There have been at least a dozen shootings in the city related to the feuding. The worst, before last weekend, was the incident on March 25 when a gunman armed with an assault rifle fired shots into six houses in St Mary's Park. No one was injured but one bullet narrowly missed the head of an elderly woman sitting in her front living room watching television.
At least half of the shooting incidents in the past two months have taken place in the tiny Island enclave of St Mary's Park, St Ita's Street and St Munchin's Street, directed at members of the Keane-Collopy family.Intelligence had already led gardai to strengthen their presence in the city by sending the Emergency Response Unit (ERU) from Dublin. The "less-than-lethal" Taser weapon was put at the disposal of the ERU two months ago after a recommendation by the Garda Inspector, former Boston police commissioner, Kathleen O'Toole.
After last weekend, the head of the National Bureau of Criminal Investigation, Detective Chief Superintendent Noel White, effectively moved his headquarters from Harcourt Square in Dublin to Limerick to direct investigations.
The first murder attempt was on an 18-year-old in the city centre on January 14. A female relative of Noel Campion from Moyross, who was assassinated two years ago, was fired on two weeks later. At the end of March there were a succession of attacks on homes in the Island area where members of the Keane-Collopy clan live.
The first incident last weekend appears to be retaliation for the attacks in the Island. Gardai believe that the gangs decided to take advantage of the fact that Munster was playing Gloucester last Saturday in the Heineken European rugby cup and that many gardai would be taking the day off to enjoy the match.

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Spain is the major port of entry for South American cocaine, but large quantities also transport through Portugal.

According to the United Nations, Europe is the second largest illicit market in the world after the United States. Spain is the major port of entry for South American cocaine, but large quantities also transport through Portugal. US drugs official expressed concern Friday about growing quantities of cocaine being trafficked through Africa to Europe, as amounts of the stimulant reaching the United States tapers off."We are concerned because of the movement," US drug policy control director John Walters told reporters in Brussels.
He said that trafficking in 2007 had "shifted to cocaine coming out of Colombia, through Venezuela in increasing amounts, and by both maritime routes and by air, coming toward Europe."US figures showed that some 58,000 kilogrammes (128,000 pounds) of cocaine arrived in Europe from Venezuela last year -- compared to almost 29,000 (64,000 pounds) in 2000 -- while 3,600 kilogrammes (8,000 pounds) came from Colombia, well down from over 64,000 (141,000 pounds) eight years ago.
Walters, in the Belgian capital for talks with EU officials, was at a loss to explain exactly why Europe was becoming the destination of choice.
"There hasn't been a clear indication in 2007 of what may have happened with regard to flow," he said. "We need to understand this to figure out what's happening."
He acknowledged that a strong euro and higher street prices in Europe could have contributed to the change, but above all, he said, it was important to establish whether the shift was a temporary or more permanent phenomenon.
"Our goal, working with European nations, is not just to move the cocaine from the United States to Europe, our goal is to reduce the cocaine, so it is important to us what exactly is happening here," he said.
Walters said it may be necessary to re-focus the fight against cocaine trafficking slightly to Africa, to help its law enforcement bodies there better combat the drug while it is on the move.
"A movement through West Africa that destabilised the nations of West Africa further than they are already weakened state is not good for anybody," he said. "That is a critical issue."
"The question is: can we continue to accelerate efforts to reduce it at the source ... or do we also need to more extensively shift to building infrastructure in Africa to strengthen law enforcement and governance."

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Sex crimes against minors has tripled between 2002 and 2007, now counting an average 1,400 cases per year.

According to figures released by the Portuguese prosecutors’ office (PGR), the number of cases relating to sex crimes against minors has tripled between 2002 and 2007, now counting an average 1,400 cases per year.These figures were established through a report by the Institutionalized Child’s Abuse and Sexual Commerce Protection Group, based on data supplied by the PJ police information unit.
It further states “the total number of crimes involving children and minors has risen between 2003 and 2007 by 628”.In 2007 alone, 561 cases of child abuse were instigated in the region of Lisbon, 23 more than in 2006, and 27 more than 2005.
The group has described this trend as being “very worrying”, given the “accentuated fall in victims’ ages, which in some cases reported as being less than one year old”.
Around 34.86 percent of cases involve some form of family relation between aggressor and victim, whilst the scene of crime in 46.14 percent of cases is the place of residence.Another major concern is the distribution of child pornography on the internet.In Lisbon, in 2007, 67 cases were investigated relating to child pornography, and nine missing children’s cases caused by online contact were successfully resolved.

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Gardai have smashed a link between a Dublin drug-trafficking gang and their suppliers in Spain.

Gardai have smashed a link between a Dublin drug-trafficking gang and their suppliers in Spain.An operation resulted in the seizure of eight kilos of cocaine with a potential street value of up to €2.3m.
The cocaine was seized in a holdall bag after members of the Garda national drugs unit stopped and searched a car at Pearse Square, off Pearse Street, shortly before 10am yesterday.Two Dublin men, from Cabra and the north inner city, were arrested along with two men from the English midlands.Last night they were being held for questioning at Pearse Street Garda station under the Drug Trafficking Act.
The four, aged 23, 25, 44 and 47, can be detained without charge for up to seven days.Gardai believe the drugs shipment had been recently smuggled into the country and was being moved across the city to be prepared for distribution to a network of street dealers.The seizure was described by officers last night as "very significant" as it represented a major financial and operational blow to a trafficking gang, which had been at the centre of a lengthy investigation by the garda unit.Yesterday's seizure, which was led by the recently appointed head of the unit, Det Chief Supt Tony Quilter, was the result of a detailed intelligence gathering operation involving a number of national squads.Detectives are satisfied that all of the shipment was destined for distribution.The two Dublin-based suspects were already known to gardai and last night further inquiries were being carried out across the channel into the background of the English men.Gardai said the cocaine consignment had not been concealed in the car and the occupants had been taken totally by surprise. Further searches were carried out throughout the day. Initial examination of the cocaine suggested it had a high purity, which would push up its street value, after it had been mixed and watered down before distribution, to well over €2m.This was the latest in a series of substantial drug seizures so far this year and last night gardai were particularly pleased that they had struck a blow against the north city gang, which had been the focus of their attention for months.Gardai have been working closely with officers from several English police forces in an effort to break the links between Irish trafficking gangs and their network of suppliers in Britain.Similar exchanges have been taking place with police in Spain, where the Irish gangs are also known to have bases.

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Dead Burglar in funeral parlor makes amazing recovery

A burglar who broke into a funeral parlor tried to fool police by playing dead, but the criminal’s acting skills left something to be desired. Police said they had no idea what a 23-year-old Spanish man was hoping to steal on March 17 when he broke into the Crespo Funeral Home in Burjassot, a small town outside Valencia. Neighbors alerted police when they heard the front door of the business being forced open in the middle of the night. Police arrived with the owner and eventually located the suspect lying on a table in a glassed-in chamber used for the viewing of deceased people during wakes. “The custom here is for dead people to be dressed in suits, in nice clothes that look presentable. This guy was in everyday clothes that were wrinkled and dirty,” said a local police official. “He was trying to fake being dead, but he was breathing,” the officer added. The unnamed suspect has served previous jail terms for robbery.

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Car theft costa more than 40% of car thefts in Europe occur on the Costa del Sol

More than 40% of car thefts in Europe occur on the Costa del Sol according to a recent meeting of the National Police in Fuengirola. Spain is known as the gateway for trafficking of stolen cars into Africa and is considered one of the most important car showrooms in the world.It is planned that in a couple of years, all cars will be computerised and there will be a databank of information enabling all stolen cars to be located, worldwide and then returned to its rightful owner. The scheme will not however include Morocco, for they have a law that states that if a vehicle is brought into the country with illegal paperwork then it cannot be granted an exit visa. The only way that this could be rectified would be by an amendment to the Moroccan custom laws, which may never happen.
In Spain it is often international crime rings that organise the vehicle trafficking as the profit to be made is so huge. The most sought-after models include 4 wheel drives such as Mitsubishi, Mercedez, Range Rover and Jeeps which are most useful in countries where there is a lot of snow or desert. The route for stolen vehicles is usually via the ports of Almeria, Algeciras or Cadiz.With the abolition of European borders, the problem is getting out of hand.

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Convicted paedophile who has a search and capture order out against him in Spain after declaring guilty to abusing an adolescent girl

Convicted paedophile who has a search and capture order out against him in Spain after declaring guilty to abusing an adolescent girl in Palma de Mallorca has said ‘It’s not fair that you compare me to the man who killed Mari Luz’, referring to the death of the five year old from Huelva, Mari Luz Cortés, allegedly at the hands of Santiago del Valle, a convicted sexual abuser who had not been sent to prison because of a judicial error.The man is named by the Diario de Mallorca newspaper today with the initials A.L.Y. and was sentenced to two years in prison for his crime and then released early. He is wanted again for breaking a distancing order imposed by the judge. He tells the paper ‘I’m no terrorist or killer. In my case there was no judicial error.The man, who is of Colombian origin, says he fears that should he hand himself in to the authorities he could be expelled from the country.

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Allan Foster,aka Sean Wilkinson murder suspect has £70,000 siezed by U.K. police

Allan Foster was named among 10 suspects posted by Crimestoppers on a most-wanted website for the Costa del Sol. Foster, the prime suspect in the murder of David “Noddy” Rice, has been on the run for two years.The 31-year-old is one of the Englands most wanted criminals after his alleged involvement in the gangland hit.Police believe Foster flew from his Spanish hideaway to assassinate Mr Rice in South Shields.It is thought he flew back after the killing, at a seaside car park near Marsden Grotto, South Tyneside, and has remained a fugitive since.Although he has never been caught, a police probe found more than £70,000 he had made from selling drugs at the home of the woman he used to share a house with, Shareena McAuley, and her mother Marilyn McAuley.
Now Shareena McAuley, 27, of Mozart Street, South Shields, has admitted conspiring with Foster and others to hide the cash. Mr Rice, 42, was shot by two masked men on the seafront after being lured to the meeting by Steven Bevens, 39. Bevens worked for Foster, who police believe fired the fatal shots. Last year Bevens, formerly of Wheatsheaf Court, Sunderland, was sentenced to life for murder, while driver Derek Blackburn, 51, of Humberside, was given four years for assisting an offender, later cut to two-and-a-half years.Caroline Goodwin, prosecuting at Newcastle Crown Court, said: “This arose out of a disturbing incident on May 25, 2006, when David Rice was murdered.“It led to an investigation into Allan Foster. Police were able to recover a great deal of money, which was said to be the proceeds of crime from the drug dealing of Allan Foster.”
A total of £70,440 was found during searches at the McAuleys’ house and now a judge has made a confiscation order, which means the money will stay in the hands of police. Judge Esmond Faulks said: “The money that was taken will be kept by the police. I’m not giving you any promises about the sentence, the maximum sentence is many years of imprisonment.”Shareena McAuley pleaded guilty to conspiracy to conceal the proceeds of criminal property between June 1, 2006, and September 30, 2006. Marilyn McAuley, 56, also of Mozart Street, pleaded guilty to possession of criminal property, knowing or suspecting it was from the proceeds of crime.

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Bar Manolín in Algeciras Port has been robbed of 6,000 euros

Owner of the popular Bar Manolín in Algeciras Port has been robbed of 6,000 euros. After he locked up at 11pm and went home, he found an unpleasant surprise on his doorstep. A thief was lurking, and once inside attacked him with his fists whilst wielding a knife. He then ransacked the home looking for money and other valuables before making his escape.

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Man arrested on rape charges

National Police in Ronda have arrested a man on rape charges. Officers will not say where the sexual assault took place but it is understood that the victim and the attacker are from two different villages in the Serranía de Ronda. Police acted after the woman, accompanied by family, made an official complaint.

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Johanner Grobelanghorst murdered two men have been detained

Two men have been detained following the murder of a 77-year-old German in Torre del Mar in February. Johanner Grobelanghorst was attacked with a blow to his head outside his home in one of several similar incidents in which the assailants then robbed their semi-conscious victim. Police say one of the detainees, an Algerian, has a long record of violent crime.

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National Police officer shot in Benidorm

Police in Benidorm continue to search for a gunman that shot an officer during an operation on Saturday morning in the town’s notorious Armanello zone.
A police spokesman said that the 54-year-old officer was shot during a search of an abandoned restaurant in the zone. He added that squatters were using the property, which is in an area where drug dealing and other illegal activities take place and where there are more than 20 other abandoned properties.After launching a major manhunt for the gunman, government delegate in Alicante, Encarna Llinares, announced on Tuesday that a 20-year-old Spanish man had been arrested in connection with the incident.A National Police spokesman said that although an arrest has been made it does not mean that they have the person who fired the weapon and the investigation is still ongoing.The injured officer is being cared for in the Marina Baja hospital in Villajoyosa and his condition is said to be stable.

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Sax resident arrested in Bolivia

Sax resident arrested in Bolivia Police in Bolivia have arrested a 35-year-old Spaniard from Sax on charges of drug smuggling.The arrest was made at an airport moment s before the man was due to board a flight to Spain. A search of his baggage revealed six kilos of pure cocaine.Authorities in Spain say the man does not have a criminal record and may have been acting as a courier for a drug trafficking ring.
They say the man was arrested last week but notification of the arrest was delayed until now.

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Cat killer of Mojacar

Hotel owner in Mojacar, named as Juan A.F. has been arrested after being accused of ‘decimating’ the local cat population using a 4.5mm airgun. Local residents had reported seeing an armed man hiding in the undergrowth and often hearing shots.The man now faces charges of acting against the flora and fauna of the area, after an investigation was opened following a compliant placed by a local animal protection organisation in the ‘Vista Los Angeles’ district. The accused is reported by 20minutos to have explained that the cats were causing a great deal of bother and unhealthy conditions.The accused was granted bail with charges by the judge in Instruction Court 1 in Vera.

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43 year old British woman died from stab wounds to her neck and back

A 33 year old Cuban man has handed himself into the Guardia Civil in Torrevieja after the body of woman, thought to be British, was found in a home in the Lago Jardín urbanisation in the town, showing signs of violence.It’s thought the man stabbed the woman to death but reports say he has told the police that there was no romantic involvement between him and the victim, although both lived in the same urbanisation and were neighbours.Other neighbours say the couple used to argue frequently about the noise made by the Cuban.The victim has not yet been named, but is a 43 year old British woman, according to first reports which say she died from stab wounds to her neck and back in the home, just 500 metres from the Torrevieja hospital in the Los Balcones area of the town. Her husband is said to be away working in Afghanistan as part of his import/export business. She is thought to have lived in Torrevieja for about a year.
The Instruction Judge in court 2 in Torrevieja has ordered an autopsy to be carried out.

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37 trespassers were detained in 31 cases in Azerbaijan

37 trespassers were detained in 31 cases in Azerbaijan in March, 2008, Press Service of the State Border Service told APA. 13 of the trespassers are citizens of Azerbaijan, 8 Georgia, 6 Iran, 4 Afghanistan, 3 Iraq, 1 Turkey, 1 Great Britain and 1 is without citizenship. 36 men were detained for violating border regime rules, 15 for having counterfeit documents, 3 trying to pass the state border secretly, 80 for not having visa, 47 were detained as the term of their visa expired, 16 for not having related documents. Smuggling of 14.635kg drugs was prevented in 5 cases within a month. Coast Guard detained 4 ships and 8 boats, as a result of it. 17 Azerbaijani citizens were detained and relevant measures were taken about them. Smuggled goods cost AZN 66,335 were detained in 46 cases.1 AKS-74 submachine gun, 1 Min-Kral-2005 pistol, 6 7.62mm cartridges, 730 boxes of cigarette, 1211 religious books, 390kg fish, 1480 lemons, 245 petards, 7002 clothes, 9074 emblems, a great deal of medications, alcoholic drinks, food products, industrial and agricultural goods were confiscated.

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Santiago del Valle, has been transferred to the Granada prison for his own security

Santiago del Valle, has been transferred to Granada prison for his own security.
His sister Rosa has been transferred in prison with him to the Granada jail of Albolote. Both were imprisoned firstly in Huelva on the orders of the judge in Instruction Court One in Huelva on March 22. A prison spokesman commented that such a transfer was normal in such circumstances.
Santiago del Valle was ordered to prison without bail last weekend on charges of murder and against sexual freedom.
Meanwhile Santiago’s wife, Isabel García, was admitted into the Sevilla II prison last week on the orders of Penal Court 1 in the city. It is for her to serve a 15 month prison sentence handed down on here for consenting to the sexual abuse carried out by her husband on their five year old daughter. She also faces new charges for her implication in the Mari Luz case.
judge Rafael Tirado and the magistrate from the Sevilla Provincial Court, Javier González, have both justified the errors made in previous cases against the main suspect in the killing of Mari Luz Cortés, the Huelva 5 year old, Santiago del Valle, as being due to excessive workload. They both claim that they lack manpower and resources in the courts and that is why two earlier orders to send Santiago del Valle to prison were not followed through.

Judge Rafael Tirado has already been accused by the General Council for Judicial Power, the body which oversees the judiciary in Spain, of a ‘ very serious error’ and could find himself sacked from the profession by them in a decision which is expected to be announced on Monday. The two judges are accused of ‘passivity and a lack of control’ in the case.

It comes as both the Governing Socialists and the Partido Popular opposition have agreed on the need to renovate the Council for Judicial Power itself. A meeting was held in Congress on Friday, ahead of the investiture of José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero as Prime Minister this coming April 8, to discuss the matter.

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Exchanged building land with worthless plots in a deal with the Polaris World company

El País reports that the mayor made a plot of land for building available to the Mar Menor Golf Resort, from the Polaris World company, in exchange for other plots of land described as ‘useless’. The difference in worth of the two plots is estimated by the prosecutor to be as much as five or six million €, but Polaris World was only called on to reimburse the public coffers by 455,331 €.Daniel García Madrid from the Partido Popular is reported to have exchanged building land with worthless plots in a deal with the Polaris World company José Luis Hernández, the President of the Polaris World group, one of the leading companies in residential tourism, is also charged in the case, as is a second businessman, named only with the initials J.M.F.F.More details on the latest corruption allegations in Torre Pacheco, where the PP Mayor, Daniel Garcia Madrid, has been ordered to prison without bail by instruction judge in San Javier, Salvador Calero. He has replaced the earlier judge in the case, Aránzazu Moreno, who is on maternity leave.The Mayor faces charges of perversion of the course of justice and the mis-use of public funds.The Partido Popular Mayor of Torre Pacheco, Daniel García Madrid, has been arrested this morning in connection with alleged real estate corruption in the town, and also in Fuente Álamo. The arrest follows that of the municipal architect, Ramon Cabrera, who was detained in the same case on March 31, and came at 8,30 this morning when the Mayor was on his way from his home to the Town Hall.He has now been taken to the courts in San Javier to go before the judge Salavador Calero. Reports indicate he faces charges of carrying out activities not compatible with a public servant, fraud, misuse of public funds, influence peddling, bribery, perversion of the course of justice and revealing secrets,Another person who is charged in the case is the businessman Facundo Armero, an ex shareholder in Polaris World, who is reported to have received favoured treatment from the Town Halls in Torre Pacheco and Fuente Álamo.Also facing charges in the case are the town planning councillor, Santiago Meroño, and the councillor for public works, Josefa Marín.

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Expat drug gang drove super-charged luxury Jaguars, Audis and BMWs and had villas in the Spanish sun.

“Ian Moffatt was arrested by us on the Tarmac at Heathrow as he came back from one of numerous trips to Spain.”Drug gang that ran a multi-million pound drug racket in Scotland were today beginning jail sentences totalling more than 100 years.The 17-strong gang sent £40,000 worth of drugs to Glasgow every week for two years.The racket was run by husband and wife Christopher and Sharon Pimblett from their St Helens home.
The couple, who have since divorced, dispatched vans with heroin and cocaine hidden inside.The drivers would then return to St Helens with plastic bags stuffed full of cash.By raking in around £40,000 a week, the couple are estimated to have made more than £4m over two years.Yesterday, Christopher Pimblett was jailed for 12 years after Judge Brian Lewis ruled he was the “controlling mind” of the gang.
He organised couriers and shipments, and liaised with Glasgow-based Fergus Smith – who was in control of the Scottish side of the organisation.Smith was locked up for 10 years and Pimblett’s former wife Sharon jailed for four years.Judge Lewis said Sharon Pimblett, a former pharmacy worker who was tearful throughout the proceedings, had an “active” role in assisting her husband.He jailed the 17-strong gang, who were convicted of conspiracy to supply Class A, B and C drugs from January 1, 2005 to April 17, 2007, for a total of 108 years and two months.
He said: “This was a large-scale, relatively sophisticated operation which was active for a period of over two years.”He added: “Class A drugs are the greatest social problem of our time.”Judge Lewis said the scale of the racket was obvious from the seizures police made – more than 10kg of cocaine, 50kg of cannabis, 12,000 ecstasy tables and more than £400,000 cash.However, that did nothing to prevent the operation continuing.
When officers raided the homes of gang members they found wads of cash, drums full of cutting agents and drug paraphernalia including cocaine presses. The gang was making so much profit they invested in money-counting machines.Expensive cars were shared between the gang and some members were planning to buy property abroad.Now a drugs gang who lived the high-life are behind bars.
Kingpin Christopher Pimblett ran his sophisticated drug trafficking empire from his lavish St Helens home.But Pimblett and his now ex-wife Sharon earned their £40,000 a week income by running drugs to Scotland and getting dealers to sell them on the streets of St Helens.The couriers were paid a few hundred pounds a trip, but Pimblett and those closet to him amassed a mountain of cash.Around £400,000 was found by police in safes buried in the garden of Philip Brown, Pimblett’s step-father.Detective Inspector Andy Black, of Merseyside Police’s Matrix unit, said: “They all had nice houses, nice cars and enjoyed travelling and foreign holidays.“Around the time Pimblett was arrested, he was talking about buying a house abroad and we know others had already done so.Financial investigators are already a long way down the road to stripping the gang of their ill-gotten gains under the Proceeds of Crime Act.
Christopher Pimblett, 34, of Newmarket Gardens, St Helens, was the operation’s mastermind – 12 years.
Sharon Pimblett, 36, also of Newmarket Gardens – four years.
Pimblett’s step-father Philip Browne, 63, of Appleby Lawn, Netherley – four-and-a-half years.Pimblett’s “first lieutentant” Ian Moffatt, 37, of Falcondale, Warrington – nine years. His brother Carl Moffatt, 25, of Taylor Road, Haydock – six years.Darren Platt, 42, of Nutgrove Hall Drive, St Helens – six years. Thomas Green, 26, of Lilley Road, Kensington – six years.Qualified teacher Barry Brownbill, 35, of Constance Street, St Helens – four years. Peter Jones, 35, of Richard Grove, St Helens – five years.Christopher Kay, 23, of Snowberry Crescent, Warrington – nine years. John Johnson, 26, of Fairclough Road, St Helens – seven years, two months.
Kenneth Whitfield, 51, of Marina Avenue, Sutton, St Helens – three years. Michael Peel, 22, of Larkspur Road, Sankey Bridge – three-and-a-half years.
John Carr, 47, of Elephant Lane, Thatto Heath – five years.

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Ray Nevitt aka The walking fraud Machine £3.25million is wanted on the Costa

Ray Nevitt was featured on TV alongside Damon Hill and Vic Reeves, taking part in the Gumball Rally, an international road-race across Europe, patronised by the rich and famous.Dripping in gold chains and medallions, Nevitt wrote-off his white Ferrari, registration number L1000NEY - after somersaulting through the air at 150mph and landing in a field in 2000 in Latvia.He walked away unscathed, had the car brought back to UK and threw a champagne reception for his friends with the wreck parked outside the bar.

Ray Nevitt was yesterday found guilty in his absence after an 11-week trial at Manchester Crown Court on five counts of fraudulent trading worth £3.25million. But he vanished two years ago after being freed on bail while awaiting sentencing for defrauding the taxpayer. An international arrest warrant has been issued for the playboy fraudster, who has a penchant for fast cars and rubbed shoulders with celebrities. Police believe Nevitt, from Manchester, may be in Puerto Banus or Marbella in Spain. He set up a firm called Ravelle in 1991, which sold second-hand computer parts to the PC maintenance industry. Slick, brash and forceful, he "had a problem understanding what was company money and what was his money", witnesses told the court. He enjoyed trips to Las Vegas, Monaco, Verbier and Singapore on company credit cards. Police began investigating the Ravelle Group of companies, including PC2GO Ltd and Just Printers Ltd in 2001. As his firms were going under they carried on trading - and Nevitt continued with his lavish lifestyle, despite knowingly having no prospect of being able to pay suppliers. He forged paperwork so firms would lend him money on the strength of bogus orders - known as "fresh air" invoicing.
Det Con Julian King, from Greater Manchester Police Commercial Fraud Unit said: "This was a complex and elaborate fraud that allowed Nevitt to live an opulent and lavish lifestyle." The firm's finance director Jeremy Greene, 48, a chartered accountant, was yesterday convicted of three counts of fraudulent trading.
Kay Boardman, 49, also a director, was convicted of one count of fraudulent trading.
They will be sentenced next month - along with Nevitt, if he is caught.

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The Blue wig robber hits Malaga Banks

Malaga banks were hit in the space of five minutes by a man in a blue wig last week. Witnesses say an individual burst into a branch of Unicaja in Malaga on Tuesday morning, brandishing a shotgun. He was dressed in sunglasses, a green jacket and a blue wig according to the two customers and three members of staff in the bank at the time. Although the gun appeared to be fake, employees handed over the contents of the till to the intruder, who fled the scene. Just five minutes later police received a call from an office of Banesto on the Calle Frigilana. Two men, one of whom fitted the description of the robber in Unicaja, allegedly threatened staff with a sawn-off shotgun.But the second robbery did not go as planned. They escaped with a grand total of just under 40 euros before making a getaway on a motorbike. Witnesses say the robbers attacked a 30-year-old man who needed medical treatment as a result.

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Allegedly set a taxi belonging to his ex father-in-law on fire

allegedly set a taxi belonging to his ex father-in-law on fire, a 33-year-old man was arrested by National Police. Another car which was parked next to the burning vehicle in the Cortijo de Torres area of Malaga was also affected by the flames.
According to police sources, the accused was sentenced to two years in jail in 2006 after he set on fire his ex-wife’s car. A witness claimed that a man - fitting the description of the suspect – was seen carrying a plastic bag and what looked like a gas cylinder in the area near to where the taxi was parked just minutes before the fire. National Police sources say the arrested man has a restraining order in force against him preventing him from contacting his ex-wife.

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Pensionista robbed bank in Calle Martinez Maldonado

Prosecutors are asking for two and a half years in jail for a retired man accused of robbing a bank in Calle Martinez Maldonado, Malaga, when they refused to give him his pension in advance. He allegedly went up to a bank teller and pretended to be holding a gun under a folder. According to the employee, he then told her to give him all the money or he would shoot. He managed to escape with 4,065 euros, telling the employee that if she moved or called anyone he would kill her. The accused was arrested some time afterwards, but the money was not recovered. Prosecutors are also demanding that he pay the amount stolen back to the bank in compensation.

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Amusement arcade punter is said to have faked a robbery at gunpoint

Amusement arcade punter is said to have faked a robbery at gunpoint, according Málaga police. If found guilty, he could face a fine of nearly three times the amount he lost gambling on the fruit machines.
The provincial prosecution service has just announced that an individual who claimed to have been mugged by an armed robber and relieved of 1,200 euros back in July 2007 could have invented the incident to hide a massive gambling loss.
After lengthy investigations into the robbery by the anti-violent crime squad, officers concluded that the story was false. Prosecutors have called for a fine up 3,240 euros for wasting police time.
Police say cases like this are not uncommon and are usually an attempt by the ‘victims’ to hide the fact that they have gambled away large sums of money, or to make a false claim on their household insurance.

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Mark Thatcher does a runner to Puerto Banús

Mark Thatcher is reported to be enjoying what is described as a second honeymoon in Puerto Banús, Marbella, in what some see as an attempt to hide from justice in Equatorial Guinea. An ex friend of Mark Thatcher, Simon Mann, is reported by the Público newspaper to have implicated him from his jail cell in Malabo in a frustrated attempt to overthrow the President of the country, Teoforo Obiang.
Mark Thatcher is reported however to consider himself safe under the double jeopardy rule, having been arrested once before accused of financing the attempted coup which was to have been carried out by Simon Mann and some 70 mercenaries who were arrested in Zimbabwe on the way to Guinea in 2004.

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Amy Fitzpatrick Police are reportedly looking for another car

The Police are reportedly looking for another car linked to the disappearance of the 15 year old Irish youngster Amy Fitzpatrick who vanished from Mijas Costa three months ago.The Police now consider that, given the time passed without any news, that it is no longer likely that Amy left of her own free will on January 1. Searches carried out locally, and also in the Sierra de las Nieves have found nothing despite a report of some clothes being seen in the area by a resident of the village of Tolox when out collecting mushrooms.Government Sub-delegate for the province of Málaga, Hilario López Luna, said the police were looking for another car, although there are no reports on possible car model of colour. Police continue to search for an earlier car, owned by a family friend, and missing since Amy vanished, which is a white Ford Fiesta, registration number C955 SLK.

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Guadalmina arrest of Dutch national ‘dangerous, armed and violent,’

Police in Holland describe him as ‘dangerous, armed and violent,’ and he faces possible life imprisonment with at least 20 years inside if found guilty. The Interior Ministry said the suspect’s father has been taken into custody in the Netherlands in possession of 200,000 € in cash and two electric shock weapons.
A man wanted for attempted murder by the authorities in Holland has been arrested in Guadalmina, Málaga province, where a search of his home discovered a Smith and Wesson revolver and forged identity documents. He is named by the Interior Ministry as Wander V., aged 45, from Amsterdam, and was wanted for a shooting in the city in July last year, for which another man believed to have been involved was arrested shortly afterwards.

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David 'Mavado' Brooks was last week granted $200,000 bail

Dancehall artiste David 'Mavado' Brooks was last week granted $200,000 bail when he appeared in the High Court Division of the Gun Court on shooting with intent and illegal possession of firearm charges.



Mavado... arrested and charged with two counts of shooting with intent and illegal possession of a firearm
Brooks was ordered by Justice Donald McIntosh to surrender his travel documents and report daily to the nearest police station.The popular DJ was arrested and charged with two counts of shooting with intent and illegal possession of a firearm after he turned up at the Major Investigation Task Force Kingston office on Tuesday for questioning regarding a shooting incident along Mannings Hill Road in July last year.Two persons were injured in that incident. Mavado had just returned from the United Kingdom. The police said that the shootings were related to an ongoing gang feud in Cassava Piece, Constant Spring.Brooks, dressed in a grey suite and sporting plaited hair, was greeted by a crush of excited supporters who quickly hugged and surrounded him after he left the King Street Kingston court lockup. He was later whisked away in a waiting motor vehicle to the chant of "Mavado".Antoinette Haughton-Cardenas told the Observer yesterday that her client was innocent of the charges laid against him and that he was not even in the area when the incident occurred.
"My client knows nothing about this matter. He has no gun; has never carried a gun and has never shot at anyone. He's a high-profile man and whose name is easy to call," she said
Brooks said through his attorney Friday that he did not come to injure anyone (but) to spread love and urged his fans to "keep the faith".
This is not Mavado's first run-in with the law. In 2006, the deejay was charged with two counts of wounding, assaulting police and resisting arrest after an altercation at the Constant Spring Police Station in which he was injured. Last January he was arrested and charged with possession of ganja after being caught with the illicit drugs while the police were on a raid in his Cassava Piece community

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Holly King, major drug trafficking organization that distributed large amounts of marijuana, cocaine and methamphetamine in Tulsa and Kansas City

Eleven people were charged in federal court Monday with conspiracy in what prosecutors allege is a major drug trafficking organization that distributed large amounts of marijuana, cocaine and methamphetamine in Tulsa and Kansas City, Mo.
A federal grand jury indictment was unsealed in Tulsa's U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Oklahoma that alleged the defendants conspired to smuggle drugs from Mexico, through El Paso, Texas, and into Tulsa and Kansas City.
"The indictment returned by the grand jury alleges significant charges against an extremely large drug trafficking operation," said U.S. Attorney David O'Meilia. "We hope we've made a significant dent in the local drug supply by taking down this organization." The two alleged ringleaders, Manuel Bonilla, 36, and his brother, Mario Bonilla, also were charged under the federal drug kingpin law, which carries a mandatory punishment of 20 years to life in prison. Others charged in the conspiracy are: Holly King, 29, of Wann; Cecilia Lorena Bonilla, 20, of Tulsa; Michelle Moreno, 27, of Tulsa; Francisca Bonilla, 63, of Mexico; Jose Silos, 47, of Mexico; Selene Soto, 31, of Odessa, Texas; Omar Cruz, 27, of Mexico; Felix McVay, 51, of Haskell; and Victor Poras, 36, of Kansas City, Mo.
Court records do not indicate if any of the defendants have been assigned an attorney. Prosecutors also are seeking the forfeiture of $6 million that is alleged to have been earned from the sale of illegal drugs.
Nine of the defendants are in custody, but Manuel Bonilla and Cruz both remain at large and are presumed to be in Mexico, O'Meilia said.
"We'll pursue every avenue that we can, including coordinating with Mexican authorities, to ensure their capture."
U.S. Attorney David O'Meilia said the investigation spanned more than 2 1/2 years. The defendants also are accused of smuggling firearms from the U.S. into Mexico using sophisticated hidden compartments. "That's a trend that law enforcement has been seeing over the last couple of years," O'Meilia said.

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2,000 graveside brass or bronze vases have been stolen in South Florida

2,000 graveside brass or bronze vases have been stolen in South Florida since November, most in Palm Beach County, according to Dan Perrin, president of the Florida Funeral Directors Association. To combat the thefts, Florida lawmakers this session are considering a bill that would require dealers to obtain and maintain more information on sellers, upgrade the crime from a misdemeanor to a felony, and make all dealers' information releasable by the Department of Revenue.
Chris Bedell, a spokesman for the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries' southern region, which includes Florida, said the bill has moved fast through the House and is expected to be approved this session. If all goes on schedule, the new law could be in effect by the end of summer, he said.
The legislation is a result of business owners in different industries becoming concerned about the thefts, Bedell said.
Harold Solomon, a Hollywood metals recycler, said he welcomes the proposed law. He instituted similar guidelines at his business a few years ago.
"It would be a good thing for us in the industry," Solomon said.
The list of materials thieves have stolen is widespread, according to law enforcement.
-Brass valves have been stolen from building waterlines and sprinkler systems in the past 12 months in Palm Beach and Broward counties.
Boynton Beach police arrested three Miami-Dade County men in September and charged them with stealing train rails.
Between May and August, thieves unhooked and stole several thousand dollars worth of flush valves from toilets in public parks and fast-food restaurants in Broward County. Suspects were arrested at the end of August. On Friday thieves stole copper water pipes and pipes to the water heater from the Delray Beach restaurant Chez Sabine. The owner told police it has happened before.
In the Tampa Bay area in January, thieves went into a cemetery vault and stole metal artificial body parts of people who had been cremated, according to The Associated Press. Two men have been arrested on suspicion of selling the 2,000 pounds of parts to a scrap yard for about $5,400.
Now, catalytic converters are being taken from cars, said Bruce Savage, spokesman for the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries, Inc., a national trade association based in Washington, D.C. Vacant homes in Foreclosure have also attracted thieves, who have gone into the unguarded properties and stripped appliances of copper and other metals.
While many local suspects have drug histories, police said, others have stolen simply for the quick cash. Insiders are also among the accused: a Broward County School District electrical supervisor was charged in November with ordering $270,000 worth of surplus copper wiring and selling some of it. "They [thieves] are becoming more inventive with stealing materials, because they're motivated by money," Savage said. "We have seen an uptick, as these commodity prices have continued to rise worldwide."The trade association and its regional chapters have long encouraged their members to work with law enforcement to cap the thefts, Savage said. The association's guidelines call for recyclers to ask customers for their driver's licenses, to take photos of the materials being purchased, and to require customers to sign an affidavit stating they obtained the metals legally.
At Palm Beach Metal Inc., west of West Palm Beach, an elaborate system of cameras records customers from the moment they unload heaps of metal onto scales to the point when they cash out. Identification is required, and employees take photos of the metal brought in. The scrap metal buyers sometimes reject sales from suspicious clients, Palm Beach Metal President John Caruso said.
"If someone drives in on a bicycle with 200 pounds of [copper] wire, we're going to ask 'Where did you get it?' If they say 'I found it in a canal out front,' we're not going to buy it," Caruso said.
"The majority of people who come in here are doing everything correct, but you have the few who come in and spoil it," he said.

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