Brit shootout on Sant Jordi Alfama residential estate in L'Ametlla de Mar

Cataluña regional police believe that some kind of drug-related feud may be behind a shootout on a residential estate in L'Ametlla de Mar (Tarragona) yesterday that left one man dead and two others injured. The incident occurred at a chalet on the calle Rovelló on the Sant Jordi Alfama residential estate at around 4.30pm. One of the protagonists - a 33-year-old German man - was hit four times in the chest and abdomen, and was found already dead in the middle of the street. An Italian man, who was shot in the neck, was airlifted to the Joan XXIII Hospital in Tarragona, where he is recovering after surgery. A British man, who was stabbed in the chest, was arrested after receiving treatment at the local health centre. A second British national, who escaped injury, is helping police with their inquiries.

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David and Susan Mills it was like a scene from a horror movie, there was so much blood, then we spotted a body slumped on the stairs next to the lift.

David and Susan Mills were halfway through a week in Majorca and getting ready for a night out when they heard a raised voices from the corridor of their apartment complex, followed by a scream and a thud.Thinking it was drunken youths, the South Shields couple continued getting ready, and it was only when they stepped into the corridor 20 minutes later that they saw blood splattered across the walls and a man lying face down on the stairway."We couldn't believe it," said Mrs Mills. "It was like a scene from a horror movie, there was so much blood, then we spotted a body slumped on the stairs next to the lift."The couple, from Gainsborough Avenue, Whiteleas, South Shields, had been staying at the Los Palomos complex in Palma Nova, when their holiday nightmare began on Saturday, October 4.
Mrs Mills, 46, said: "I was putting my make up on and David was brushing his teeth. We could hear a commotion outside, but it was all foreign and we couldn't understand what they were saying."Then we heard a man scream and a thud, we were going to go outside but we though it was probably just drunken kids messing about, so carried on getting ready."The couple, who booked their trip through Going On Holiday Ltd, then left their apartment on the second floor and made their way to the lifts."The corridor outside our apartment was very dark, so you had to switch lights on as you went along it," said Mr Mills, 51, a taxi driver. "But when we put the first light one, we saw blood everywhere up the walls. We carried on walking and found the man lying there."The couple then heard shouts from the floor above saying "no touch, no touch". After a brief conversation with the person who called out to them, Mr Mills established that the emergency services had been called, and at that point pushed his wife into the lift.

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Amanda Goodwin was arrested after 500 kilos of the drug was found stuffed in compressed blocks in a van at Benijofar, south of Alicante

Amanda Goodwin, 48, from Brighton, was arrested after 500 kilos of the drug was found stuffed in compressed blocks in a van at Benijofar, south of Alicante. Armed officers swooped after discovering the haul, which has a street value of £1.5million. Spanish police suspect it came from northern Africa and was destined for the UK via road with two cars driving ahead to look out for police. David Mead, 45, of Beckenham, south-east London, Michael Wilks, 34, of Barking, east London, Martin James Veryard, 39, and a Romanian man were also arrested in Benijofar and El Garruchal in Murcia. All five are awaiting trial in Spain on crimes against the public health. After obtaining a court order, police searched a property in El Garruchal and arrested two people inside. A stolen luxury car and a Russian gun were found at the property. Two further cars and a motorbike were also seized as part of the operation which followed months of surveillance by Spanish serious organised crime officers. Spanish police said the operation, codenamed Rostel, started after drug traffickers were caught trying to ship drugs from the Levante coast in the south of Spain to the UK. Southern Spain is a common route for cannabis and other drugs coming into the UK from north Africa.

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Irish gangster based in Spain is believed to have ordered two pipebomb threats carried out yesterday.

Irish gangster based in Spain is believed to have ordered two pipebomb threats carried out yesterday. Detectives were last night working on the theory that the pipebombs, which were viable and packed with homemade explosive, were sent as a warning to a man who was allegedly in debt to the gangster.The man does not live at either of the west-Dublin addresses targeted by the attacker.The gangster is originally from the north inner city and is connected to a former-gangland figure, who was the subject of a major investigation by the Criminal Assets Bureau.
Gardai believe he has been in control of an Irish-linked drugs distribution network in Spain since earlier this year.One of the devices was found at a house in Ronanstown yesterday morning and the other at an address in Ballyfermot shortly afterwards.Both of the pipebombs had been left under parked cars. Army bomb-disposal teams made each device safe and broke them down into component parts before taking them away for forensic examination.The tests confirmed that the devices were viable and contained quantities of homemade explosive. There were similar-ities in the construction of the pipebombs.Last night, the remains were handed over by the army to the gardai.Earlier, an old training grenade was found during a planned garda search at Grove Lane in Coolock. It was examined by an army ordinance team, who established that it had no explosive content.On its way back to barracks from the Ballyfermot incident, the army team was diverted to a fourth call-out at Oliver Bond flats, off Thomas Street.The device, which had been found by Dublin city council workers in a vent in a flat during routine maintenance work, was a hoax.
All of the scenes were cordoned off during the army examinations and several houses were evacuated during two of them.Meanwhile, three shots were fired at a convicted heroin dealer as he drove his car through Finglas yesterday afternoon.Last night, local gardai were trying to find a motive for the attack. The intended target was not injured.Gardai believe the target is a former associate of murdered gangland boss Martin "Marlo" Hyland.

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Six members of Kosovo gang have been arrested by the Guardia Civil in Torrevieja.

Six members of Kosovo gang have been arrested by the Guardia Civil in Torrevieja.
A statement from the Civil Guard barracks in Alicante said that those arrested were thought to be part of a gang which had taken part in as many as 31 burglaries from factories in the Alicante and Murcia areas, causing ‘grand social alarm’. More than 86,000 € in cash as well as other items is believed to have been taken by the gang.
Investigations into the case started last December and it is believed that as many as eight people make up the entire gang. A series of searches were carried out with the arrests, leading to the impounding of mobile phone and radio telephone equipment, as well as other items and tools. Those arrested will appear in court shortly.

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Alicante port thousand brand new mobile phones, which police believe may have been stolen, were found in the back of a van with fake British plates.

45-year-old man was arrested at Alicante port yesterday after around a thousand brand new mobile phones, which police believe may have been stolen, were found in the back of a van with fake British plates. Apart from the phones, dozens of replica display phones, external memory sticks, computer games as well as digital sound and image devices were found, leading police to conclude that they may have been stolen from at least one computer or mobile phone shop. The man, whose nationality has not been confirmed, was detained as he was about to board a ferry to Oran in Algeria.
The Spanish National Police have requested assistance from their counterparts in France and the UK to identify the van and to ascertain if there have been any reported robberies recently involving digital equipment suppliers.

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Madrid police have arrested five members of a criminal gang

Madrid police have arrested five members of a criminal gang specialised in robbing drug traffickers by disguising themselves as police officers. The arrests were made as the gang was about to confiscate 264kg of high grade cocaine being stored in a warehouse in Alcalá de Henares by four Colombians, who were also detained.
During the investigation it came to light that the gang, which was led by an Italian, had been keeping tabs on their intended targets for some time using an array of high-tech surveillance equipment installed in a specially-adapted commercial van, which was confiscated. Four handguns, silencers, fake police badges, police vests, handcuffs, €14,000 euros in cash, four cars and a motorcycle were later seized in three police raids at addresses in Madrid city centre, Majadahonda and Alcalá de Henares.

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John Barker fled to Tenerife nine years ago while on bail for cocaine and amphetamine trafficking charges.

John Barker fled to Tenerife nine years ago while on bail for cocaine and amphetamine trafficking charges. The 51-year-old, from Irvine, Ayrshire, was caught earlier this year after he appeared on a list of suspected British criminals thought to be in Spain. During his trial, he had denied any involvement with drugs. Barker was wanted by Strathclyde Police under two arrest warrants. They related to trafficking drugs, valued at more than £110,000, within Scotland in 1998 and 1999.
He was extradited earlier this year after his details were posted on a Crimestoppers website targeting Spanish resorts. The operation was co-ordinated by Britain's Serious Organised Crime Agency (Soca) and the Spanish authorities. Bill Hughes, of Soca, said: "British crooks who thought they could enjoy a yachts and villas lifestyle in Spain have received a nasty shock. "Many of them are now experiencing a rather different lifestyle at Her Majesty's pleasure."

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David Hartley seeking a court order to allow to be transferred from a prison in Barcelona back to England to serve his sentence

David Hartley was jailed for 16 years in Spain last month after being convicted of killing his friend Paul Pedersen at a campsite near Barcelona six years ago.
Hartley, who was a drug user and drinker, strangled Danish holidaymaker Pedersen as he slept on the night of 23rd June 2002 before stealing 200 euros from his victim's pocket.After the attack, Hartley fled back to Mansfield but was arrested for the murder later that year.Despite a two-year battle by solicitor Paul Bacon to try to stop Hartley being extradited, the Home Secretary ordered that the 41-year-old return to Spain to await his trial.Now four years on, Mr Bacon is seeking a court order to allow Hartley to be transferred from a prison in Barcelona back to England to serve his sentence.
Speaking to Chad this week, Mr Bacon said: "Hartley has been in Spain for the last four years after we lost the fight to stop his extradition."He cannot speak any Spanish other than the odd word he has picked up in prison while awaiting his trial and he wants to be close to his family."He has kept in touch with his relatives, but being in Spain obviously makes visiting him difficult or impossible for some of his elderly relatives."I believe he stands a good chance of being transferred to a prison in England to serve his sentence, but because the Spanish judicial system is so slow it may take some time."

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Four Britons arrested with half ton of of hashish in Alicante and Murcia

Five people were arrested, four Britons and a Romanian, in Benijófar, Alicante and El Garruchal, Murcia.One of the main players in the group had a chalet in El Garruchal, and it was there that the drugs were loaded into a van.The arrested men were part of the group thought to be planning to take the drug by van to the U.K., with two advance vehicles warning of any police presence.The National Police say their operation, codenamed ‘Rostel’ was mounted after another group based in SE Spain tried to take drugs to the U.K. from ports on the Levante coast.
A stolen luxury car and Russian firearm were also impounded in the police operation.

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Lee Cook and Jemma France from Manchester were found outside covered in blood by the hotel’s porter.

British couple from Manchester are in hospital on Gran Canaria after falling from the sixth floor balcony of their holiday apartment.28 year old Lee Cook and 18 year old Jemma France were found outside covered in blood by the hotel’s porter. They had landed on plastic tables which are thought to have broken their fall.They were on holiday with eight friends, taking four rooms between them at the Casablanca Apartments in Puerto Rico, Gran Canaria.
Police have opened a full investigation into the fall which happened at 3am yesterday morning.

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Drug ring arrested accused of smuggling cocaine from Spain into Italy

Italian police say they have broken up a drug ring accused of smuggling cocaine from Spain into Italy and arrested 22 people.Police in the southern city of Battipaglia say police made the arrests in pre-dawn raids Wednesday across the Campania region. They also seized 11 pounds (5 kilograms) of cocaine.Police say one of the detained suspects is Spanish and the rest are Italian. Three more suspects are still being sought.

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Thieves broke into a jewellery shop

Thieves broke into a jewellery shop in Las Americas in the early hours of Thursday morning, getting away with 80,000 euros worth of gold and jewellery.The thieves gained entry to the premises in Avenida Rafael Puig, through the back door leading to an inner office, after cutting their way through a wire fence.
Staff arrived for work yesterday morning to find display cabinets broken and trays of gold rings and bracelets missing.
The thieves appear to have left in a hurry as several pieces of jewellery were found outside, apparently dropped in the haste of making their getaway.
Forensic experts were quickly on the scene yesterday morning to try to find clues as to the identity of the thieves

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x-rays revealed they were carrying 675g of cocaine in capsules in their stomachs.

Two people were arrested this morning at Tenerifes south airport and charged with attempting to smuggle cocaine into the island.The two have been identified as F.S.G.M., a 26-year-old Colombian man and K.A.P.G., a 19-year-old woman from Ecuador.Guardia Civil officers at the airport became suspicious when the two appeared to be nervous when coming through customs.After a check of their luggage produced no illegal substances, the two were transferred to a local hospital where x-rays revealed they were carrying 675g of cocaine in capsules in their stomachs.

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Four Britons have been arrested in connection with the latest shooting incident in Puerto Banús

Four Britons have been arrested in connection with the latest shooting incident in Puerto Banús on September 24 of club security boss, Marvin Herbert, originally from Liverpool.Named by the police as 40 year old M.A.A., 62 year old K.A.A., 59 year old M.Z.S., and 40 year old M.L.K., all four are believed to have taken part in the attempted assassination. The victim was shot five times in his right eye, right leg, right arm, pelvis and genitals, and remains in hospital in a serious condition after undergoing surgery two times.The police operation in the case has now been named ‘Cristalino’ and considers the shooting to be drugs related.

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British girl saw her mother and sister swept away by floods in Spain and killed, officials said today.

British girl saw her mother and sister swept away by floods in Spain and killed, officials said today. The victims, aged 47 and 14, were crossing a gully on foot in L'Olleria, near Valencia, to get to their house yesterday evening. The mother was named as Lauren Cullen. She and her daughter had lived in Spain for the past four years, local police said. The pair were trying to cross the River Clariano to get home but were carried off by the current. Their bodies were retrieved this morning.
The woman's other daughter and another woman were with them but managed to get out of the river and alert police. A spokesman for L'Olleria's town hall said: "Everyone in the area is shocked at what happened. "The dead women, a mother and her daughter, are both British. "One of the survivors is the mother's other daughter. She was waiting for her mum and sister to cross before she followed." The British Embassy in Spain said local consular officials were providing assistance to the family. The Valencia region has experienced heavy rains in recent days. Rainwater inundated streets, tunnels and garages and blocked roads and railway lines in the Valencia region. The ports of Valencia, Gandia and Sagunto were closed. In southern Spain, stormy weather prompted the suspension of ferry links with the Moroccan port of Tangier and Spain's north African enclave of Ceuta. A firefighter who went to empty a flooded garage sustained burns from equipment and another person was injured by a mudslide in Ceuta.

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Gerard John Dutton convicted lorry had travelled across from Alicante, Spain and had hidden 1.5 tonnes of the drug in six pallets of floor tiles.

Gerard John Dutton, 61, of Saddlemakers Lane, Melton, Woodbridge, Suffolk, set up two false companies in order to facilitate the importation of two separate loads of cannabis and admitted the charge at Kingston Crown Court on Wednesday 8 October.
The charge was a result of Operation Cromer, an investigation run by the Met's Project Team, which spent seven months identifying an organised criminal network involved in importing and supplying cannabis from southern Spain.The team passed intelligence onto H.M. Revenue and Customs (HMRC) and on 3 April, they stopped and searched a Spanish registered lorry arriving into Dover's eastern docks. The lorry had travelled across from Alicante, Spain and had hidden 1.5 tonnes of the drug in six pallets of floor tiles.On 8 July, HMRC officers stopped a further Spanish registered lorry as it came through the port of Dover. In this instance they discovered six pallets of 'dressed stone', hiding a further 1.56 tonnes of cannabis resin.Dutton was subsequently arrested the same day in North Yorkshire and brought back to London for questioning.The lorry drivers and haulage companies involved in the case were innocent victims, duped into believing the loads were genuine cargos of tile and stone.Detective Inspector Grant Johnson from the Met's Project Team, said: "Dutton went out of his way to dissociate himself from the cargo, by setting up two false companies.

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Alhaurin el Grande ,Five people have been arrested by the Guardia Civil

Five people have been arrested by the Guardia Civil in Alhaurin el Grande for possessing over 50 marijuana plants in their houses. In one of the houses, the Guardia Civil discovered a five square metre plantation. The plants measured over 2.5 metres in height and weighed five kilograms. The residents of the house, identified only by the initials, J.V.M.R., F.A.H., and L.M.H., were arrested on suspicion of offences against public health.In the second house, the Guardia Civil found a plantation of 41 plants and 61 dry branches, weighing 23 kilograms. Some 4.3 grams of hashish was also found and M.M.R. and J.M.B., the residents of the house, were arrested.

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House jacking Romanian and a Spaniard sentenced to total of 18 years and 6 months in jail for holding a British couple hostage

Provincial Court in Alicante has sent a Romanian and a Spaniard to total of 18 years and 6 months in jail for holding a British couple hostage in their home in Moraira, Alicante in April 2004. The two acted with two others to kidnap and rob the couple in the ‘Club Moraira’ urbanisation, threatening them with a knife and two pistols and finally leaving the wife tied up in a house in Cabo de la Nao.
The two in court in Alicante this week admitted their guilt in the case and the sentences against them are the result of a plea deal under which they also have to pay 2,600 € to the couple with 200 British pounds. They told the court that they went to the British couple’s house with the intention of getting all that they could and as there was little cash in the house decided to hold the couple until the banks opened the following morning. The man was escorted to the bank to withdraw 20,000 €, but in the bank he managed to alert a worker that he was being robbed and was only therefore given 500 €.

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British man been murdered in Barcelona

Body of the 46 year old man, who has not been named, was found by a friend on Thursday afternoon. The Catalan regional police, Los Mossos d’Esquadra, are investigating what they describe as the violent death of a 46 year old British man whose body was found in the l’Eixample area of Barcelona. Police believe he was beaten to death, although they are waiting for the full results of the autopsy.
They were alerted to the case by a phone call at 4pm on Thursday afternoon from a friend of the man who found the body of his friend when he went to visit

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Moroccan police said they had seized a small airplane carrying 1.6 tonnes (1,600 kilos) of hashish in the north of the country

Moroccan police said they had seized a small airplane carrying 1.6 tonnes (1,600 kilos) of hashish in the north of the country, MAP news agency reported.
The shipment was caught in a police air operation Thursday night after the plane had managed to escape once earlier, said MAP.Police were still searching for the plane's owners.The announcement of the bust came on the same day Spanish police announced they had broken up one of the country's biggest drug trafficking rings which had been bringing in drugs from Morocco.Spanish police said they arrested 44 suspects believed to have shipped hashish from Morocco to Spain, before trafficking it to other European nations.
In June, a helicopter travelling from Fes, Morocco, was caught in the south of France carrying 560 kilos (0.6 tonnes) of cannibis resin.

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Michael Dermot McArdle found guilty of his wife’s manslaughter by Malaga court .

The jury of nine voted by a majority of 7 to 2 to convict the 39-year-old Dundalk father of causing the death of his wife Kelly-Anne Corcoran during a heated argument on the evening of February 11th 2000, the day the family arrived on holiday on the Costa del Sol. After deliberating for more than one day, the jurors delivered their verdict shortly before lunchtime in Malaga Criminal Court, with members of both families present. The jury found that, as the argument escalated, McArdle pushed his wife on the balcony of their hotel room, causing her to fall over the rails.
However, it did not believe that he intended to kill her and cleared him of the murder charge brought by a private prosecutor acting on behalf of the Corcoran family. Michael Dermot McArdle faces a sentence of up to 4 years in jail after being found guilty of his wife’s manslaughter by a court in Malaga.In a very detailed statement, in which reference was repeatedly made to the formal list of questions the judge issued to the jurors yesterday, the jury foreman explained that on the basis of the evidence submitted, the jury believed that McArdle “did not set out deliberately to kill his wife” and therefore it could no convict him of her murder.
However, it also rejected as “highly implausible” the defendant’s version that Kelly-Ann tripped and fell to her death in trying to prevent their son from leaning over the rail. The jury was satisfied that the reconstruction of the fall by police and forensic experts had showed that she could not have fallen over the rail on her own as alleged by the defence. In a brief statement, read on the courthouse steps following the verdict, Ms Corcoran’s family expressed its gratitude to authorities and police in both Spain and Ireland “for bringing Mr McArdle to justice”.
Spokesman Peter Moran, Kelly-Ann’s brother-in-law, said that there were “no winners in this terrible situation”. McArdle left the court with his family after the judge turned down a prosecution request for him to be remanded in prison until sentence is passed in approximately 10 days.

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Freddie Thompson moved to Torrevieja in southern Spain after major traffickers told him to pay up or be killed

Thompson moved to Torrevieja in southern Spain after major traffickers told him to pay up or be killed after €6m in drugs were seized by gardai at the weekend.
“They are known as Fat Freddie and Little Richard. If Freddie shouts jump, Richie says ‘how high?’,” a source said today. Gardai also rubbished weekend reports that a truce had been called between Thompson’s crew and the bitter rivals, the so-called Rastas. The feud between the two groups has led to 15 murders. ‘Little’ Richie Thompson is now one of the only people Freddie trusts as threats on his life increase. The older brother has become Freddie's driver, and the pair were arrested recently after they were stopped by gardai in Drimnagh. “Freddie is becoming increasingly isolated and paranoid,” said one senior garda source. “Who better to trust than your own brother?” Fresh threats on Thompson's life saw the crime lord flee to Torrevieja in Spain last week, and despite a media report today, no truce has been announced in the bitter Crumlin/Drimnagh feud.

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Michael 'Dermot' McArdle was given the chance of escaping jail in a plea bargain deal moments before his murder trial started.

Michael 'Dermot' McArdle was given the chance of escaping jail in a plea bargain deal moments before his murder trial started.State prosecutor Carlos Yanez offered Mr McArdle the sweetener of a two-year-prison sentence if he admitted killing wife Kelly-Anne eight years ago in a Spanish hotel room.Jail sentences of two years or less are automatically suspended in Spain in cases where defendants have no criminal records.The nine Spanish jurors set to decide Mr McArdle's fate will be taken to a secret destination tomorrow to start their deliberations. They can deliver one of three verdicts; manslaughter as sought by the Spanish state prosecutor, murder which has been urged by lawyers acting for the family of the dead woman or acquittal.

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Verdict Michael Dermot McArdle is expected tomorrow.

verdict in the case of Michael Dermot McArdle, the Irish man who is accused of throwing his wife to her death from a Marbella hotel balcony in 2000 is expected tomorrow.After a week of evidence the case concluded in Málaga’s Provincial Court on Saturday with the final statement from the 39 year old accused who insisted that he did not kill his 28 year wife Kelly-Anne.
He told the court that she tripped and fell over the balcony as she tried to stop their toddler son from climbing on the railing.
He made his plea to the jury through an interpreter and rejected claims from other witnesses in the case that his marriage had been a violent and troubled one. He also is reported to have refused a plea-bargain, insisting on his innocence.
The state prosecutor has however reduced the charge from murder to reckless manslaughter after contradictions were noticed in some of the witnesses' declarations, and at 10am this morning the jury will be given a list of questions which they have to consider before issuing their verdict.

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Torrevieja and Alicante drug trafficking arrests

Six people have been arrested across the Vega Baja area in connection with a drug trafficking gang which dealt with large amounts of cocaine in Torrevieja and Alicante.The police operation started some three months ago and has so far recovered 3.5 kilos of the drug.All six people arrested are from Latin America and in their 30’s, and some have a record on similar charges. The head of the group has been named as 35 year old M.V.C. who was arrested on drug charges in 2001. The group now go before the duty judge in Torrevieja.

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Gary Glitter planning to buy a posh pad in Puerto Banus

Glitter had made plans to start a new life on the Costa Del Sol, but when gangland bosses heard of it, they vowed that they would kill him if he ever set foot in Spain.If Gary Glitter sets foot in Spain, hes dead. One of the biggest British gangsters in Spain is so concerned about him trying to start a new life over here he has offered 1million pounds to anyone who takes him out, Daily Star quoted a gangland source as saying.
What he has done to all those kids is just disgusting and he should be locked up for life. But as the courts have decided to set him free, people over here have decided to take the law into their own hands…and there are plenty of people who would be happy to kill him.The money is just a bonus. Most of the gangsters would be happy to bump him off for nothing, the source stated.Glitter, 64, was planning to buy a posh pad in Puerto Banus in Marbella, but was stopped by police from going to Spain via France last week, and a Foreign Travel Order was granted banning him from leaving the country.The area is a popular celebrity spot, and Glitter, real name Paul Gadd, had been hoping to lose himself among them, but the area also happens to house a number of families with young children, making drug barons and gangsters, who run the resort, want him out.There are a lot of guys out here who are violent men on the run from the police in the UK. They have nothing to lose by wiping out Glitter, the source revealed.No one wants him here and even though these are bad guys, they care about kids and they dont want him preying on the youngsters who come here for a nice holiday, the source added.Glitter has been banned from travelling to France or Spain by Ashford magistrates.

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La Casita, in Nueva Andalucía six police arrested for rape and ill-treatment

The two policemen at the centre of the matter have been held in the cells and are expected to go before the judge later today. The two are reported to have other disciplinary measures outstanding against them.number of local police from Marbella who have now been arrested in connection with the rape and ill-treatment of a prostitute in a club, La Casita, in Nueva Andalucía, has risen to six.Four of the men are now released with charges outstanding, charged with ‘looking the other way’ regarding their two colleagues who were actually involved in the incident.Now investigations are underway to try and establish if pressures were put on the club concerned and also to the possible presence of drugs in the venue.Mayor of Marbella, Ángeles Muñoz, has said the incident is ‘very serious’ and repeated her policy of zero tolerance in such matters.

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44 members of an International drug trafficking ring arrested in Málaga province

44 members of an International drug trafficking ring which operated in many European countries have been arrested in Málaga province. 34 of those arrested are Spanish, with 13 Moroccans, four French, two Dutch, a Palestinian and a Gibraltarian. In the operation the Civil Guard recovered three tons of hashish and three kilos of cocaine, together with 16 vehicles, four boats, two jet skies, two pistols and more than 6,800 € in cash with other documents.The group is thought to have been made up of three cells all controlled by the Moroccan boss based on the Costa del Sol, one which brought the drug over from Morocco and two others which distributed the drugs in Spain and across Europe.

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Dermot McArdle state prosecutor changes his charge from murder to manslaughter.

Spanish state prosecutor changed his charge from murder to manslaughter.Carlos Yanez told the jury he now believed Dermot McArdle pushed 28-year-old wife Kelly-Anne over the balcony of their Spanish hotel during a row but tried to save her before she fell to her death.And in a shock development he asked judge Fernando Gonzalez to jail McArdle for just four years if he is convicted of the lesser crime.
The lawyer opened the trial in the Costa del Sol town of Malaga on Tuesday demanding a murder conviction and a 14 year prison sentence for the factory manager from Haggardstown, Dundalk, Co Louth.Under the Spanish system McArdle may still be convicted of murder despite the state prosecutor now asking for his conviction on the lesser charge of manslaughter. Unlike in Ireland, there are three lawyers in court all representing different interests -- defence lawyer, state prosecutor and a lawyer prosecuting privately for Kelly Anne's family. Yesterday's move meant the private lawyer hired by Kelly-Anne's family now stands alone in claiming McArdle deliberately pushed the mum-of-two to her death from their fourth-floor room at Marbella's Melia Don Pepe Hotel on February 11, 2000.The jury therefore will have three choices on Monday when they begin to deliberate: acquit McArdle, convict him of murder or convict him of the lesser crime of manslaughter.
Prior to the state prosecutor's change of tack, they would have had only two choices, acquitting him or convicting him of murder.Mr Yanez stunned the courtroom into silence at the end of yesterday's court session by saying: "The state maintains that around 7pm on February 11, 2000, the accused started a heated argument with his wife in the room of their hotel."That argument continued on the balcony where the accused increased his abuse to the point that he used force against her which induced her in the direction of the balcony in such a way that she went over the balcony and was left holding on to a handrailAsking for McArdle to be convicted of the crime of manslaughter, he added: "We want him to be jailed for four years and ordered to pay €100,000 compensation to Kelly-Anne's parents and €60,000 compensation to each of her sons."The move left the dead woman's friends and relatives in a state of shock. The new accusation McArdle now faces carries a prison sentence of two and a half to four years.

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When the Cocaine ran out Six Marbella local policeman have been arrested in connection with alleged sexaul agression against women in a club

Six Marbella local policeman have been arrested in connection with alleged sexaul agression against women in a club in Nueva Andalucía.
The Instruction Judge One in Marbella, Ricardo Puyol, yesterday took the statements from the three women who had complained about being the victims of sexual aggression from a local policeman in a club in Nueva Andalucía. The two women told the court that when the cocaine ran out, was when the aggressions started.The judge yesterday decided to postpone the declarations from the two policemen at the centre of the allegations by 24 hours, saying he first wanted to talk to other witnesses in case. The policemen were taken to the court yesterday and remained there for six hours before being returned to the cells. Three other local policemen and a police woman have also been arrested in the case for allegedly turning a blind eye to the activities of their two colleagues.

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David George Hartley, has been sentenced to 16 years in prison by the Provincial Court in Barcelona

David George Hartley, has been sentenced to 16 years in prison by the Provincial Court in Barcelona for the murder of a Danish friend of his, Paul Pedersen, at a campsite near the city six years ago. He has already been held in prison for six years awaiting trial, four years in Spain and two in Britain.The killing happened in June 2002 and the verdict was published by the court today after Hartley was found guilty by the jury of nine at the five day trial in September, pleading not guilty.
He was also given an additional two year sentence for stealing 200 € from his victim before strangling him.The court heard how the two men met at the Tres Estrellas campsite in Gavà and became friends, sharing a tent, with witnesses saying they were always together. But then on the night of June 23 Hartley strangled Pederson in his sleep, fleeing after the murder to Benidorm and then back to Britain.Two British witnesses told the court that Hartley had told them about the killing and his former girlfriend also said that he was a drinker and drug user, and that he believed he had strangled a man in Spain although was not sure.The defence claimed there was no evidence to prove he had carried out the crime.Hartley was also ordered to pay compensation of 60,000 € to each one of the two Danish daughters of the dead man.

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Steve Waddington slipped off the hotel room balcony, at Benalmadena, on the Costa Del Sol in Spain, after a night of heavy drinking.

35-year-old Steve Waddington slipped off the hotel room balcony, at Benalmadena, on the Costa Del Sol in Spain, after a night of heavy drinking.His wife Sarah, 28, walked into the room to find Steve dangling off the balcony, calling for help – she wasn’t able to reach him.
“I'm just devastated. We were in love and I will never ever be able to get over this loss,” Sarah told the Middleton Guardian.The couple from Manchester in the UK had married six weeks earlier, and had two children.Sarah had a three-year-old son from a previous marriage, and they had an adopted daughter, 14-year-old Caragh.
Sarah had adopted Caragh after her mother, Sarah’s auntie, died from cancer in 2004.
"He was the perfect father figure to me and Harry, I wouldn't have changed him for the world,” Caragh said.“I still can't believe he's gone and I never will, he will always be loved and missed by many - especially us."

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Police seized millions of images, after smashing a major internet file swapping ring.

Police seized millions of images, after smashing a major internet file swapping ring. Those arrested included pilots, taxi drivers, and people from a complete cross section of society. Ages of those taken into custody range from the very old to youngsters.Spain has carried out its biggest crackdown on child pornography with raids on hundreds of homes.Spanish Police chief Enrique Rodriguez who heads a internet crime squad said 800 officers were involved and the operation had an international dimension involving police in countries like Brazil. He said his officers identified people in 250 homes who had downloaded photographs and videos of children being abused or in pornographic poses.The Spanish police were using a new software programme which detects people downloading internet porn. Spain has been increasing its efforts against the scourge of child pornography in recent years and in earlier raids arrested 100 people in April and June this year.

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Alicante sex shop murder

Woman has been brutally stabbed to death in an Alicante sex shop.
The victim, in her 40’s, was the owner of the Alicante sex shop in the central Calle Reyes Católicos in the city.Her body was found by her husband who then made a 091 call at 11pm last night to the police. They say that she had been dead at the scene for several hours before their arrival.First indications are that this is not another case of domestic violence, but theft has also been ruled out.
Police are looking for witnesses and the murder weapon, as well as a motive for the attack. An autopsy is to be carried out at the Legal Medicine Institute later today.

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‘J.C’s’ bar in Calle Saltillo Torremolinos 45 year old British man Killed

‘J.C’s’ bar in Calle Saltillo Torremolinos 45 year old British man Killed. British man, named with the initials D.S. was killed during a fight in Torremolinos yesterday morning. It happened in ‘J.C’s’ bar in Calle Saltillo around 5am where the victim is alleged to have sprayed the customers in the bar at the time with an aerosol. Report indicate that several customers then wrestled him to the ground to subdue him, but that he was pronounced dead when the police arrived. Nine people have been arrested, including a 58 year old Briton named with the initials J.E.A.C.
The victim was the owner of another bar in Benalmádena’s Puerto Marina. Police say they have opened a full investigation.

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Case against Michael Dermot McArdle is underway at the Málaga Provincial Court

case against Michael Dermot McArdle is underway at the Málaga Provincial Court.
After a delay from Monday because of a bomb hoax at the provincial court building in Málaga, the case against the Irish man accused of throwing his wife to her death off a Marbella hotel balcony, finally got underway on Tuesday.39 year old Michael Dermot McArdle, from Dundalk, denied throwing his wife Kelly-Anne off the fourth floor balcony of the Melia Don Pepe hotel on February 11, 2000 after a row, saying she tripped and fell when she went to attend to her son.However a witness, who was staying in the adjacent room in the hotel, Roy Haines, told the court that he told McArdle to put the mother of two down when he heard noises and saw him lifting her above his head. He said he heard shouts of ‘help’ and that there had been no child on the balcony. Later he said McArdle came to his room with a child with him – the boy said simply ‘My Mummy is dead’.Spanish police said that McArdle first claimed his wife had committed suicide, before later changing his story saying she had fallen by accident.
Kelly-Anne spent two days in a critical condition in hospital before dying from her injuries.Mc Ardle appeared in court in Málaga with his new girlfriend and his two sons, Mark and Paul, now aged 11 and 10. The case continues today.

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Spain organized crime is increasing

Organized crime is increasing on Spain's touristic southern coast, the Costa del Sol, where more than 700 international criminal rings operate, the far-left party Izquierda Unida (IU) said in a report released Friday. The number of criminal organizations present in Malaga province grew by almost 10 per cent in 2007.
More than 50 abductions and settlements of accounts occurred in 2006 on the Costa del Sol, where police dismantled over 130 criminal rings, detaining more than 1,200 people, over three years. The report stressed the link between organized crime and political corruption on the Costa del Sol. More than 170 people including mayors, officials and entrepreneurs have been detained in connection with scandals linked especially with the construction sector in the region in the recent years.
IU representative Antonio Romero accused regional authorities of not taking sufficient measures against organized crime.

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Drugs of all types were confiscated by the police in Almoradi

Drugs of all types were confiscated by the police in Almoradi recently . Three youths and a man were arrested on suspicion of supplying drugs .
The police discovered amphetamines , ecstacy , cocaine , crystal meths , hashish and cash . There was also the cutting agent made of a chemical compound used in such dealings .The males were all Spanish and were seen by police in a car on an industrial estate well known for drug dealing .

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military planes breaking the sound barrier have been revealed to be the cause of two loud explosions

Two military planes breaking the sound barrier have been revealed to be the cause of two loud explosions heard at 0940am this morning in Málaga and along parts of the Costa del Sol, especially in Torremolinos and Fuengirola.There was a fair amount of panic in the city as people feared that some sort of terrorist attack may have taken place.The Ministry of Defence has confirmed that two military planes on exercises were responsible.

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Marvin Herbert, head of security for a beachfront bar in the millionaires’ marina playground of Puerto Banus was shot on the terrace of Solly’s Diner

Marvin Herbert, head of security for a beachfront bar in the millionaires’ marina playground of Puerto Banus.In his mid-30s, he is said to have spent several hours drinking coffee alone on the terrace of Solly’s Diner in Puerto Banus on Wednesday.
He was joined by a second man, also thought to be British, at around 7.30pm. The pair were talking before the attacker pulled a gun from his pocket and shot Herbert five times as he walked towards his blue BMW across the road.
Despite being shot in the eye, twice in the crotch, once in the arm and once in the leg, he survived.He is said to be in a serious condition in a Spanish hospital.

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Mystery Blasts in Malaga

Two loud blasts have jolted the southern Spanish holiday resort of Malaga this morning - but baffled police said there was no sign of any explosion."They were heard practically all over Malaga. People are saying that it came from different places, but we haven't been able to find anything," a spokeswoman for the local police said.Spanish radio reported that a jet breaking the sound barrier might have caused the blasts, which rattled the city just days after the government blamed Basque rebels ETA for a bombing offensive in northern Spain.

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Fernando del Valle, who the prosecution considers to be the ‘brain’ behind the scheme which allegedly laundered money originating from drug traffickin

accused is lawyer Fernando del Valle, who the prosecution considers to be the ‘brain’ behind the scheme which allegedly laundered money originating from drug trafficking, prostitution and tax fraud. Also suspected of involvement are two notaries, two female employees of Del Valle’s Marbella office and some clients, the majority of whom are foreigners. Del Valle spent six months in prison and was released in September 2005 on bail of 600,000 euros. The prosecution is requesting that he be sentenced to 15 years in jail, ordered to pay a 37.1 million euro fine plus compensation of 610,846 euros and a guarantee of 13.8 million euros for having laundered 12 million euros, according to the prosecutor’s report. The anti-corruption prosecutor alleges that Del Valle carried out 13 money laundering offences, 141 of falsifying documents, three offences against the tax authorities and two others against the legal authorities by providing false testimony.

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Driveby shooting in Fuengirola

Residents on Calle Teba in the Los Pacos area of Fuengirola were witnesses to a drive-by shooting on Sunday night, which police suspect was a settling of scores between rival gangs. Officers say that the passengers of a passing vehicle shot at properties on the street before driving away down Calle Yunquera. Another car then set off in pursuit of the first. No injuries were reported but several properties were hit by bullets. Police hope to make arrests in connection with the incident within the next few days.

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Police are reported to be investigating possible links between the shooting of a British man in Calle Ramón Areces in Puerto Banús on Wednesday night,

Police are reported to be investigating possible links between the shooting of a British man in Calle Ramón Areces in Puerto Banús on Wednesday night, with an earlier shooting incident at the Nikki Beach discotec.They think the British victim of the latest shooting, named with the initials M.H. could be linked to those who took part in the shooting at Nikki Beach. He remains in a serious by stable condition in hospital after being shot five times including to his right eye, right arm, right leg, pelvis and to the genitals.He is from Liverpool and has been living in Marbella with his partner for some years. Government Sub Delegate, Hilario López Luna, said that he has a previous police record and has served prison time in Britain. Yesterday the victim's home was searched as police tried to establish a motive for the shooting.Speaking in Algeciras yesterday, the Minister for the Interior, Alfredo Pérez Rubalcaba, said that it was thought the shooting was linked to a criminal settling of scores, probably over drugs.The man who is accused of carrying out the Nikki Beach shooting last August 23 is due to appear in court later today. In that shooting a 42 year old man was shot in both his legs.The day before that also saw an Irish man injured after being shot on the terrace of the Aloha Gardens bar.Puerto Banús became the scene of the third shoot out in Marbella in a month yesterday. A man in his thirties from Liverpool in England was shot in the face and the arm when he tried to get into his British registered dark blue BMW in Calle Ramón Areces at 7.30 p.m.
Witnesses in bars close by said that the man who fired the shots, some of which hit the victim in the face, spoke to the Liverpool man minutes before.
The shooter, apparently also British, made his get away in a waiting car. Police officers, who were quickly on the scene and have seized the bullet shells for investigation, believe that the shooting was a settling of criminal scores.
One witness said that: "We thought the shots were fire crackers until we saw the victim on the ground with his face blown apart and covered in blood. It was like a film, he was having convulsions although he was was able to say something."
The victim was taken to the Costa del Sol Hospital where he was being treated for two bullet wounds in the face, one near his eye, and another in his arm, and his condition was reported as being serious.

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Michael ‘Dermot’ McArdle goes on trial in Spain next week to face charges in relation to the death of his wife Kelly-Anne Corcoran in Costa Del Sol

Michael ‘Dermot’ McArdle goes on trial in Spain next week to face charges in relation to the death of his wife Kelly-Anne Corcoran in Costa Del Sol over eight years ago.Kelly-Anne (28) plunged to her death from the fourth floor balcony of a hotel in Marbella while the couple were on holiday with their two children in February 2000. McArdle, (39), from Haggardstown, who denies any involvement in his wife’s death, faces 14 years in prison if convicted of murder. The trial is set to begin on Monday in the Provincial Court of Malaga, Marbella. Members of the Corcoran family are expected to travel to Spain for the trial. Documents leaked to the Spanish newspaper ‘La Opinion de Malaga’ earlier this summer revealed that the prosecution’s case centres around evidence of an alleged struggle which appeared to have taken place in the couple’s hotel room prior to her fall. It was initially believed that Kelly-Anne died accidentally on the first day of the couple’s week-long holiday on February 12th, 2000, while trying to prevent her eldest son from toppling over the balcony. She survived the horrific fall but died of her injuries the following day, tragically leaving behind two sons aged just four and two years old at the time.

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National police are questioning a Dublin man over a €7m drug seizure

National police are questioning a Dublin man over a €7m drug seizure in the country.
The 62-year-old Irish man was arrested as he and three Spaniards berthed a boat which is alleged to have been full of cannabis. Police pounced on the vessel as it landed in Cadiz in the south of Spain. It is believed that the boat was carrying a tonne of dope. Detectives questioning the Dubliner have refused to reveal his identity except to say that his initials are DAJ. Police sources have said that this seizure was part of a major operation and have heralded it as a big success in the fight against drugs. Before the arrests, the gang is believed to have been under surveillance for two months. Gardai in Ireland say they are not aware of the man's identity, but said he may have entered Spain illegally. It is believed that the gardai were not involved with the arrests and were not asked to liaise with the Spanish police. It is suspected that the arrested man could be travelling on a false passport or may have dual nationality. The drugs that were seized off the boat will be forensically examined in the coming days, and Spanish police will be investigating who the drugs were destined for.

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Saray Tinoco disappeared going to dye her hair, she never returned for supper.

15 year old has gone missing in Andalucía with the announcement that 15 year old Saray Tinoco who vanished from Lepe, Huelva last Wednesday, a week ago.
Saray Tinoco left home last Wednesday with her I.D. but with no money.
Saray left home at 5pm with her ID card, but without any money, and the family says they had no idea that she may have wanted to run away. They say Saray said she was going to dye her hair, but she never returned for supper.
The Guardia Civil have now organised a search for the youngster.

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Pirate British satellite television group distributing signals to British clients resident in the provinces of Alicante, Murcia and Almería

The group had some 60,000 clients, most of them British, between Benidorm in Alicante and Vera in Almería.
The Judicial Police from the Torrevieja Guardia Civil has broken up an international gang which had been pirating British satellite television signals and then distributing them to British clients resident in the provinces of Alicante, Murcia and Almería in an area between Benidorm and Vera.
The group, based in an industrial estate at Algorfa, Alicante, had more than 60,000 clients, most of them British who paid 590 € for the installation of the system and then a monthly subscription of between 18 and 22 €. A total of 500 million € is thought to have been defrauded by the group which made no tax payments to Hacienda.
A total number of 14 people have been arrested, including eight Spaniards, three Britons and a Byelorussian, Rumanian and Russian.Investigations started following a complaint placed by Sogecable, the owners of the Spanish Digital Plus satellite system

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Liverpool man shot in Puerto Banus as gangwar flares

A man in his 30’s, first reported to be Eastern European by some sources, but now considered to be British by most media, has been injured in a shooting incident in a cafeteria in Puerto Banús, Marbella. At least five shots were fired in the port at 7,30pm last night, according to emergency service sources, with four of the shots hitting the man in the face after a first shot to the knee. He is reported to be seriously injured. Witnesses described the victim as a tall and athletic blonde man, and say he is British, from Liverpool, and has been living in Marbella for several years. They say the shooter, who is also thought to be British, talked to him for some time before opening fire.Police think that what was the third shooting in the town in less than a month, was a possible settling of criminal scores.
The man was shot as he left a cafeteria in Calle Ramón Areces, to walk to his car, a dark blue British registered BMW which he had left illegally parked with the windows open.

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Policewoman have been arrested by Murcia’s National Police drugs squad .

Four people , one of them a policewoman , have been arrested by Murcia’s National Police drugs squad .They have been caught for distributing and selling designer drugs . The supposed head of the gang and his policewoman wife are residents of Los Montesinos and they are thought to be responsible for acquiring and cutting the drugs before selling them on .The four people had been under investigation for sometime by the drug squad and when they were apprehended the squad couped a big haul of many types of drugs from speed to hallucinogenic mushrooms .The suspects have been reported to the courts at Orihuela and Torrevieja .

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David Oakley fled to Spain as police closed in on him.

David Oakley was today found guilty of a series of frauds and deceptions in which he cheated customers of his holiday and travel companies.A jury took just 20 minutes to decide that Oakley was guilty of 12 offences which included fraudulent trading and using forged cheques - and then heard he had fled to Spain as police closed in on him.The prosecution said Oakley, 62, was a conman who sold timeshare and holiday club memberships.Oakley, formerly of Salters Lane, Shrewsbury, was not in the dock and his trial was heard in his absence.During the six-day hearing the jury was not told Oakley had absconded three years ago. But after the verdicts the jury heard that Oakley was in Spain, as Mr David Matthew, prosecuting, made a confiscation application under the Proceeds of Crime Act.Recorder Denis Desmond was due to pass sentence on Oakley later today.Oakley was found guilty of obtaining £15,000 from Adrian Ramian by deception by claiming the money was to be invested in a holiday resort in Antigua.The jury also returned guilty verdicts on 11 other charges, including that Oakley ran Caribbean Marketing UK Ltd and Voyager International Ltd, and formed and promoted VIP Connections Ltd when he was banned from being a company director. He was also found guilty of fraudulently running two of the businesses knowing that the liabilities could not be met.He was found guilty of five specimen offences of forging cheques using Mr Ramian’s signature. And he was found guilty of perverting the course of justice by giving false evidence in a civil case to prevent his home being repossessed.He had initially denied all 14 offences which took place on dates between May 1999 and November 2002.However, he had been in contact with his barrister, Mr John Gruffydd, by fax and made admissions in connection with 11 of the 14 charges he faced.Two of allegations - of perverting the course of justice in a speeding case and fraudulent trading with VIP Connections Ltd - are expected to lie on file

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5-year-old boy is in a critical but stable condition at Málaga's Maternity Hospital after a savage attack by his family's pet Rottweiler

5-year-old boy is in a critical but stable condition at Málaga's Maternity Hospital after a savage attack by his family's pet Rottweiler in the garden of the family home on the La Alqueria residential estate in Alhaurín de la Torre. The toddler suffered serious injuries to his face, legs and back when he was attacked by the family pet, which may have been accompanied by a second dog, at around 9.45pm last Saturday evening. His life was saved by the prompt reaction of his father who pulled him free then rushed him to hospital. The Rottweiler was removed to a stray dog facility for tests while the boy's parents, who are not Spanish, have been ordered to provide proof that they have the necessary paperwork to keep dangerous animals of this type.

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63-year-old English mans charred corpse was found on the outskirts of Chrivel (Almería)

63-year-old English man whose charred corpse was found on the outskirts of Chrivel (Almería) last Saturday evening, may have set fire to himself intentionally as an empty 8-litre can of petrol was found near his body. A loud explosion shortly before 6pm alerted locals, who called in the emergency services. The totally-incinerated body was found after the resulting flames had been extinguished. No significant damage was caused to the surrounding scrub and woodland. A distinctive tattoo on the dead man's back was the key to identifying him

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Alicante rabbit chop their victims on the back of the neck as they were taking money from cash machines

A gang who amassed 150,000 euros through violent crime have been arrested in Torrevieja .These criminals attacked their victims across a wide range , from Valencia to Murcia , with more than 20 violent thefts .Four of the men are from south America and one is a Spaniard .Their modus operandi was to rabbit chop their victims on the back of the neck as they were taking money from cash machines .One of their victims was relieved of 21,000 euros as he left a bank in Alicante .They have been charged with robbery and grievous bodily harm .

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Spanish jury found 24-year-old Victor Navas guilty of homicide.

Builder Gary Dunne, 22, was attacked and stabbed to death in the street in the popular resort of Benalmadena on March 2, 2006, for no apparent reason.
Yesterday, a Spanish jury found 24-year-old Victor Navas guilty of homicide.
But they accepted the killer’s drug problem as an extenuating factor in the case.
During the four-day trial at Malaga provincial criminal court, Navas admitted stabbing Mr Dunne, who had lived with his parents at Benalmadena for four years.
But he said he could not remember doing so because that night he had consumed cocaine, designer drugs, hashish and alcohol.He also told the nine-man jury he had been a drug addict since the age of 13.When the trial started, the state prosecutor demanded Navas should be jailed for 14 years for homicide.But following his statement about his drug problem, the prosecutor reached agreement with the defence to lower his demand to nine years’ imprisonment because of temporary diminished responsibility.Returning their verdict of guilty to homicide yesterday, the jury foreman said they accepted Navas’s drug addiction was an extenuating circumstance.
The presiding judge will release a written sentence within the next two weeks.
Mr Dunne’s parents Lesley and Stephen are also fighting a long-standing battle against the Spanish authorities to bring their son’s body home.For two years, they have been prevented from bringing his body back to Merseyside for burial.
The Spanish authorities claim that for hygiene reasons, Mr Dunne must be cremated. They would then allow his ashes to be taken home.He remains in a concrete box in the resort of Benalmadena

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Corruption case on Mallorca with two people arrested for issuing fake facturas

Corruption case on Mallorca with two people arrested for issuing fake facturas in favour of the Unió Mallorquina party spokesman. One of those arrested is the manager of a real estate company with interests in Spain, Moldavia, Luxembourg, Hungary and France.

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Mario Santafede member of the Camorra, the Neapolitan mafia detained in the car park of a luxury apartment in the northeastern city of Barcelona

mafia suspect on the list of 100 most wanted fugitives in Italy has been arrested in Barcelona, Italian police said today.Mario Santafede, 55, a member of the Camorra, the Neapolitan mafia, was picked up in a joint raid carried out by Italian and Spanish police on a flat in a residential area of the city.Santafede, who is the object of an international arrest warrant, was sentenced to 14 years in prison in his absence for criminal association in connection with drug trafficking. He has been on the run since 2004.Spanish police working in cooperation with their Italian counterparts have arrested a suspected leader of Italy's Camorra crime syndicate, the Interior Ministry said Saturday.Members of Spain's elite special operations police moved in to detain Mario Santafede in the car park of a luxury apartment in the northeastern city of Barcelona on Friday evening, the ministry said in a statement.Santafede, 55, is wanted by Italian authorities for suspected cocaine smuggling from Colombia and Ecuador to the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain and Italy, the ministry said.
The suspect, who is thought by investigators to have close links with other Naples-based criminals, is also wanted in connection with at least three murders, the ministry said.Santafede, who was in possession of false Italian and British identity papers when arrested, had changed his appearance through exercise, the ministry said.
The suspect was expected to appear before a judge at the National Court in Madrid later Saturday prior to possible extradition to Italy, the ministry said.
Santafede is one several suspected Camorra leaders arrested in or near Barcelona in recent years.Police arrested Patrizio Bosti, who was on Italy's list of 30 most-wanted criminals, while having dinner in Girona last month. Bosti, 49, had been on the run since 2005.In February 2006, Raffaele Petrazzuolo was picked up in Barcelona and deported to Italy on suspicion of criminal activity and complicity with mob leaders.Also in 2006 a man identified only as Carmine R., 38, was detained in the seaside resort of Sitges, just outside Barcelona.

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17 tons of hashish to Denmark drugs were smuggled from the Netherlands and Spain

Danish police say they have broken up a drug ring suspected of having smuggled at least 17 tons of hashish to Denmark.Police spokesman Steffen Steffensen says nine people have been arrested across the country since May in the operation. About 484 pounds (220 kilograms) of hashish has been seized during the raids.
Steffensen said Wednesday those arrested include a 46-year-old German woman of Colombian heritage who was arrested on her way out of Denmark with 1.7 million kroner (US$323,633) in cash. He said more arrests are likely as the investigation continues.Police say the drugs were smuggled from the Netherlands and Spain.criminal organisation has imported as much as 17 tons of cannabis from Spain and the Netherlands into Denmark, police say. The turnover was enormous, and a German woman has been charged with transporting DKK 53 million to the gang’s contacts abroad.
The affair has been secretly investigated by the Copenhagen Police since the beginning of the year and a total of nine people have been arrested so far.
Both the 46-year old woman, who worked as money courier, and a man, aged 41 and presumed to be the drug baron, have been in custody since May, according to Police Superintendant Steffen Th. Steffensen. At the time of her arrest, the woman was leaving Denmark with DKK 1.7 million. One of the arrested men, a suspected principle figure, was caught south of Køge and police have found a comprehensive set of accounts that form the basis of the charge. The many transports are believed to have taken place over the past 18 months. Another principle suspect was also arrested near Køge. If the amount of 17 tons of cannabis is correct, it is the largest hash case ever in Denmark. The cannabis was sold from different places in Copenhagen, including in Christiania. There were also customers in Holstebro, Esbjerg, Horsens and Århus, and arrests have also been made in these cities, says Steffensen.
In a few cases sentences have already been passed regarding the receipt of 600 and 800 kilos of cannabis. During one of the raids in Jutland, the police officers also found a machine gun. The police believe the cannabis was smuggled into the country in cars and trucks.
But the investigation is far from over as the Copenhagen Drugs Squad suspects that a Danish man, who is already wanted in connection with another crime, has played a central role.
In the biggest case so far involving the smuggling of 13 tons of cannabis on board the ship “Atlantic Privateer”, Claus Malmqvist, 41, was sentenced to 16 years in prison last year. Police believe that the man they are looking for handled about three tons of the ship’s cannabis cargo and that he worked with Malmqvist and the latter’s partner Lars Petersen, who is serving time for hash smuggling as well as killing of another accomplice. The drugs squad apparently think he is continuing his highly profitable cannabis business from his hideout and with new partners.

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Brian Deans,Dean Hinton arrested case was linked to an operation in July in which five tonnes of hashish worth £15m were seized in Alicante city.

Brian Deans, 45, was arrested along with Dean Hinton, 41, from Northampton, at the small resort of Oliva, on south-east Spain's Costa Blanca. The drugs discovered by detectives were worth just over £1m on the streets. Police said the case was linked to an operation in July in which five tonnes of hashish worth £15m were seized in Alicante city.

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Roch Claude Tabarot and Francisco Fernández.directors of the real estate company Riviera Coast Invest bailed

National Court Judge, Fernando Grande Marlaska, has granted bail of 60,000 and 40,000 € for two of the directors of the real estate company Riviera Coast Invest, Roch Claude Tabarot and Francisco Fernández.Judicial sources say the judge has released the other four directors of the company who were being held since last Wednesday when the group was arrested when about to board a private jet at the Altet airport in Alicante on a flight to Morocco.All six had declared to the judge yesterday afternoon. Marlaska was filling in for judge Santiago Pedraz who was in Washington attending a conference on terrorism.The bail conditions mean the directors have to register every Monday and are prohibited from leaving Spain. They face charges of continued illegal enrichment in a fraud which some claim reached 17 million €.

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20 people have been arrested in a timeshare fraud on the Costa del Sol.

20 people have been arrested in a timeshare fraud on the Costa del Sol.The National Police are investigating the case which could have affected hundreds of people, most of them foreigners.The arrests are now known to have been made last week and new detentions have not been ruled out and several promoters are reported to be under investigation.La Opinion de Málaga reports that the fraud could consist of offering the purchaser a set time in the property without confirming that the time has already been previously sold. The paper says that investigations remain open and more arrests will take place shortly.

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Victor Posse Navas,killer of a Liverpool man stabbed to death in Spain is likely to be jailed for nine years.

killer of a Liverpool man stabbed to death in Spain is likely to be jailed for nine years.Builder Gary Dunne, from West Derby, was attacked with a machete in the Costa Del Sol by Victor Posse Navas, in March, 2006.At Malaga High Court yesterday, the parents of the 22-year-old were advised to accept an offer of nine years behind bars.
Gary’s parents, Lesley and Stephen Dunne, are furious and want Navas jailed for longer.Gary’s family are also fighting a battle to bring his body home.Spanish authorities say that, for hygiene reasons, Mr Dunne must be cremated first before his ashes can be taken home.

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Edgar Vallejo-Guarin aka Jairo Gomez

American and European media are reporting that Vallejo-Guarin [World-Check UID 32513]was carrying identity documents, under the assumed name of Jairo Gomez, with Venezuelan citizenship, and that he had used that false identity to obtain a residency permit in Spain. Spanish police stated that he had been living in the Barcelona suburb of Sant Cugat del Valles, and that he had been arrested with the assistance of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). The United States is seeking has extradition to face multiple narcotics and money laundering charges pending there. The arrest, in Spain this week, of alleged drug kingpin Edgar Vallejo-Guarin has now yielded additional details not previously released to the public. They provide the answer to the question as to how an individual, designated 'Most Wanted' by the Government of Colombia, was able to live in Europe. Vallejo-Guarin was reportedly arrested whilst staying at a luxury hotel in Madrid.

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Space nightclub in Playa d'en Bossa The doorman asked the woman if she was carrying any drugs and to his surprise she pulled a bag of pills out

Bouncers have pounced as an Irish woman tried to sneak 100 ecstasy tablets into an Ibiza nightclub in her bra.
The 23-year-old tourist was on her way into the Space nightclub in Playa d'en Bossa, outside Ibiza town with seven of her friends when the drugs were discovered.
The doorman asked the woman if she was carrying any drugs and to his surprise she pulled a bag of pills out of her bra. The bouncer then confiscated the tablets and called the Civil Guard.It is understood that the woman was really surprised by this because she claimed that she didn't know it was a serious crime to carry drugs on the party island."The doorman asked her if she was carrying any drugs and she simply put her hand inside her bra and pulled out a big bag of pills.""The girl claimed she did not know it was a serious crime to carry drugs in Ibiza," said a police spokesman.

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Marbella Colombian network of cocaine dealers arrested

Three drug-running chiefs from a Colombian network of cocaine dealers have been arrested in Marbella. The three are thought to have controlled another 13 Colombian dealers in the drug, who were arrested in Murcia and Almería.
A statement from the Guardia Civil said the group also prepared the drug ready for sale.The arrests were all made this week as part of an operation codenamed ‘Acuala’, with police also seizing computers, mobile phones, cash, firearms and ammunition and several vehicles with an estimated value of 200,000 €, as well as 2.5 kilos of highly pure cocaine.

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Nicholas Gardner has not yet revealed all the contents of his bank accounts, including ones in Jersey and Spain, and could not account for £250,000.

Nicholas Gardner, 53, persuaded his friends to loan him large amounts of cash to finance "fantasy" business projects destined to fail.Instead he spent the money maintaining his lifestyle, paying for the private education of his three children, rent on his house and keeping his wife, who is now divorcing him.Gardener, currently serving a 33-month jail term, was taken from HMP Woodhill to Northampton Crown Court yesterday for a confiscation hearing under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002.The prosecution are seeking to seize any hidden assets or savings he may have put aside, after benefiting by almost £400,000 from his crimes.
The court heard that he has not yet revealed all the contents of his bank accounts, including ones in Jersey and Spain, and could not account for £250,000.
Judge Christopher Metcalf adjourned the hearing for Gardner, of St Ives in Cambridgeshire, to declare any savings or accounts he may have hidden.

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Movers International Europe duped into drug running

Simon Ashworth, operations manager at Movers International Europe, a household removals firm, said his staff in Spain were stunned when they discovered the drugs hidden in pieces of furniture the firm was due to transport to a depot at at Longridge Road, Red Scar.The staff immediately reported the find, in June 2006, to the Guardia Civil in Alicante who mounted a joint operation with the county's Serious and Organised Crime Unit (SOCU) to track the load.It was discovered the haul had come from a sophisticated drugs network in Spain.Mr Ashworth, 38, said: "We undertook the job believing it to be furniture from a warehouse in Alicante.
"But when a man delivered the goods to our base in Alicante we were suspicious at how quickly he wanted to get away. "They were heavy, awkward pieces of furniture and something didn't add up. The police were called and the furniture was sealed back up and packed back in its bubble wrap and sent on its way as arranged so the officers could see where it ended up. At this end I helped a courier who had been sent by the person who was supposed to receive the furniture to load it into his van.
"The police struck later when it arrived at Merseyside."A SOCU officer, who cannot be named, said: "We would have been looking at roughly up to £250,000 street value."

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sixty Nigerian human traffickers are facing prosecution

sixty Nigerian human traffickers are facing prosecution in nine countries in Europe. The traffickers were arrested in Belgium, France, Spain, Italy, Ireland, Germany, Netherlands and Britain, following a major crackdown on traffickers in an operation tagged ‘Koovis’ which was coordinated by the National Agency for the Prohibition of Traffic in Persons and Other Related Matters (NAPTIP).
Making this revelation, Mr. Warner Ten Cate, the National Prosecutor for Human Trafficking and Smuggling of Persons in the Netherlands, who is leading a ten-man team of investigators, prosecutors, immigration and police officers on a fact-finding mission to NAPTIP and other law enforcement organisations in Nigeria, said NAPTIP has shown tremendous courage and exemplary leadership skills which are hallmarks of law enforcement organisations in the world.
According to Cate, the period of the operation was a defining moment for NAPTIP as it has earned the reputation and recommendation of international law enforcement organisations all over the world.
Cate also said that NAPTIP’s exemplary achievement should stretch to other crimes like drug trafficking, as they are working with the Dutch Ministry of justice to effectively bring the criminals to justice. He promised the collaboration of Europol and Eurojust in tackling the crime of human trafficking.
Cate reiterated the fact that no singular organisation could fight criminal networks alone without cooperation, capacity to utilise each other’s comparative advantage, exchange of information, training of investigators and learning from best practices in the field of victim protection.
Lastly, he said the team was in Nigeria to explore avenue for good agreement on information exchange on criminal groups, how to access their illegally earned profit, capacity building and expand our cooperation to other Nigerian institutions through NAPTIP.
Responding, the Executive Secretary, Mrs. Carol Ndaguba, said the success of the operation was a good example for the rest of the world and other law enforcement organisations to emulate.
According to her, “as a law enforcement organisation we must support each other’s capacity with equitable information flow and technical know-how to operate as equals.

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cocktail of liquid ecstasy and alcohol puts policeman in hospital

local policeman who was attended to in the Nogalera area of Torremolinos on Sunday after taking a cocktail of liquid ecstasy and alcohol, remains in the intensive care unit of Carlos Haya Hospital in Málaga in an induced coma.
Sources close to the man, who is in his 30’s, are quoted by El País saying that he almost lost his life.Mayor of Málaga, Francisco de la Torre, has criticised the policeman’s behaviour
‘It’s not good that there are drug users in the security forces. They should show exemplary behaviour to all the citizens’, he said. The Municipal Police Station in Málaga say they will wait for the man to make a recovery before considering taking any action.The policeman was attended to, with two other men and a woman close to the Emporium Disco. One of the other men also remains in hospital in a serious but stable condition.

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