Thursday 31 March 2011

Five Britons arrested as hashish operation broken up in Murcia

Hashish

A 42 year old woman, named with the intials J.L.W. was among those arrested.

A joint operation from the National Police in Spain and the SOCA Organised Crime Agency from the U.K. has resulted in the arrest of five Britons who had been sending hashish to Britain hidden in air conditioning equipment.

The gang had a warehouse in Balsicas, Murcia, and so far only the initials of the 42 year old woman detained have been released – J.L.W. She was the first to be arrested in the swoop which recovered 300 kilos of the drug, and which comes as the police considered the group were about to send a new consignment of drugs to the U.K.

Investigations indicate that there could be other warehouses in the province of Murcia used by the group. Two vehicles have also been impounded in the operation.

Wednesday 30 March 2011

Two civil servants from the Town Hall in Lora del Río, Sevilla province, have been charged with misappropriation of public funds and falsifying official documents for allegedly stealing 1 million € of public money.

Two civil servants from the Town Hall in Lora del Río, Sevilla province, have been charged with misappropriation of public funds and falsifying official documents for allegedly stealing 1 million € of public money.

They were arrested after a Civil Guard search of Town Hall offices last Friday, following an official complaint from the Town Hall earlier this month into irregularities in the wages department.

The Socialist Mayor of Lora del Río, Francisco Javier Reinoso, told journalists last week that the two civil servants had created fictitious identities, allowing them to collect 1 million € in wages over a 12 year period.

Sources close to the investigation informed the EFE news agency that the two suspects were questioned by a judge on Saturday and, as part of their release conditions, must report back to the judge at regular intervals

Fernando del Valle is accused of laundering millions of Euros through his Marbella offices. sentencing has been drawn up and will be announced this Thursday.

The hearings in the Ballena Blanca money laundering case concluded last December, and there have been unconfirmed reports from Diario Sur that sentencing has been drawn up and will be announced this Thursday.

The paper reported on Tuesday that all parties involved have been called to the court at 9.30 on Thursday morning, where they will be informed of the court’s decision.

The main suspect in the case is the lawyer from Chile, Fernando del Valle, who is accused of laundering millions of Euros through his Marbella offices.

The trial commenced in March last year, five years after the investigation first hit the news with a police raid on del Valle’s offices. The lawyer told the court on the last day of the trial, ‘I have committed many errors in life, but I have never committed any crimes’.

He faces a possible 17 years in prison and a fine of 36 million €.

Tuesday 29 March 2011

Thomas Swannell, aged 44, of Wellingborough Road, Northampton, was arrested in the early hours of Saturday morning by police on the Balearic island following the alleged attack in a bar in Magaluf.



Thomas Swannell, aged 44, of Wellingborough Road, Northampton, was arrested in the early hours of Saturday morning by police on the Balearic island following the alleged attack in a bar in Magaluf.

Swannell, a scaffolding firm boss, was arrested on suspicion of stabbing Gary Vigors, aged 41, from Essex, in the neck with a bottle. He was on an annual cricket tour with Finedon Dolben Cricket Club.

He was due to appear in court in Majorca yesterday.
SPANISH police have yet to say whether a man from Northampton who stands accused of fatally stabbing another Brit during a bar brawl in Majorca is to be charged with murder.
Eyewitnesses have spoken about how they found Mr Vigors, a father-of-one, lying on the side of the road following an incident at the popular Cafe Plaza bar, at around 2.20am.

Bar staff tried to resuscitate him for several minutes before an ambulance arrived and took him to hospital. He was later pronounced dead by paramedics.

It has also emerged the two men did not know each other and were with different groups in Majorca.

Finedon Dolben Cricket Club officials have confirmed Swannell has been part of the club “for a little while” and had taken on the responsibility as one of the club’s sponsors this year.

Stewart Miller, club chairman, said: “Thomas Swannell has been part of the club for a little while, then as a result he offered to sponsor a few things for us this year. We have many, many sponsors who sponsor anything from a cricket ball to a shirt.”

Mr Miller said that most of the club members of the tour returned as planned yesterday afternoon.

He added: “We are absolutely devastated and I’m sure that everyone would have been glad to get back to their families. It was very much a family touch with everyone from pensioners to young players, it wasn’t a bunch of lads on their own. The bulk of the people travelling are from Finedon and I would imagine it has been horrendous for all of them.”

A spokesman at the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office last night confirmed they were aware a British man had been arrested following the incident in Majorca. The Chron attempted to speak to family members at Mr Swannell’s £500,000 home yesterday but they declined.

Monday 28 March 2011

DANGEROUS Midland fugitive has been arrested – after being found living in a beach commune in the Canary Islands.



Jonathon Lejman, 29, has been hunted by British cops after being accused of slashing a householder’s face during a burglary.
Spanish police were also investigating claims the Stoke-on-Trent suspect had ‘kneecapped’ a bar owner during a robbery on the Costa Del Sol.

Last night, a spokesman for the Serious and Organised Crime Agency confirmed Lejman has been captured on the sun-kissed isle.
“I can tell you Jonathon Lejman was arrested on Thursday afternoon in Tenerife,” he said. “He was found living in a commune on a beach.”
Lejman’s picture and description were released by the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) and Crimestoppers in February as part of Operation Captura.
It was featured in British and Spanish newspapers where he was named as one of 10 wanted men thought to be hiding in Spain. So far four suspects, including the Midlander, have been arrested.
The director of operations at Crimestoppers, Dave Cording, said the arrests showed the tactics were working.
“It’s interesting to see that the second arrest this week under Operation Captura has been outside of Spain again,’’ he said.
“Not only is the campaign successful in tracking people down in Spain, but it displaces them as well.
‘‘But as we can see, no matter where these wanted individuals run to, law enforcement will find them.
“I hope this further reinforces to fugitives, that you can run, but can’t hide forever.”
Last week we told how a Dutch bar owner in the Spanish town of La Cala feared he had been targeted by the fugitive.
The businessman, 54, had been running the drinking hole with his Birmingham-born wife when he was attacked by three men, who escaped with £700.
The shocked victim needed surgery to screw together his shattered kneecap. He is still in a wheelchair and the couple have since sold up.
The businessman had recognised one of the attackers as Lejman after seeing the appeal for the fugitive.
His Brummie partner said: “We were called by SOCA on Thursday who told us this animal had been arrested.
“It’s a weight off our shoulders as we felt very uncomfortable knowing he was still out there.
“It does not help my husband’s physical recovery, but it gives us peace of mind.”

Gary Vigors, 41, a City financier from Essex, reportedly had his throat slashed with a broken bottle when a fight broke out at a popular nightspot.

Gary Vigors, 41, a City financier from Essex, reportedly had his throat slashed with a broken bottle when a fight broke out at a popular nightspot.
He is believed to have died in front of friends shortly after the attack in Magalluf, Majorca.
The alleged attacker, Thomas Swannell, is believed to have travelled to the island with other supporters of a Northamptonshire-based cricket club to watch matches with two local sides.
The 44-year-old from Northampton remained in police custody on Sunday as officers continued to quiz him on suspicion of murder.
Alan Henson, president of Finedon Dolben Cricket Club, which took a 58-strong party on the tour, said: "The club is shocked and saddened to learn of this tragic incident and we would like to convey our deepest sympathies to the bereaved."
According to reports, an argument between the pair is said to have started over a girl.
Swannell is suspected of cutting his jugular vein with a broken beer bottle after an initial punch-up.
Local newspapers said Mr Vigors, who was not part of the cricket tour, died within minutes of a friend removing a large piece of glass lodged in his throat as he collapsed on the floor in the early hours of Saturday morning.
A spokesman for the Civil Guard in Majorca, which made the arrest, said: "We are questioning a British man after a compatriot was killed in a bar in Magalluf following an argument. The victim suffered various cuts to his throat which resulted in damage to his jugular vein.
"He bled to death at the scene before paramedics arrived. We are quizzing the man currently in custody as a murder suspect.”
A Foreign Office spokeswoman said: "We can confirm the death of a British national in Magaluf in Spain. Consular staff are in contact with the next of kin and providing consular assistance."

Sunday 27 March 2011

Spanish ‘mini-Madoff’ with a pyramid scheme affecting 100,000 people in 110 countries in America and Europe,

Spanish National Police in Valencia have arrested a man, named as G.C.S. believed to be responsible for defrauding more than 300 million dollars, nearly 212 million €.

Police say it is like a Spanish ‘mini-Madoff’ with a pyramid scheme affecting 100,000 people in 110 countries in America and Europe, including Spain, Colombia, Mexico, Slovenia, United States, France, Ecuador, Croatia, Italy, Panama, Bolivia, Argentina, Canada, Guadalupe, Peru, Iceland, Switzerland, Puerto Rico, Venezuela and the Dominican Republic.

The money obtained initially from a platform dedicated to investments in the currency markets was in fact invested in real estate and the group had reserved as many as 140 properties across the country. 12 bank accounts have been blocked, and 20 Spanish properties have been embargoed for 29 million €.

Reports indicate that there have been at least three arrests and the operation remains open. A further seven people have been indicted so far.

Potential investors were offered a return of between 10% and 20%.

Raymond Gunnel had been on the run from the British authorities for ten years




41 year old Briton, Raymond Gunnel, was arrested by Spanish police using a European Arrest Warrant on Tuesday. He has been on the run for ten years after being jailed for stabbing his girlfriend to death in Grimsby.

Kent Police launched a nationwide hunt for him last year and he appeared in the ‘Most Wanted’ section of the BBC Crimewatch programme.

He was found working as a builder in the Periana area of the Axarquía.

British man has been arrested in Magaluf, Mallorca after he killed a compatriot by cutting his neck with a broken bottle.

British man has been arrested in Magaluf, Mallorca after he killed a compatriot by cutting his neck with a broken bottle.

The Guardia Civil arrested 45 year old Thomas William Swannell after the fatal attack on 42 year old Gari Clive Vigors in the Plaza Café in Punta Ballena, Magaluf.

Civil Guard sources say it happened at 0030 in the early hours of Saturday, when for reasons which remain unclear, the two men got into an argument, and then a fight, which resulted in the cutting of the dead man’s aorta. There are unconfirmed reports that the fight was over a woman.

The aggressor has been taken to the Guardia Civil barracks in Palma, and is being held in the cells there. He’ll appear in court in the next few days.

Despite the prompt arrival of an ambulance, the health team were unable to do anything to save the life of the other Briton who died at the scene.

Thursday 24 March 2011

Supreme Court turns down appeal by two Britons convicted of Costa Blanca murder



It means the two men will each spend 16 years behind bars for the 2006 murder of Colin NobesThe Supreme Court - EFE


Two British men found guilty of murdering Colin Nobes, a convicted crook who escaped from the UK’s Winchester Prison in 1996 and fled to Spain, have had their appeals against their sentence turned down by the Supreme Court.

The court has confirmed, in a decision made public this Wednesday, an earlier ruling by the Alicante provincial court which sentenced both Lindsay George Frampton-Slade and Adrian Marshall to 16 years in prison. It has also confirmed compensation of 60,000 € to the victim’s family.

Adrian Marshall’s wife, Bridget Stokes, who was found guilty as an accomplice, has also had her sentence of 1 year and 9 months ratified by Spain’s highest court.

Colin Nobes was killed in June 2006 and it was not until the following month that his badly decomposed body was found beneath a motorway bridge in Ondara.

The provincial court said in its original ruling that the two men hit the victim with such force that his skull was fractured into 19 pieces. Thinking he was dead, they put his body into the boot of their car, and then took him out again to finish him off when they heard his cries from inside the vehicle.

Junta de Andalucía claims ERE fraud was 10 million Euro

The Junta de Andalucía has said that some 10 million € of money, destined for early retirement schemes and help for companies with problems, was diverted into the pockets of ‘intruders’ with the ERE grants issued by the regional government.

President of the Junta, José Antonio Griñán, noted that the irregularities detected amount to less than 2% of the funds, with 64 of the 68 ERE cases inspected.
The regional employment offices have handled 647 million € in total between 2001 and 2010 through the fund.

The Junta’s Councillor for the Presidency, Mar Moreno, has said that the fraud is ‘under 2%’ and ‘nothing to do with what the PP is claiming’. She accused the opposition of carrying out ‘judicial propaganda’ in the case.

The Partido Popular has meanwhile placed a denuncia against 26 people accusing them of fraud in the case, and they have called for the Socialist Senator, José Antonio Viera, the ex employment councillor, to resign over his involvement in the affair.

Massive drugs haul in Algeciras Port

Canvas Print, Algeciras - 12 x 18Five Romanian nationals have been arrested in Romania in a massive police operation which has resulted in 106 kilos of heroin and 364 kilos of cocaine being intervened in cargos of fish at Algeciras Port in Cádiz and in a lorry containing furniture stopped on the Romanian/Hungarian border.

The drugs have been linked to the Medellín and other Colombian cartels, and the Spanish Guardia Civil were joined in the operation, codenamed ‘Karpatos’, by the Romanian, Ecuadorian and Italian police, along with the DEA from the United States.

The drugs were intercepted in transit from Ecuador and Turkey with destinations elsewhere in Europe. They had been hidden among a cargo of frozen sardines.

The Colombian trafficker, Victor Manuel, known as ‘El Viejo’ is believed to be behind the operation and search and capture orders have been issued for him.

A man has owned up to a strange theft which was reported to the Civil Guard by the Town Hall in Miengo, Cantabria

A man has owned up to a strange theft which was reported to the Civil Guard by the Town Hall in Miengo, Cantabria, on Monday: a missing section of new road which disappeared from the Mogro area of the town.

A 50 metre section of the road had only recently been repaired, at a cost to the Town Hall of almost 15,000 €, but the 150 square metres of new tarmac mysteriously disappeared last week.

It appears that none of the people who live nearby saw what happened, and the puzzled Mayor, Avelino Cuartas, said the thief would have needed heavy machinery to remove the tarmac.

The Civil Guard have now identified the man responsible, who said he dug up the tarmac as the road crosses his private property.
The case has now been passed onto a court in Torrelavega as a civil dispute between the land owner and the Town Hall.

The owner of a jazz club in Alhendín, Granada, is to spend two and a half years behind bars and his establishment permanently closed down for 12 years of excessive noise.

The owner of a jazz club in Alhendín, Granada, is to spend two and a half years behind bars and his establishment permanently closed down for 12 years of excessive noise.

José Luis Sánchez Rodríguez, who owns the jazz club ‘El Secadero’, which EFE reports was known to jazz lovers across Andalucía, must also pay out total compensation of 27,000 € to the locals who were affected by the noise from the club.

The Granada provincial court said in its ruling made public this Wednesday that the noise levels coming from the establishment since it opened in 1994, put residents of the nearby El Álamo Urbanisation at ‘serious risk’. They suffered ‘insomnia, were irritable, and it affected their performance at work’.

It’s understood that a court ordered a provisional closure order in 2008.

The club’s live performances were generally at weekends, but many groups also used the establishment for rehearsals during the week, usually starting their sessions no earlier than midnight. EFE reports that there were no noise limiters on El Secadero’s audio equipment.

Tuesday 22 March 2011

British man and two Spaniards are in custody after they were caught in the act in a drugs deal in a car park

British man and two Spaniards are in custody after they were caught in the act in a drugs deal in a car park in Villajoyosa last Thursday.

According to Civil Guard information released to the EFE news agency this Tuesday, officers found 100 grams of marijuana hidden in a plastic bag inside the engine of the suspects’ vehicle and another 2.5 kilos of the drug when they searched an address in Benidorm.

Officers also discovered more than 27 kilos of cannabis resin in the flat, precision weighing scales, two vacuum sealing machines and 4,000 € in cash.

Inside the Pub Jackson.the police have taken down the names of 25 people after raiding a bar in Fuengirola

25 people who police believe were betting on horse races in the bar could now face charges
Police have taken down the names of 25 people after raiding a bar in Fuengirola which was operating as an illegal betting shop, complete with eight TV screens showing coverage of horse races and a computer link to transmit the bets.

The bar is named in a statement released by the Junta de Andalucía on Tuesday as the ‘Pub Jackson’.

Officers confiscated a laptop computer, almost 1,400 € in cash, 1,500 betting slips and other items relating to betting.

Europa Press notes that they also took with them 39 biros.

Málaga Provincial Prosecutor who believe the man is the one responsible for the death of 36 year old Alla Mefodova who disappeared on April 14th 2010

The Prosecutor has also requested compensation of 300,000 euros for the victim's son, aged 18 who is residing in Ukraine with his maternal grandmother

According to reports in the press the man who is alleged to have murdered and then dismembered a Ukrainian woman last year is facing a 14 year jail term and 300,000 euro compensation payment

It is understood that the sentence has been requested by the Málaga Provincial Prosecutor who believe the man is the one responsible for the death of 36 year old Alla Mefodova who disappeared on April 14th 2010

It is reported that the victim's body still missing nearly a year after the crime, except afor few charred bones of the hands which were found in a field in Mijas

Thursday 17 March 2011

convicted killer who stabbed to death a mother-of-three before fleeing to Spain has been jailed for life.

A convicted killer who stabbed to death a mother-of-three before fleeing to Spain has been jailed for life.

David Baxendale, 40, carried out a "ferocious attack" on Sarah Thomas, 38, at her home in High Street, Nutfield, on 10 May last year.

Surrey Police said he fled the country on a ferry and travelled to southern Spain where he had been jailed for a previous murder in 2001.

He was extradited and given a whole-life term at Guildford Crown Court.

The court heard how Baxendale met Miss Thomas at a friend's flat in Redhill and the pair caught a taxi back to her flat in Nutfield village.

Miss Thomas's boyfriend later went to the flat and found her lying on the living room floor covered in blood.

Spain's Economy Ministry says it has taken temporary control of Libya's Aresbank in line with recent European Union measures against Moammar Gadhafi's regime.

Spain's Economy Ministry says it has taken temporary control of Libya's Aresbank in line with recent European Union measures against Moammar Gadhafi's regime.

The ministry says Aresbank is owned by the Libyan Foreign Bank (Forebank) and specializes in trade between Spain and Arab countries.

A ministry spokesman said Thursday the bank will continue to operate as normal but the Libyan government will not have control over its assets. He spoke on condition of anonymity in keeping with ministry rules.

The bank says that at the end of 2009 it had total assets of euro900 million ($1.26 billion).

The ministry said Spain has also frozen several Libyan bank accounts in line with EU measures but could not give details. It also seized a portion of land owned by a Libyan bank.

MURDERER who was jailed for stabbing his girlfriend to death in Grimsby before going on the run from police for 10 years has been found working as a builder in Spain.

 
Raymond Gunnell, 41, has been arrested by Spanish police using a European Arrest Warrant on Tuesday and is now awaiting extradition to the UK, where he will remain in custody before he faces assault charges.

As reported, a nationwide hunt for Gunnell was launched by Kent Police last year and he appeared on the "most wanted" section of the BBC's Crimewatch programme.

In 1989, he stabbed 19-year-old barmaid Alison Newland 11 times in a house in Stanley Street, Grimsby, while her baby daughter was just metres away.


He was sentenced to life in prison after being convicted of her murder in 1990, but was released on a life licence in 1999.

Two years later, he allegedly seriously assaulted a man in a pub in Maidstone, Kent, and had not been seen since.

Speaking exclusively to the Grimsby Telegraph, ex-pat David Ritchie, 69, for whom Gunnell has been working for the last seven years, described his shock at the arrest.

Former building company boss Mr Ritchie knew Gunnell as Ray Mugabe and employed him as a contractor on numerous occasions.

He said: "Ray was always an excellent worker who was impeccably behaved, so I couldn't belive it when he called to say he'd been arrested.

"I never asked anything about his past, I was just pleased to have such a reliable worker.

"Nobody from around here can believe what has happened. What he did to that poor girl was terrible but he's always seemed like a nice guy."

Mr Ritchie only discovered Gunnell's violent past when an internet search yesterday returned court stories from the Grimsby Telegraph's archives.

He contacted the Telegraph yesterday saying he was in "complete shock".

"I drove down to the police station yesterday to see Ray and take some of his belongings," added Mr Ritchie.

"I was shown into a room and he told me he'd got into a fight about 10 years ago and beat a guy up and knowing he was on licence and would go to prison, he did a runner to Europe. I'm still in shock because he was always so pleasant and helping people out.

"There is a lot of sympathy for him among people here because he seems like a nice guy."

Mr Ritchie, who hails from East Yorkshire, moved to the town of Periana, in southern Spain, 12 years ago and founded the building company.

He sold the firm two years ago but had contracted Gunnell to complete some work on his home this Friday.

As reported, during Gunnell's trial, at Nottingham Crown Court, he said he was "blazing mad" after finding out barmaid Miss Newland was sleeping with another man – the father of her daughter, Kaylie.

He told the court she came at him with a knife during a violent argument and he grabbed it off her and stabbed her.

He completed an NVQ in fitness coaching when he was in jail and Mr Ritchie said he believed Gunnell had worked as a personal trainer before moving to Spain.

Wednesday 16 March 2011

Eva Esther G.C., aged 34, was found with her hands and feet tied up and a plastic bag over her head.

35 year old Spanish man has been arrested at an address in Cox for the murder of a woman who was found dead in a flat in she owned in Torrevieja on February 23.

Eva Esther G.C., aged 34, was found with her hands and feet tied up and a plastic bag over her head. Sources close to the investigation quoted by Diario Información indicate that the suspect was a prospective tenant who the victim had shown the flat to on the day she died, and who later confessed to police that robbery was the motive for her murder.

The woman’s body was discovered by her brother after she failed to turn up for a meeting they had arranged.

It’s understood that the Civil Guard found the victim’s mobile phone when they searched the address where the suspect was arrested in Cox. The man now in custody has not been named, but he is reported to be from Callosa de Segura.

world’s largest online paedophile network,seven Spaniards, have so far been arrested, but it’s understood that more arrests could be expected as the operation continues.

The European Police Agency, Europol, has announced an operation against the world’s largest online paedophile network which has ever been discovered.

The agency’s head, Rob Wainwright, said on Wednesday that the organisation had 70,000 members in 30 countries. 184 people, including seven Spaniards, have so far been arrested, but it’s understood that more arrests could be expected as the operation continues.

It’s understood that 121 of the suspects were arrested in the UK, where some 60 children are now under protection.

Mr Wainwright said in a press conference that police have so far identified 670 suspects with links to the paedophile community ‘boylover.net’.

In Spain, the Civil Guard searched 17 addresses in 12 Spanish provinces and confiscated a large amount of computerised information with paedophile content. The Interior Ministry indicates that, in addition to the 7 people taken into custody, detectives have identified another 9 suspects.

The Ministry said the accused include ‘sexual predators who filmed their abuse of young children’. A diary confiscated from one of the paedophiles contains notes on each of his sexual experiences, his feelings, and the tactics he used to approach youngsters and gain their confidence.

Monday 14 March 2011

LIVERPOOL pensioner is among three Brits arrested in Spain accused of selling illegal pharmaceuticals as natural aphrodisiacs.

LIVERPOOL pensioner is among three Brits arrested in Spain accused of selling illegal pharmaceuticals as natural aphrodisiacs.

Derek Hughes Gowan, 71, from Liverpool, Peter Stevenson, 69, from Stoke-on-Trent, and Lawrence French, 63, were arrested on the Costa del Sol after raids by the paramilitary Civil Guard.

Officers seized nearly 4,000 pills allegedly containing veterinary pharmaceuticals used in improving the sexual performance of animals.

An unnamed Spanish woman was also detained. The four were charged with fraud and breaking Spain's health laws.

Saturday 12 March 2011

Michael Hanks, 66, from Colchester in Essex was also ordered to pay a record 10.6 million euro (£9.1 million) fine by a court southern Spain

Michael Hanks, 66, from Colchester in Essex was also ordered to pay a record 10.6 million euro (£9.1 million) fine by a court southern Spain for starting the blaze in September 2005.
The former chief executive of Islington & Shoreditch Housing Association lit a small fire to alert rescuers to his whereabouts after losing his way in the mountains while walking with his girlfriend near their holiday home in the village of Acequias.
The pair called emergency services to find them after straying off a path within the Sierra Nevada national park. Hanks described how he lit a small fire within a circle of stones to send up a smoke signal so they could be easily located by a mountain rescue team.
But the fire quickly got out of control and spread. It took 227 firefighters using 12 planes and 20 helicopters eight days to extinguish the flames.
The fine, which included 1.3 million euros to cover the cost of putting out the forest fire and 9.1m euros for restoration and restocking of the area, was the largest ever imposed by the regional government of Andalusia.

Friday 11 March 2011

seven lifetime protection orders on Smith under the Sexual Offences Act, preventing him from being in contact with children under the age of 18.

A man whose partner is accused of murdering her two children in a Spanish hotel has been caged for 16 years for an horrendous catalogue of paedophile sex offences.

Fomer TV psychic Martin Smith, 45, used hypnosis and violence to groom and sexually abuse the young girl, known as "Miss A".

Smith had regular access to the girl and abused her for almost a decade from the age of seven.

The victim, now aged 22, told the jury how Smith would attempt to hypnotise, hit and bully her to ensure she complied with his demands between 1995 and 2005.

Smith and his partner Lianne Smith, 44, fled the UK in December 2007 after he had been accused of the child sex offences while they were living in Staffordshire.

Originally from North Shields, Martin Smith was extradited to the UK to stand trial on 7th May 2010.

Just over a week later, Lianne Smith's daughter, Rebecca, five, and her son Daniel, 11 months, were found dead in the Hotel Miramar at Lloret de Mar on the Costa Brava on 18th May.

He was found guilty of 11 specimen counts of rape, attempted rape, indecency with a child and indecent assault after a week-long trial at Manchester Crown Court last December.

At Liverpool Crown Court on Friday, Mr Justice Stephen Irwin imposed a series of seven lifetime protection orders on Smith under the Sexual Offences Act, preventing him from being in contact with children under the age of 18.

Smith's lawyer, Kim Whittlestone, said: "Martin Smith was previously a man of good character before he met Lianne Smith.

"The events in Spain were out of his control and he has found them extremely distressing."

Dressed in a blue shirt with dark trousers Smith showed no emotion as he sat in the dock during the 55-minute hearing.

He spoke only to confirm that he understood the protection orders that were imposed on him.

Sentencing Smith, Judge Irwin told him: "You have been convicted of a sustained and serious course of sexual abuse, indecent assault, attempted rape and rape, reported over many years."

The judge told Smith he had been guilty of "the most grievous breach of trust" against he victim, who was not in court to see him sentenced.

The judge added: "You continue to deny what had happened which is consistent with your offending.

"You re-write the world to suit yourself and you present a high risk of harm to young girls whom you may meet.

"Your victim said her world was filled with dark and cold memories and she also had to go through the ordeal of re-living that in court. I hope she will be able to live a normal life from now.

"You didn't use contraception and she was lucky not to have become pregnant with your child."

His victim said after his conviction: "I'm delighted with this verdict.

"My motivation has always been to protect other children from Martin Smith. He abused me for more than a decade.

"Even after his arrest, he prolonged my agony by fleeing abroad."

Following the sentencing, a representative from the Crown Prosecution Service in Cumbria, who handled the case, praised Smith's victim for her courage in giving evidence against him.

District Crown Prosecutor, Linda Vance, said: "Martin Smith was convicted by a jury in December of very serious sexual assaults including rape, against a young girl over several years.

"What he did had a devastating effect on her.

"Today he begins a lengthy prison sentence for these terrible crimes and I hope the outcome of the case will help the victim move forward with her life.

The parents of Austin Taylor Bice, the U.S. college student found dead in Madrid several days after he went missing, feel that some things about the case are not clear.



Larry Bice, the father of the 22-year-old collegian whose body was found in the Manzanares River, said in remarks to television reporters shortly after returning from Madrid that many questions still remain to be answered.

“It was a Friday night, the weather was pleasant and there were a lot of people, and so it’s not normal to think that someone can fall (into the river) and nobody notices,” Bice told communications media in front of his home in Carlsbad, California, near San Diego.

The San Diego State University student was attending Madrid’s Carlos III University as part of an exchange program.

He was last seen alive at around 1:00 a.m. on Feb. 26, when he was turned away from a Madrid disco during a night on the town with friends.

Bice’s body was found Monday after authorities drained a stretch of the Manzanares near the disco.

Larry Bice, who was very emotional over the death of his son, said that because the family doesn’t know all the facts yet “we’re not satisfied.”

He added that Austin, a former SDSU football player, “was a good swimmer” and that the banks of the shallow, slow-moving river have stairs at intervals so that people can get out of the water and up to level ground.

Responding to questions from reporters about whether he was confident that Spanish authorities will do a good job regarding investigating the case, Bice emphasized that he had received information about the professional abilities of the Spanish police.

The father added that Austin’s friends told him that the young man had drunk some alcohol but it did not seem that that would have been a factor in his death since apparently he was not drunk.

A suspected criminal thought to have been hiding on the "Costa del Crime" has been arrested in the UK.


The Serious Organised Crime Agency (Soca) said that Andrew Spooner, 41, of Leicester, was found in Salford, Greater Manchester.
He was placed on a "most wanted" list after failing to appear at Glasgow High Court to face drugs charges linked to ecstasy in 2001.
Spooner is the latest in a batch of wanted individuals sought under Operation Captura, designed to find suspects believed to be on the run in Spain.
A Soca spokesman said: "He was arrested in Kennedy Road, Salford at around 6.30pm by Soca officers.
"That now brings the total to 41 out of 60 Captura suspects arrested."
The 10 latest appeals, revealed in Alicante, Spain last month, included some of the UK's most dangerous individuals, wanted for serious crimes such as drug trafficking, murder and child sex offences.

Thursday 10 March 2011

Del Nido, who is the President of Sevilla FC, faces a possible 13 and a half years in prison

The testimony phase of the ‘Caso Minutas’, the case into alleged irregularities in services provided to Marbella Town Hall by the Sevilla lawyer, José María del Nido, concluded on Thursday.

The prosecution service is expected to present their final report on March 31, which will be followed by reports from the private accusation by Marbella Town Hall, and then by the defence, to take the case up until mid-April.

Del Nido, who is the President of Sevilla FC, faces a possible 13 and a half years in prison, but the longest term could go to Marbella’s ex Mayor, Julián Muñoz, who the prosecutor wants to spend 16 and a half years in prison. There are another 16 accused in the case, including the ex municipal real estate assessor, Juan Antonio Roca, who is the main suspect in Marbella’s Malaya corruption case.

The allegation is that Del Nido received 1.3 million € of public money from Marbella Town Hall between 1999 and 2003 for legal services he never provided.

Interpol issues an international call for information on the location of Colombian national Victor Vargas Ramon Salazar

Interpol issues an international call for information on the location of Colombian national Victor Vargas Ramon Salazar, a member of the FARC who is wanted in Spain, El Tiempo reported Wednesday.

Vargas is accused of the attempted murder of former Colombian Presidents Andres Pastrana and Alvaro Uribe while the two men were visiting Madrid. He is said to have collaborated in these operations with the Basque separatist group ETA (Basque Homeland and Freedom).

In March 2010, Spanish High Court Judge Eloy Velasco indicted Vargas along with four other FARC members and seven ETA personnel. Vargas was accused of the crime of "conspiracy to commit terrorist homicide."

Interpol lack the formal authority to issue international arrest warrants, as this is left to sovereign states, but the red notice is the closest possible instrument to this.

Vargas was arrested in the city of Armenia in the department of Quindio in 2003 but was paroled in 2009.

Anthony McAuley (46) of Brackloon, Kiltullagh, Athenry, was stopped by custom officers in Dublin Airport on March 1, 2009 as he was about to board a flight to Malaga



Anthony McAuley (46) of Brackloon, Kiltullagh, Athenry, was stopped by custom officers in Dublin Airport on March 1, 2009 as he was about to board a flight to Malaga. A search of his suitcase, which he had checked in, revealed €35,050 concealed in white envelopes hidden among his clothing.

He had booked a one way ticket to Malaga three days earlier, which had been purchased using the credit card of another man, who has convictions for drug possession.

Mr McAuley told custom officers in later interviews that he was travelling to Spain to visit his father who owns a property there and claimed he was intending to use the cash to buy himself and his family a Spanish home.

Mr McAuley had received a €100,000 in a compensation claim in November 2007 and was later able to provide documentation to prove this.

Judge Tony Hunt noted that Mr McAuley claimed that he had a “ticket touting” business and that he needed to deal in cash a lot in order to buy expensive season tickets for premier soccer matches.

He said he would have expected a lot more detail about the running of this business and previously commented that because Mr McAuley had never made returns for this enterprise he had possibly committed a revenue offence.

Judge Hunt said he could not understand why it was “necessary at all to enlist the help of a third party” in relation to the other man purchasing the flights for him.

He said he had not been provided with any documentation or information in relation to the property Mr McAuley was intending to purchase in Spain, how much he was intending to spend, and how he was planning to fund the purchase of it.

Judge Hunt said he could not understand why Mr McAuley chose to carry “all his worldly goods in his checked in luggage where it would be subject to being lost, scanned, or rifled”.

The judge said there were “large dark areas in relation to Mr McAuley’s case” before he confiscated the €35,050 and forfeited it to the State. He commented: “I have a very strong view on this case.”

Mr John Byrne BL, prosecuting, read from an affidavit before the court that Mr McAuley, who has no previous convictions, was stopped in Dublin Airport on March 1, 2009 by customs officer Eoin Flood. He was about to board a flight to Malaga.

Mr McAuley told the officer that he was travelling to Spain to visit his father who had a house there and that he was thinking of buying a property himself in Malaga. He had purchased a one way ticket three days previously.

Tuesday 8 March 2011

Doctor implicated in 2 major doping investigations in Spain hired by 3rd-tier club

 Doctor implicated in 2 major doping investigations in Spain hired by 3rd-tier club: "The doctor implicated in two major anti-doping investigations in Spain has joined the medical team of third-tier Spanish football club Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.
The club confirmed to The Associated Press on Monday that Eufemiano Fuentes has been hired. No more details were available.
Fuentes was the main figure in the 2006 Operation Puerto investigation into the use of illegal performance-enhancing substances in cycling. He has also been implicated in the ongoing Operation Galgo by Spain's Civil Guard.
Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria is currently in second place in Spain's third division"

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California student missing in Spain

California student missing in Spain"San Diego college student, raised in Northern California, has been missing in Spain for more than a week.
Austin Taylor Bice, 22, was studying international business at San Diego State University when he began a semester abroad in Madrid on Jan. 15.
Bice has not been seen since Feb. 26. His disappearance has been the subject of worldwide media attention.
'This has devastated my family more than I can express,' his mother, Pamela Bice, said in a phone interview with The Bee. 'But we're going to get him back and we'll get back to normal.'
The student's father, Larry Bice, arrived in Madrid on Thursday to help in the search.
Before moving to Carlsbad, where Austin Bice attended high school, the family lived in Granite Bay, near Folsom Lake.
Bice earned a football scholarship to San Diego State, and played on the college team his freshman year.
On the night he disappeared, a friend told the Associated Press, Bice and friends had been drinking at a Madrid apartment before going to a nightclub"

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British man arrested for attempted strangulation

British man arrested for attempted strangulation: "Local Police in Rojales, Alicante, has arrested a 40 year old British man who is accused of trying to strangle his partner in their home.

Europa Press reports sources close to the case saying that it happened between 4pm and 5pm on Wednesday this week in the Ciudad Quesada area of Rojales, where the police received a call about possible domestic violence.

On their arrival at the home they arrested the British man, who is accused of trying to strangle his 41 year old partner, who is also British. It is reported that there had been previous occasions of violence, but the woman had not denounced them.

The man was taken to the Guardia Civil barracks in Almoradí and will appear shortly in the Violence Against Women Court in Torrevieja."

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British man arrested after stabbing incident in Orihuela

British man arrested after stabbing incident in Orihuela: "News comes of an arrest on February 26 by Local Police in Orihuela Costa of a 31 year old British man, a resident of Torrevieja, in connection with the alleged stabbing of two others.

The police were called by the security guards at the Flamenca Beach Commercial Centre and found two men and a woman, one of them injured on his knuckles and cheek, running from a group of Moroccans, but who were indicated to be the aggressors.

The British man was carrying a large knife and the other had a cut to his neck and an ear.

Police say the British woman who was with the arrested man has a record for theft, fraud, falsification of public documents and causing injury."

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52 year old British woman named by EFE as Marilyn Wilson was found stabbed to death outside her home in Fuente el Saz del Jarama

 "52 year old British woman named by EFE as Marilyn Wilson was found stabbed to death outside her home in Fuente el Saz del Jarama, Madrid, on Monday morning in a new case of domestic violence.

She was seriously injured but still alive when she was found lying on the road outside her home on the outskirts of the town, with stab wounds to her chest and abdomen at around 8am on Monday. She was stabilised at the scene, but died shortly after she was admitted to the Infanta Sofía Hospital in San Sebastián de Reyes.

Her killer was arrested six hours later hiding out in a local cemetery. He has been named by EFE as a 57 year old Spaniard, Vicente S.M., who is the victim’s ex partner. It’s understood that a distancing order was in place after he was reported by the victim for abuse in June last year.

The Civil Guard and the Town Hall in Fuente el Saz had been monitoring the British woman’s situation after her ex broke the distancing order last November when he contacted her by telephone."

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Monday 7 March 2011

British man arrested after stabbing incident in Orihuela

British man arrested after stabbing incident in Orihuela: "31 year old British man, a resident of Torrevieja, in connection with the alleged stabbing of two others.

The police were called by the security guards at the Flamenca Beach Commercial Centre and found two men and a woman, one of them injured on his knuckles and cheek, running from a group of Moroccans, but who were indicated to be the aggressors.

The British man was carrying a large knife and the other had a cut to his neck and an ear.

Police say the British woman who was with the arrested man has a record for theft, fraud, falsification of public documents and causing injury."

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Malaga woman robbed at knifepoint in hospital

Malaga woman robbed at knifepoint in hospital: "Francy F.C. underwent an operation in the Materno Infantil Hospital in Málaga on Wednesday, and when she woke up on Thursday found a man in her hospital room who then threatened her with a knife.

Her family had gone to the hospital cafeteria to eat something and the man had used the opportunity to take her purse containing 250 € and some jewellery, some pearls and gold earrings which had been placed in the bedside cabinet.

Despite being partly sedated, Francy rang for the nurse and the man ran off. Security guards called by the nurse took ten minutes to appear.

The thief is described as tall and thin with curly hair and a beard. He was wearing a black tracksuit with orange t-shirt and carried a rucksack."

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Policeman dies in shoot out in Fuengirola

Policeman dies in shoot out in Fuengirola: "55 year old national policeman, named with the initials M.M.R. has died in a shoot out in Fuengirola, but it was the policeman who was trying to kidnap a banker, presumably for a ransom.

The policeman was killed in the shoot out with members of the Special Operations Group after taking the manager from the savings bank at 3pm with the plan to use the manager’s car to make the get away. However the bank manager threw away the car keys and escaped, leaving the policeman to return his home in the Urbanisation Torreblanca del Sol, where he got trapped in the shootout on Friday night.

One of the special operations police was injured in an arm and was allowed home after hospital treatment.

Police found three firearms in the house and have arrested the 53 year old wife of the policeman who now faces charges for her possible implication in the plan.

The police are also now reported to be investigating if the policeman could have committed other crimes."

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Friday 4 March 2011

Civil Guard arrest Alicante gang who posed as police to steal from drug dealers

Civil Guard arrest Alicante gang who posed as police to steal from drug dealers: "Civil Guard have arrested 11 members of an Alicante-based gang of criminals who stole drugs and takings from groups of drug dealers by posing as police officers.

The gang of eight Spaniards, two Algerians and one Moroccan are described as ‘extremely violent’.

The investigation has been ongoing since March last year and has seized over the months since then 8 tons of cannabis in separate hauls in Murcia, Alicante, Andalucía and Castellón. Other items confiscated include 8 firearms, 5 bullet-proof vests, 5 detonators, frequency inhibitors, 6 top range vehicles and a semi-rigid boat.

The gang is understood to have operated in Valencia, Murcia and Andalucía, and was extremely well organised, often changing their meeting places and addresses to avoid capture.

The operation remains open and the Civil Guard believe more suspects could be taken into custody, following the initial arrests last week."

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Valencia councillor accused of blackmailing a brothel

Valencia councillor accused of blackmailing a brothel: "Pilar Monreal, a Madame who runs an ‘alternative’ club, famous in Valencia, the Majestic, has presented a denuncia against the Valencia City Hall Councillor for Activities and Modernisation, Vicente Igual.

She alleges that he went to her club and demanded 100,000 € to obtain an activities licence, doing to through two intermediaries, José Luis Bayo, ex President of the Partido Popular youth wing, Nuevas Generaciones, and Carlos Andrés, the Deputy Secretary of the Valencia Federation of Municipalities and Provinces, who described himself as Sr. Igual’s assessor.

The club’s owner is claiming the regional councillor demanded initially 42,000 € and a Rolex gold watch, but then the demand was lifted to 100,000 €.

The Madame presented a recording, made in 2008 between her daughter Noemi and Bayo, which indicates negotiations on how the payment should be made"

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prosecutor asked Roca where the money came from, was when Roca appeared nervous. ‘It was 1987’, he said, ‘when all Spain used black money’.

The man who is at the centre of the Malaya corruption case hesitated in his declarations to the court in Málaga on Wednesday for the first time. Juan Antonio Roca, the ex Municipal Real Estate Assessor in Marbella Town Hall, told the prosecutor that he had never tried to hide his wealth, and that everyone could clearly see him enjoying what was his. Roca has estimated his worth to be 210 million €.

The anti-corruption prosecutor was trying to establish if Roca had money before he entered Marbella Town Hall in 1992. Roca said he had, with Marbella Inversiones, which was one of his companies, assets of about 500 million pesetas in 1989, although Roca admitted that movements of the money were not declared to the taxman. Despite that admission Roca declared ‘I am clean of all suspicion’.

When the

He went on to explain the money came from his 71 companies. Roca said that just before the Malaya Case broke in March 2006, he had decided to transfer all his wealth to his children. Roca said he had been putting between 3,000 and 4,000 € a year in bank accounts for each of his children since they were born.

Read more: http://www.typicallyspanish.com/news/publish/article_29460.shtml#ixzz1FcQLJ7ryDISCLAIMER:Text may be subject to copyright.This blog does not claim copyright to any such text. Copyright remains with the original copyright holder.

Alicante mother who killed her daughter's rapist to remain free while pardon application is considered

Alicante mother who killed her daughter's rapist to remain free while pardon application is considered: "The provincial court in Alicante has decided to stay the imprisonment order for a woman from Benejúzar sentenced for killing the man who raped her 13 year old daughter while the government decides whether to grant her a pardon.

Antonio C.V. was serving a nine year sentence for the 1998 rape and was out on a prison pass in June 2005 when he approached the victim’s mother at a bus stop in Benejúzar and asked her how her daughter was. Mari Carmen García then went to fill a bottle with petrol, doused him with the fuel and set him alight.

She was initially sentenced to nine and a half years for the murder, but received the lesser term of five and a half years on appeal to the Supreme Court."

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Body found in burnt out car in Málaga

Body found in burnt out car in Málaga: "Police in Málaga are trying to identify a body which was found in a burnt out car in the Campanillas district of the city on Wednesday night.

The call reporting the burning vehicle near the Carretera de la Fresneda came in shortly before 10.30 pm, and the body was found inside the car’s boot once the flames had been extinguished.

There has been no confirmation as yet on the sex of the victim who was found inside the vehicle."

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Civil Guard seize more than a ton of cannabis in Andalucía

Cannabis Sativa Botanical Illustration Art Poster Print - 24x36Civil Guard seize more than a ton of cannabis in Andalucía: "on the coast of Carboneras, Almería province, in the east of the region. 779 kilos of cannabis were discovered on board a boat which was found on Los Cocones Beach on Sunday."

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British man arrested for attempted strangulation

British man arrested for attempted strangulation: "Local Police in Rojales, Alicante, has arrested a 40 year old British man who is accused of trying to strangle his partner in their home.

Europa Press reports sources close to the case saying that it happened between 4pm and 5pm on Wednesday this week in the Ciudad Quesada area of Rojales, where the police received a call about possible domestic violence.

On their arrival at the home they arrested the British man, who is accused of trying to strangle his 41 year old partner, who is also British. It is reported that there had been previous occasions of violence, but the woman had not denounced them.

The man was taken to the Guardia Civil barracks in Almoradí and will appear shortly in the Violence Against Women Court in Torrevieja."

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DISGRACED former world boxing champ Scott Harrison's hopes of a prison transfer to Scotland from his hellhole Spanish nick have been KO'd


DISGRACED former world boxing champ Scott Harrison's hopes of a prison transfer to Scotland from his hellhole Spanish nick have been KO'd by the threat of standing trial on fresh assault charges.
Harrison, 33, was due to be flown home from grim Botafuegos jail to Glasgow's Barlinnie prison later this month to serve the rest of his 30-month sentence for battering a cop and a man in street attack.
But last night it emerged he will have to remain in Spain as he faces trial over a SECOND violent brawl in the Costa del Sol.
It's understood the dad-of-three is facing accusations he and two pals attacked three men with bottles and glasses in a brothel in Alhaurin el Grande.
And Harrison - whose long-awaited jail move was previously held up for months by Interpol - could face up to eight months more in jail if convicted.
A source said: "No one quite understands how the authorities gave Harrison the go-ahead to return to Scotland when this was hanging over him.
"Scott's obviously taken it pretty badly. He feels as if he's in complete limbo at the moment.
"Scott had been given a return date for March 20 and was getting ready to go to a jail in Madrid for a few days before getting a flight to Glasgow. Now he's been told the move is off and he's staying put until further notice.
"His lawyer is trying to push for a quick trial over the brothel incident so he can try to revive the move to Scotland if cleared.
"But the worry now for Scott must be that he's going to end up getting another conviction and more prison time."


Read more: http://www.thesun.co.uk/scotsol/homepage/news/3443328/Scott-Harrison-faces-new-prison-el.html#ixzz1FcMcBNmEDISCLAIMER:Text may be subject to copyright.This blog does not claim copyright to any such text. Copyright remains with the original copyright holder.

Wednesday 2 March 2011

Latin Kings ,King Wolverine, Vara Velastegui is regarded as the "king of kings" among Spain-based gangs

The three most senior leaders of a Spanish gang that grew out of a violent Hispanic organisation have been jailed by a court in Madrid.

The gang's Ecuadorean boss, Eric Javier Vara Velastegui, is already in prison but prosecutors said he continued to run the gang while under lock and key.

He was sentenced to four more years, with key lieutenants sentenced to two years and three-and-a-half years.

The Latin Kings grew in 1940s Chicago and later spread through the US.

According to the judgement the organisation was based fundamentally on violence, both towards its own members and towards rival gangs, Spain's Efe news agency reports.

Most members of the Latin Kings are thought to be migrants from Latin America.

It retains its violent reputation even though some efforts have been made to integrate the gang into local culture, especially in Catalonia, where it is not banned.


Known by the codename King Wolverine, Vara Velastegui is regarded as the "king of kings" among Spain-based gangs, according the the country's El Pais newspaper.

Jose Fabricio Icaza, known as The Prince, was given a three-and-a-half-year term, while Maria Torres - The Godmother - was sentenced to two years.

As well as jailing the three gang leaders, the Madrid court ordered the

to be disbanded, in line with a previous ruling from 2007. Prosecutors said that judgement was flouted by Vara Velastegui.

He is already behind bars serving a sentence for murder but is thought to have retained control of the Latin Kings criminal network while serving his time.

The sentences end a long legal battle by the gang members, who had appealed against earlier judgements ordering the dissolution of the group.

They claimed that testimony given anonymously in court during a previous trial had infringed their rights by preventing them from knowing the identity of their accusers.

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Tuesday 1 March 2011

National Police officer arrested for smuggling migrants into Cádiz

National Police officer arrested for smuggling migrants into Cádiz: "There have been a number of arrests over recent days in connection with a network which brought Moroccan migrants from Ceuta over the Strait of Gibraltar onto the coast of Cádiz province.

The first arrests were on Saturday night, including a National Police officer, who is from Chiclana and was assigned to Immigration and Border Control in Ceuta. He and another man arrested in Chiclana are believed to have led the organisation.

Another three people were taken into custody late that night after the National Police intercepted a van carrying seven irregular immigrants which had boarded the last boat to Algeciras , bypassing police controls."

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Funds recovered in Andorra connected to Llíber illegal properties case

ANDORRA Flag - Window Bumper Laptop StickerFunds recovered in Andorra connected to Llíber illegal properties case: "The Civil Guard have recovered 2.4 million € from an account in Andorra which officers say is money which had been diverted there by a real estate corruption network in Llíber, in inland Alicante province.

It’s understood to be part of the money which was paid over by developers in return for Town Hall licences to build properties illegally on rustic land. It’s estimated that some 300 properties received permission to be built in this way.

The case has seen 18 people taken into custody since the first arrests took place in December 2008, including Llíber’s former Partido Popular Mayor, José Mas. The town’s ex municipal surveyor is another of the suspects; ABC newspaper reports that he and his wife are the holders of the Andorra account.

The total amount defrauded is believed to be as much as 90 million €."

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Maltese notary arrested in Spain

 Maltese notary arrested in Spain: "Notary Pierre Falzon had been arrested in Marbella, Spain, on the strength of a European Arrest Warrant.
Hoodie Womens White "I love Malta " Countries SmallThe Secretariat for Small Businesses said the warrant was requested by the Malta police and Dr Falzon was arrested on Saturday.
His wife insisted with timesofmalta.com that her husband is abroad because he is ill and his arrest was a consequence of him having been unable to attend a court sitting."

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