Monday 31 October 2011

Welcome to Oculto Café – Cordoba’s infamous Satanic saloon.

 

GLASSES shoot across tabletops, busty vamps serve blood-red cocktails, and twisted locals raise a toast to an image of Aleister Crowley. Welcome to Oculto Café – Cordoba’s infamous Satanic saloon. The bar is situated in a maze of narrow, winding streets in the ancient ‘Old Town’ district. Stepping outside for a Marlboro, I scan my surroundings. It’s a chilly, moonlit night and the streets are deserted. Strain your ears, however, and you’ll hear muffled voices coming from dark balconies. It’s like a scene from Interview with the Vampire. As I re-enter, the room falls silent. A cross-eyed chap stares at me… well, I think it’s me… it’s hard to tell. Had my gothic guy-liner run, or had he caught a whiff of fresh meat? In this insular atmosphere, I feel as welcome as Gary Glitter at Tivoli World! Forget fruit machines and pool tables, it’s ouija boards and tarot cards that keep these punters amused. A little weakened, I seize a newspaper and hide in the corner. Alongside ads for ‘Black Angels’ and ‘Colombian Swallowers’, the classifieds are swarming with clairvoyants. I’m shocked! Isn’t Spain supposed to be a God-fearing country? But the truth is, up until the Inquisition (1478), Iberia was a hotbed of magic and sorcery. With the coming of Catholicism, however, mystics – including ‘witches’ and ‘healers’ were round-up and executed. For survival’s sake, Spaniards severed their ties with the ‘other side.’ Today, however, there is growing evidence that Spain is returning to its supernatural roots. Church-going is down (just 14.4%), and stories of Satanism are everywhere. In March 2011, an Almerian church was littered with satanic scrawls. Investigators claimed that the site had been used for a “black mass.” Tenerife’s Arona Cemetery has also been targeted by sinister cults. In 2008, graves were desecrated and animals sacrificed during “bizarre nocturnal rituals”. For sceptics, it’s easy to blame rebellious youth or drug-addicts for these atrocities. However, as someone who’s experienced dark forces – first hand – I try to keep an open mind. It all started in 2001 when I was filming a documentary at Devon’s Berry Pomeroy. In the castle grounds, I indivertibly captured an inhuman figure on camera.  Whilst replaying the footage to BBC colleagues, the office computers went wild. In 2009, I moved my family to a 15th century cottage on the West Pennine Moors. Unbeknown to us, our ‘dream house’ was built on a Quaker burial site. During our six-month stay – we endured stamping noises, icy chills and orbs zipping round the lounge. At night, the constant thumping would deprive us of sleep, and we’d trudge into work like a couple of zombies. However, my most recent spooking occurred right here in Andalucia. One evening, I watched a can of Asturiana cider move sideways, hover and then drop off the table! Earlier that day, an old drinking buddy had been buried in Devon – was this his final ‘chin-chin’? Whatever it was, it scared the bejesus out of my missus and she hasn’t slept properly since. Two weeks on, and we’re sitting in Oculto, trying not to blush at orgy paintings. After some Dutch courage, I enquire about a séance at the bar. A black-toothed midget points towards a battered wooden door. Timidly, I wander down the corridor and knock on wood. It’s opened by a raven-haired gypsy. She’s both beautiful and grotesque: Penelope Cruz’s mum meets the Bride of Chucky. Without speaking – she beckons me in with a long, black talon. With low ceilings, purple walls and an absence of windows – the room is claustrophobic and unsettling. Under flickering candlelight, the Victorian death portraits seem to eyeball you from the walls. But it’s the cold air and fetid stench that’s really sending shivers down my spine. The woman glides over to a monolithic Ouija board and orders me to sit. She lays out a clutch of cards, including The Hanged Man, The Fool, The Stig, Jeremy Clarkson, Dog the Bounty Hunter, The Archbishop of Canterbury and Boy George. Okay… I lied about Boy George – but it’s all the scary ones! Suddenly, my stomach churns and I shout ‘Stop!’ I apologise for wasting her time – but I’ve got the heebie-jeebies. A floating cider is hardly The Ring – so why risk opening a fresh can of worms? I chat to Jose, a Pepe Reina lookalike in his late 20s. Around us, weirdoes chuck darts at an image of the Pope (only joking….it’s Desmond Tutu!) Jose is erudite and speaks fine English. Over Osbourne brandies, I pose the question: “So….Are you a Satanist?” “Of course”! Jose replies: Usually, I’d grab my coat, but by now, I’m immune to the madness. After dispelling myths of “priest-beating” and “baby-eating”, Jose insists that Satanists are “Perfectly normal.” Apparently, the only difference is they choose “indulgence over abstinence’, and prefer “vengeance” to forgiveness. Oh…..and they enjoy kinky sex and coke-snorting – but hey… so does the cast of Skins. By 1am I’m craving a Horlicks and a late night snack. I thank Jose and wish him a “hell-of-a-life.” We leave Occulto and hot-foot it to the Corredera for a greasy kebab. After filling our faces, we clamber into a taxi. We’re only 10-minutes from the hotel – but I’m bloated on beer and lamb offal. Back at the room, Jose’s words haunt me. Having spent the last five hours binge-drinking, ogling rude pictures and eating crap – could I be accused of “indulgence”? If Christianity equals modesty, chastity and turning the other cheek, what about all those times I’ve bought designer togs, belted a thug or lusted over lesbians? Perhaps I’m more Satanic than I thought? By bedtime, I’d seen no demons, virgin sacrifices or people snacking on goats’ head soup. This said, not everyone was as friendly as Jose, and the yokels at the bar seemed quite menacing. I’ve yet to decide whether Satanists are ordinary folk – daring to be different, or psychopaths to be avoided at all costs. I DO know, however, that pentangles are not for me. For one – I like animals too much to put their heads on sticks – and secondly, I root for the “goodies” when it kicks off on Buffy. Nevertheless, I enjoyed my time at Occulto and found the experience enlightening. Whatever they are (or aren’t), there’s a pub full of them in Cordoba, and if you ever feel like taking a walk on the wild side, you know where to head.

Body found in boot of crashed car on Alicante motorway

 

Firemen called out to an accident on the A-31 Alicante-Madrid motorway early on Monday found an unidentified body in the boot of a car which had crashed into the central reservation at Sax and then burst into flames. The body was partially burnt but appears to be that of a man. Reports indicate that the deceased had been tied up and gagged. No other occupants were found at the site and the Civil Guard are now trying to identify the victim and the cause of death.

Sunday 30 October 2011

Boy, 17, shot in back in Poplar, east London

 

teenager has been shot in the back in east London. The 17-year-old boy was wounded in East India Dock Road, Poplar, in the early hours of the morning. A Scotland Yard spokesman said: "A 17-year-old male had a gunshot wound to the back and is in hospital in a serious condition." The attack happened just before 01:00 GMT, police said. Any witnesses to the shooting should call the Metropolitan Police.

Armed guards are to be deployed on British civilian ships for the first time to protect them from pirates,

Armed guards are to be deployed on British civilian ships for the first time to protect them from pirates, David Cameron announced today.

A legal ban on weapon-toting protection staff will be relaxed so that firms can apply for a licence to have them on board in danger zones.

The Prime Minister said radical action was required because the increasing ability of sea-borne Somali criminals to hijack and ransom ships had become 'a complete stain on our world'.

He unveiled the measure after talks at a Commonwealth summit in Australia with leaders of countries in the Horn of Africa over the escalating problem faced in waters off their shores.

Under the plans, the Home Secretary will be given the power to license vessels to carry armed security, including automatic weapons, currently prohibited under firearms laws.

Officials said around 200 ships were expected to be in line to take up the offer, which would only apply for voyages through particular waters in the affected region.

It is expected to be used by commercial firms, rather than private sailors such as hostage victims Paul and Rachel Chandler.

Pirates: There are around 50 ships currently being held hostage

Pirates: There are around 50 ships currently being held hostage

 

Asked if he was comfortable with giving private security operatives the right to 'shoot to kill' if necessary, Mr Cameron told BBC1's Andrew Marr Show: 'We have to make choices.

'Frankly the extent of the hijack and ransom of ships round the Horn of Africa is a complete stain on our world.

'The fact that a bunch of pirates in Somalia are managing to hold to ransom the rest of the world and our trading system is a complete insult and the rest of the world needs to come together with much more vigour.

 

Two British tour operators who come to Spain go bust

 

Two British tour operators who bring tourists to Spain have gone bust. Romano Travel ceased operations on October 26, a day after Airborn Limited. Romano Travel specialized in package holidays to Spain and Turkey and had been operating for 30 years. There were no more than half of dozen or so pending bookings from the Buckinghamshire firm which was fully protected with an ATOL licence and was a member of ABTA. Airborn Limited operated as Airborn Direct and Holiday Hero, and was based in Romford, Essex. It sold packages to Spain, Cyprus and Turkey, and sold its products to other operators. The CAA says there are many clients who have purchased flights with the firm using a credit card, and these flights should be operating normally. If in doubt passengers can confirm with the airline.

Spain no longer the main destination for Brit's second homes

 

A new survey carried out by the HomeAway holiday rentals company and real estate group Savills International has concluded that Spain is no longer the first choice among the Brits for their second residence. 1,700 British property buyers were questioned. More Britons now prefer France because of its better economic stability and the moderation in its house prices. 40% of Brits who buy in Spain later rent out the property, sometimes obtaining an income of as much as 34,500 € a year, but 24% still say that Spain is the place they have chosen for retirement. Despite the change away from purchasing a second home, Spain continues to be the most popular holiday destination for the Brits. In France, Italy and Switzerland the British purchasers usually opt for restored old properties, while in the United States, Cyprus and also in Spain and Portugal, they tend to go for more modern or new constructions.

Malaga on the Mediterranean coast, in the Southern Spanish region of Andalucia, was the city you avoided

The city of Malaga on the Mediterranean coast, in the Southern Spanish region of Andalucia, was the city you avoided. An industrial port encircled by a tired ring of Franco-era low-rise apartment buildings, it was always the city tourists dashed by on their way to Torremolinos or Marbella further down the Costa Del Sol.

Being out of favor from the 1970s onwards – when torrid overbuilding ruined the Spanish coast – has served Malaga well, and the tired city around the old port has gone through a revival in recent years: The pedestrian-only squares and streets are washed clean, filled with a mix of fashionable shops selling Ermenegildo Zegna suits and Omega watches, and old men hawking lotto tickets and blanched Andalucian almonds wrapped in paper cones—all in the shadow of the city’s baroque cathedral where the 17th century choir stalls are carved from mahogany and cedar.

The city is still no great beauty, but its unpretentious charm stems from the fact it remains a middle-class working port. The first night I arrived I dined on a plate ofpata negra (thinly-cut slices of cured ham, with a rich marble of fat, made from black pigs that feed on acorns) and some grilled sea bream served with French-cut beans. As I drank my copa de vino tinto, contentedly observing the town’s life from the sidewalk café, a guitar-banging gypsy dashed by, twitchy as a heroin addict, followed by an old man selling to local tapas bars the snails slowly crawling the walls of his white bucket.

Two newly-opened institutions have greatly contributed to Malaga’s cultural revival. The crowd-puller is the Picasso Museum, and I am sure it is a lovely collection, but, in all honesty, I couldn’t bear to see yet another second-tier Picasso Museum. (The Spanish painter, for all his greatness, would have benefitted considerably from being a little less prolific.)

My interest was, however, very much piqued by the new museum housing the collection of Baroness Carmen Thyssen-Bornemisza de Kaszon.

The Thyssen family, dating back to the 17th century, famously made their fortune supplying the industrializing German state with steel. But they were also great collectors of art, and the late Baron Hans Heinrich Thyssen-Bornemisza aggressively added works to his father’s stacks of Old Masters until the family’s 1,600-strong collection became the second largest private art collection in the world, second only to the British Royal Family Collection.

Ranging from Hans Holbein to Edward Hopper, the collection was originally housed in the family’s Villa Favorita in Lugano, Switzerland. (The Thyssen family left Germany for Switzerland in the 1930s.) In the mid 1980s, however, the Swiss unwisely barred the baron from expanding his museum at Villa Favorita—they were unimpressed he wanted to show more of his collection to the public.

Enter Spain. In 1985 the baron married his 5th wife, Carmen Cervera, a former Miss Cataluna, just as his battle with Swiss small-mindedness was heating up. The Catalan beauty was instrumental in getting her husband to move his art collection to more flexible Spain, where it now sits in its own museum next to the Prado in Madrid.

But Baroness Carmen Thyssen herself began collecting in the late 1980s, all under her husband’s tutelage, and she focused on Andalucian art of the mid-19th to early 20th century. It was this collection, critically praised throughout Spain when it was first exhibited in the late 1990s, which was squirreled away in the newly-converted palace called the Museo CarmenThyssen Málaga.

The mid-19th century Andalucian works in the collection were largely painted for middle-class European tourists of the day who wanted to return to London and Paris with reminders of their Andalucian holidays. So the first floor of the museum is devoted to these so-calledColumbrista painters, and provides a panoply of chocolate box scenes of idealized Andalucian landscape romanticism: sultry gypsy dancers and battling bandoleros in mountain caves and young fishermen wooing flower girls.

But as the 19th century progresses, so does the sophistication of the paintings. Two paintings in particular stayed with me long afterwards: the dark Columbrista painting of 1851 by the Frenchman, Alfred Dehodencq, painted for the duke occupying the Palace of San Telmo. It’s of a procession through the town during Holy Week. Hooded monks, like an all-black vision of the Ku Klux Klan, are the candle-carrying advance guard of the Mater Dolorosa, and they walk a gauntlet of rapturous women in black mantillas. Powerful stuff.

Later, in 1867, the Spaniard Mariàno Fortuny Marsal painted a bullfight with quick, almost impressionistic brushstrokes that seems to foreshadow what is yet to come in the art world. Called Exquisite Realism, or the Précieux Style, the intense brushstrokes of the “Bullfight” give a blurry sense of speed and movement at the breath-holding moment when a gored picador is carried dying from the ring and another picador is trying to weaken the bull with the hard thrust of his lance. It’s hard to tell who is going to live or die, and it’s a very modern work, in a 19th century way.

Five arrested for road rage attack in Madrid

 

National Police have arrested five people, two of them underage, for a brutal road rage attack in a tunnel on the M-30 motorway in September. They were taken into custody after they were identified on video footage from security cameras in the tunnel. The aggressors were travelling in two vehicles on the evening of September 17, and were seen on film chasing another car into the tunnel, speeding ahead and cutting across it to bring it to a halt. The eight occupants of the two cars are then seen getting out of their vehicles and dragging the three people travelling in the third car out onto the roadway. They are beaten and kicked, and their car is vandalised. Some personal items were also stolen and one of the victims was stabbed in the back. The reason for the attack was because the victims had criticised their assailants for a dangerous manoeuvre a few kilometres previously. The Interior Ministry released news of the five arrests this week, and said the search continues to locate the three other suspects involved.

32 arrests in luxury car scam in Spain

 

National Police in Spain have arrested 32 people accused of stealing 25 vehicles worth over a million € from counties such as Germany, Austria, France, Italy and Switzerland, to be sold on in Spain. The sale of the vehicles were helped by official dealers and the gang even had the collaboration of workers at several ITV/MOT centres which issued certificates to say the vehicles had no signs of being manipulated. The Ministry of the Interior says that the gang was made up mainly of Hungarians, Romanians and Spaniards, and the vehicles were sold on with false documents in dealers in Madrid, Santander, Tarragona, Castellón, Valencia, Alicante, Cuenca, Almería, Córdoba, Jaén and Granada.

Spain's first private airport goes bust

 

Spain’s first private airport has closed. The Ciudad Real Airport was opened in December 2008, considering that it could act as a Madrid overflow for residents in the south, but that just has not happened. The very last flight, operated by Vueling and with just 45 passengers, took off for Barcelona on Saturday at 2,45pm. The airline lasted less than a year at the Ciudad Real airport which has been dogged by bad luck from the start. It had problems with the environmental agency in 2005 as it is located in a special bird protection area, there were complaints that as much as 50% of the building works were illegal, it needed a continued supply of capital, and the intervention of the Bank of Spain in the CCM Castilla La Mancha savings bank revealed more irregularities. The airport closes with the company, CR Aeropuertos, owing its creditors more than 290 million €. It opened with debts of 1.7 million, and a poster declaring ‘Our dreams take off’, can still be seen in the Cuidad Real City Hall. The airport had hoped to attract seven million passengers a year, and managed to attract the airlines, Air Nostrum, Air Berlin and Vueling, with the attraction of a AVE high speed train station at its door, and one of the longest runways in Europe, but the facility never attracted more than 500,000 travellers in the first year. It was not long before some flights had more crew than passengers. There has been a rash of private airport projects in Spain, started during the economic boom, and there were six projects in total in Cataluña, Aragón, Valencia, Murcia, Andalucía and in Ciudad Real. Only one has opened, and today, has now closed for business.

Saturday 29 October 2011

Man stabs three people to death in Valencia

 

A man has stabbed three people to death and injured another two in a hamlet close to Valencia. It happened in Castellar-Oliverar to the south of the city on Friday night at about 9pm. A 48 year old is reported to be very seriously hurt and is in the intensive care unit of the La Fe Hospital. Another 44 year old man has injuries to his back and head, and is stable in the General Hospital. Two of the dead are father and his 13 year old son, while the third is a female pensioner. 33 year old local resident and neighbour to the dead and injured, named as J.P., has been arrested in connection with the triple homicide. Municipal sources say the man carried out his attacks in several flats connected to the stairway of his block after ringing the door bells. A local policeman then saw the man in the street, covered in blood, and asking what had happened. It seems that the case is linked to a dispute between the neighbours, and it is still unclear if the attacker is related in any way to the victims. Several neighbours have described him as ‘a normal man’ who was married and had a young daughter and who had never caused any problems.

Thursday 27 October 2011

Fresh appeal launched to find man living abroad accused of murdering Nantwich man

 

NEW appeal has been launched to capture a man wanted in connection with the murder of a Stapeley market trader. Christopher Guest More, 33, of Lymm, near Warrington, is one of 10 individuals wanted in the latest campaign being run by Crimestoppers and the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA). He is suspected to have been part of a gang involved in the torture and murder of market trader and cannabis farmer Brian Waters, who was killed in a barn in Tabley, near Knutsford, in June 2003. Three of his alleged accomplices, Otis Lee Matthews, James Stuart Raven and John Godfrey Wilson, received life sentences for their part in the brutal attack. More is also sought in connection with the attempted murder of Suleman Razak and for the alleged false imprisonment and assault of other victims present during the incident. It is believed he fled to Spain just 24 hours after the incident. The appeal is part of crime charity Crimestoppers’ ‘Operation Captura’ campaign, which is trying to locate wanted criminals abroad. Crimestoppers’ regional manager Gary Murray, said: “This extremely heinous crime saw an individual lose their life and the person responsible needs to be tried for their actions. “I’d urge anyone with information to contact Crimestoppers on our 0800 555 111 number or use our online form on our website – we guarantee your anonymity.” Detective Chief Inspector Andrew Smith said: “Eight years on, we still remain determined and committed to finding and arresting Christopher More for his alleged involvement in the brutal murder of Brian Waters. “Cheshire Police will not close this case until the family of Brian Waters sees justice done.”

Wednesday 26 October 2011

Planning probe halted in Estepona

 

ESTEPONA town hall has a backlog of more than 3,200 planning investigations which have not been processed, admit officials. Councillor Susana Arahuetes described the situation as ‘very serious’, blaming the problem on the ‘total paralysis’ of the department over several years. Many of the cases are even beyond the deadline for action to be taken, although Arahuetes promised to reopen them in due course. The problem dates back to the Astapa investigation in 2008, which saw the arrest of former Estepona mayor Antonio Barrientos and several councillors.

Tuesday 25 October 2011

National Police have arrested a gang of eight people who stole thousands of Euros from foreign nationals by using cloned credit cards for purchases in Spain.

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The National Police have arrested a gang of eight people who stole thousands of Euros from foreign nationals by using cloned credit cards for purchases in Spain. They made the copies at their base in Toledo after obtaining the card details by hacking online transactions in the United States.

The investigation began in January this year after police received a number of complaints from US citizens, some of whom said that they had never even visited Spain. The Interior Ministry said in a press release on Monday that the fake cards were made up to match those issued by Spanish and Romanian banks and were used in stores with fake Romanian identity cards or driving licences as identification.

The gang defrauded 75,000 € in this way, but were stopped before another planned fraud of 150,000 € could go ahead.

It’s understood that the US Secret Service has identified the US nationals who fell victim to the network.


Benefit cheats will be caught, UK government warns

 

The vast majority of people who claim UK benefits are honest, law-abiding citizens, but there are those who continue to cheat the system… and who continue to get caught. One such cheat was James Bowery, 54, from Harrowside, Blackpool. For years he enjoyed life in Spain, living off UK income support, a non-exportable benefit, without telling the DWP that he had moved to Malaga. In total he fraudulently claimed over £15,000. Having been caught, he pleaded guilty to benefit fraud at Blackpool Magistrates Court in September and was sentenced to a three-month curfew order, restricting his freedom to leave home - and of course he has to pay the money back. Many assume that benefit fraud only occurs when someone receives a benefit, such as Job Seekers Allowance or incapacity benefit, and fails to tell the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) when they start working. But people who are in receipt of UK benefits have a responsibility to tell the DWP about any change in their circumstances, such as moving in with a partner, changing address, or going or moving abroad. The DWP will soon be imposing a civil penalty on those who fail to keep them updated. For people who fail to take reasonable care of their claim, perhaps knowingly letting a change in circumstances run on and incurring a small overpayment, the DWP will swiftly apply a £50 civil penalty as a punishment to deter them from such action in future. Deliberately withholding information that affects a benefit claim is a crime. Between April 2010 and March 2011, benefit cheats stole £79 million from UK taxpayers by not informing the authorities that they were going abroad. Spain is one of the countries where most UK benefit fraud is committed, but with UK fraud investigators working with overseas counterparts, benefit thieves are being caught. At a time when it is more important than ever that the correct money goes to the correct people, the general public can help stop benefit cheats. The Department for Work and Pensions for Spain has set up a free and confidential hotline that operates Monday to Friday, 8am to 4pm. By calling 900 554 440 in Spain you can give information about anyone you suspect of committing UK benefit fraud. You can also report this online at https://secure.dwp.gov.uk/benefitfraud/. The DWP wants benefits to go to the people who are entitled to them, not the cheats

Gang which smuggled cannabis in children's car seats smashed in southern Spain

 

The Civil Guard have seized more than 400 kilos of cannabis in an anti-drugs operation in Málaga, Melilla and the Campo de Gibraltar. The drugs gang which was based on the Costa del Sol and the Campo del Gibraltar and used children’s car seats to smuggle cannabis from Morocco across Spain and then into France. They also hid the cargo in the false bottoms of previously stolen top range vehicles. It’s understood that the gang cultivated its own cannabis in Morocco, where the resin was obtained and packaged up for distribution. 410 kilos of cannabis resin were recovered in the four property searches which took place in Benalmádena and Fuengirola, Málaga province, together with 80,000 € in cash, firearms and ammunition, 11 vehicles, computers and other items. The total value of the items seized is put at more than 2 million €.

Monday 24 October 2011

Ten Britons and an Irishman arrested for drug running to Ibiza

 

Ten Britons and an Irishman have been arrested in Ibiza and Manchester in a new Guardia Civil anti drug operation. The eight men and three women were arrested as searches were carried out in three homes in Sant Antoni de Portmany and San Josep de Sa Talaia. One arrest was made at his home in Manchester. All but one of them has been sent to prison on remand. Among the items found were 5 kilos of cocaine, 10,000 € 40,000 pounds sterling, 4,000 ecstasy pills, 200 grams of crystal, 162 doses of LSD, and 376 grams of M-Cat. The operation started thanks to information obtained by the Guardia Civil at the end of August when 13 others were arrested, 9 Britons, 3 Irish and I Pole. The gang came to Ibiza only in the summer, taking advantage of the thousands of young tourists to sell the drugs near discotheques.

Thursday 20 October 2011

Frederick Thompson (30), of Loreto Road, Maryland, in Dublin’s south inner city, is wanted by Spanish authorities to face charges of possession and trafficking of drugs and firearms.

 

DUBLIN man is to be extradited to Spain immediately after telling a judge he wanted to be sent there “straight away”. Frederick Thompson (30), of Loreto Road, Maryland, in Dublin’s south inner city, is wanted by Spanish authorities to face charges of possession and trafficking of drugs and firearms. He was arrested last week on foot of a European arrest warrant issued by a judge in Malaga on September 8th, 2010, which was endorsed by Mr Justice Michael Peart in the High Court in Dublin. Mr Thompson’s extradition arises from an investigation by Spanish authorities into a major international drugs gang led by Irish criminals based in southern Spain. In May 2010 the alleged key figures in the Irish-led gang were arrested in Spain on a day of co- ordinated police raids against suspected gang members in Spain, Ireland, the UK, Brazil and Belgium. The alleged gang leader, 54- year-old Dubliner Christy Kinahan, was one of those arrested, at his villa near Marbella. A convicted drug dealer, he was granted bail in Spain but has since been jailed in Belgium for money laundering. The other men arrested with him have also been bailed in Spain but the investigation into their activities is ongoing. The gang was believed to be a key wholesaler of drugs to gangs in Ireland. The international drug trafficking and money laundering investigation has found evidence that Kinahan and his associates had built a property portfolio worth in excess of €150 million. The properties are in Ireland, Spain, Dubai, South Africa, Brazil, Belgium, England and Cyprus. When Kinahan and the other gang members were arrested, the Spanish authorities drew up a list of 19 people they wanted to question about suspected involvement in his drugs gang. The man before the courts yesterday, Mr Thompson, was one of those suspects. It is alleged he was involved in sourcing firearms and that he worked as a chauffeur and bodyguard for Kinahan. Mr Thompson mainly lives in Ireland but has spent periods in Spain in recent years. Mr Justice John Edwards said the extradition order was to take immediate effect after Mr Thompson said he was waiving his right to remain in custody here for 10 days. Barrister Ronan Kennedy for the State said Mr Thompson’s surrender was sought for three offences. These were unlawful assembly, possession of weapons and arms trafficking, and drugs offences. The judge refused to grant Mr Thompson legal aid after an application from the State.

Wednesday 19 October 2011

Briton amongst 13 arrested for money laundering on Tenerife

 

group of 13 people have been arrested on the south of Tenerife on suspicion of laundering money for two Naples Camorra clans, the Nuvoletta and the Polverino. A Briton and a Moroccan national are amongst the detainees, while the remainder have Italian nationality. More than 50 property searches took place as part of the operation ordered by Central Instruction Court No. 6 at the Spanish National Court and a number of bank accounts have been embargoed. The prosecutor’s office against corruption and organised crime said in a statement on Tuesday that collaboration with their colleagues in Naples was key in providing information for the operation. According to the statement, the Nuvoletta clan has been investing in Spain since the 1990s, particularly in the southern Tenerife towns of Arona and Adeje in recent years, where they own the Marina Palace tourist palace. The clan is led in Spain by a man named by EFE as G.F., whose network of companies are mainly businesses which are registered on Tenerife. They are linked to real estate, the hotel industry and restaurants, and sales of luxury cars and boats, and are reported to have been created to launder money from the two clans

British man arrested for drug trafficking in Benalmádena

 

45 year old British man resident in Benalmádena has been arrested on a drug trafficking charge after he was caught during a police control in possession of cocaine and the drug MDMA which had been hidden inside mobile phones and a cigarette lighter. Officers found other quantities of the two drugs in a search of his home, in addition to more than 100 grams of cannabis, weighing scales, almost 2,000 € in cash and 16 mobile phones which he allegedly used to transport the drugs. His vehicle was also impounded by the National Police. El Mundo indicates that the suspect has a previous record for similar offences. He has now been remanded to custody by the judge.

British catamaran carrying 1 million € of cocaine was towed into port in Cádiz

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A British catamaran carrying 1 million € of cocaine was towed into port in Cádiz on Tuesday after it was boarded on the high seas in a joint operation by the Spanish National Police and the Agencia Tributaria Tax Authority. 300 kilos of the drug were found on the vessel when it was boarded 200 miles west of Cape St Vincent, Portugal, last Saturday.

It’s understood that the boat was bound for Spain when it was intercepted and that it had been under surveillance since October 11.

Five people were taken into custody: the three crew members who were on board the boat and another two members of the drugs gang, including the leader, who were arrested in Almería province, where the gang was based. 

More than 50,000 € in cash was confiscated in a search of the leader’s home.

The suspects’ nationalities have yet to be confirmed by the police, but Sky News indicates that the boat’s three crew and one of the suspects who were taken into custody in Almería are all British. The fifth suspect is identified as a Colombian man with British documentation.

Spanish officers were assisted in their investigation by the UK’s Serious Organised Crime Agency and the Guardia Nacional in Venezuela.


Sunday 16 October 2011

Suspected serial killer recently arrested could be linked to disappearance of Irish teenager Amy Fitzpatrick

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MISSING: Amy Fitzpatrick was 15 when she disappeared from Mijas Costa

THE mother of a teenager who went missing from Mijas Costa has demanded police investigate if the suspected serial killer recently arrested could be linked to her daughter’s disappearance.
Irish teenager Amy Fitzpatrick, 15 at the time, disappeared from Riviera del Sol in 2008 and her mother Audrey, and her partner Dave Mahon have been searching for clues ever since.
When Audrey read in the Euro Weekly News about the arrest of a man who confessed to killing two prostitutes in the Costa del Sol she was shocked to discover certain ‘coincidences’ with their case. 
Audrey told EWN the suspect “was always in the area, trained in the local gym, where he was arrested. Dave [Mahon] went to the same gym. “One of the women he killed is the same area we had our bar in Calahonda and the other victim was in San Pedro Alcantara near where we lived for nearly a year,” she added.
“He’s been here since 2007. Amy dissappeared in January 2008. Do you not think this is all a little bit coincidental? Have the police the brains to question him about this?” she asked. Either way Audrey says she is “screaming this to everyone until I get an answer.”
In an email sent by Audrey on September 30 to Breda Lee, Irish Consul in Madrid, she wrote: “I want another meeting with them as was arranged by our government which we haven’t had in nearly a year. I want to be heard, I want Amy to be heard. And I want to know that this man who, lived under our noses since 2007, is being investigated about anything to do with Amy.”
Replying to Audrey on October 4, the Irish Consul wrote the Guardia Civil are “pursuing any line of enquiry which may link this man to Amy’s disappearance.”
Since then, Audrey says she has not heard from any official source about the matter. While she admits it could be nothing but a coincidence, she is frustrated by the lack of response. “We don’t know who else to turn. It is only the media that seems to be helping us,” she said.

Saturday 15 October 2011

MARBELLA Urban Planning Department is currently working on the legalization of more than 500 houses.

 

 The new General Plan for Urban Development in the town gave promoters who had built illegally the opportunity to pay compensation in order to make some complexes legal so that the homeowners would not be affected by demolitions as they had bought the properties in good faith. This had to be done within a year, although the period could be extended to two years. However, in cases which were classified as minor, where too many houses were built on a plot, no period for them to be legalized was given, and promoters have not come forward voluntarily to do so. Therefore, the town hall has now given them two months to legalise the buildings by giving the town hall 10 per cent of the benefits they have obtained from the projects. Once the two months is up, the town hall will chase the promoters who have not come forward to demand the compensation.

BODY discovered on a property in Mijas is that of missing Finnish teenager, Jenna Lepomaki

 

BODY discovered on a property in Mijas is that of missing Finnish teenager, Jenna Lepomaki, Malaga National Police have confirmed. Nevertheless, an autopsy and DNA tests are being carried out on the body, which police are 99 per cent certain belongs to Jenna. Four people have been arrested, three of them in Finland, thanks to a joint operation between Finnish and Spanish police. The 19-year-old came to the Costa del Sol on holiday invited by two Finnish men, aged 18 and 20, who she had met online, as the mother of one of them lived in Mijas. Her family attempted to dissuade her from coming, but the men paid for her trip and she arrived on June 20. She spent the first few days in a hostel in Fuengirola, but when the young man’s mother, 37, and her partner, 47 and also Finnish, went away, Jenna moved into the house. In July, her family reported her missing in Finland, and this was communicated to the Spanish police. They discovered that the teenager had reported them to the Guardia Civil in Mijas because they had allegedly attacked and threatened her when she refused to transport cocaine from Spain to Finland. She also reported that they had taken away her passport. From June 29, her mobile phone was turned off. Spanish police discovered that the two men had left Spain, travelled to Ireland and then back to Finland, where they have now been arrested, and focused their investigation on them both for their involvement in Jenna’s disappearance and their possible links to cocaine trafficking. Last Thursday, the Spanish police searched the house in Los Espartales area of Mijas, where the girl had been staying which was hired by the mother’s partner. He was arrested, and the two young children living with him were taken into the care of the Junta de Andalucia. She was also arrested in Finland. The search later continued in the area surrounding the house, where an almost mummified body was found wrapped in a sleeping bag hidden amongst some bushes and leaves. The body was missing both legs and one arm. Part of the arm was found in a barrel located on a construction site nearby. They report that it appears she was killed inside the house and the killers attempted to cut her body into pieces and then burn her remains, but having failed to do so, they hid it.

Spewing volcano forces Spain to close island port

 

Spanish authorities say activity by an underwater volcano has led them to close access to a port on El Hierro island. Ships have been ordered away from waters around La Restinga and aircraft have been banned from flying over the island's southern tip. The port's 600 residents were evacuated Tuesday after volcanic activity began. The regional government of the Canary Islands says scientists have detected airborne volcanic fragments called pyroclasts rising from the sea off La Restinga. The government said it awaited scientific reports on the danger posed by pyroclasts, but a research vessel that was collecting samples there has been ordered to desist. TV channel La Sexta reported Saturday that journalists also have been told to clear the area.

SPANISH AUTHORITIES are seeking to extradite a Dublin man, Freddy Thompson

SPANISH AUTHORITIES are seeking to extradite a Dublin man, Freddy Thompson, who they allege is a member of a international criminal gang involved in trafficking drugs and weapons.

Mr Thompson (30), with an address at Loreto Road, Maryland, Dublin 8, was arrested by gardaí at that address yesterday afternoon on foot of a European extradition warrant issued by the authorities in Malaga, Spain in September 2010 and then brought before the High Court.

The court heard the Spanish authorities are seeking his extradition on grounds alleging Mr Thompson is a member of a criminal organisation whose members include Irish, British and Spanish nationals.

The warrant further claims Frederick James Thompson, said to have moved to Spain in 2008, is a member of an organisation alleged to have laundered the proceeds of illegal drugs and weapons trafficking through a complex network of companies.

It is claimed Mr Thompson’s role was to secure weapons for the organisation and that he acted as a bodyguard and a chauffeur for the gang, based on Spain’s Costa Del Sol.

The Spanish authorities also allege Mr Thompson is an associate of and has worked for other known criminals, some of whom were described as good friends of his.

It is also claimed in the warrant that ongoing surveillance of Mr Thompson conducted by police in a number of countries revealed that on dates between 2008 and 2010 he travelled to locations including Morocco and Amsterdam.

It is claimed he travelled either in the company of or to meet gang members or other criminals, and the trips were to organise criminal activity including the shipment of drugs.

It is further claimed Mr Thompson has no movable or immovable assets, such as property, in Spain, and no legitimate means to support his lifestyle.

Yesterday, Sgt Sean Fallon of the Garda extradition unit told the court Mr Thompson was arrested shortly before 3pm at Loreto Road. Sgt Fallon said when the charges contained in the warrant were read and a copy of the warrant was handed to Mr Thompson, he replied: “I can’t read, I am not taking that.”

Mr Thompson was then taken to Kevin Street Garda station.

Mr Justice Michael Peart said he was satisfied the individual before the court was the person sought in the warrant. He told Mr Thompson he had a right to professional legal advice as well as the right to consent to surrender at any time during the extradition process to the Spanish authorities.

While no application for bail was made yesterday, Mr Thompson’s lawyers indicated one would be made in the future. The State indicated it would object to any such application.

Mr Thompson’s lawyers told the court they would be applying for legal aid under the Attorney General’s scheme.

Mr Thompson was remanded in custody by Mr Justice Peart to next Wednesday’s sitting of the High Court.

British man arrested with contraband tobacco in Cádiz

 

Guardia Civil has arrested a British man on the quay at Cádiz port after 5,800 cartons of contraband tobacco from the canaries were found in a false bottom of the van he was driving. A statement was released from the Guardia Civil saying the arrest took place last Monday when searches were carried out on vehicles which had arrived from the Canaries. The unit from the UAR, the Risks Analysis Unit, which is made up jointly by the Guardia Civil and the Agencia Tributaria, earmarked the van for an exhaustive inspection. They found the cigarettes behind wooden panels in the van which had been placed on the floor walls and even the ceiling of the vehicle. The arrested man has been named as 39 year old G.M.H. from Liverpool. He will appear before the Instruction Court Four in Cádiz.

Nine arrested for growing marihuana inside a luxury property in Zaragoza

 

Nine people have been arrested and 2,500 marihuana plants recovered from a luxury villa in a village of Zaragoza. The electrical installation to heat and supply light to the plants used as much power as 50 homes, and an illegal connection had been established to the grid. The facility had the capacity to produce 1,500 kilos of cannabis a year and had been established following the ‘Holland Model` of optimising plant growth by controlling the hours of light the plants receive. The chalet was found in Caspe, Zaragoza, and the nine arrested are accused of distributing all types of drugs including cocaine, hashish, amphetamine, methamphetamine and marihuana to bars and clubs in Tarragona. The swoop is the result of investigations which started five months ago. Six searches were carried out in different homes in Caspe, Tortosa, Amposta and Santa Bárbara where 40 grams of cocaine and different amounts of speed and crystal were recovered along with 11,500 € in cash.

Friday 14 October 2011

Estepona cracks down on street prostitution

 

Estepona Town Hall has drawn up a new by-law which includes measures against street prostitution with a ban on offering, requesting, negotiating for or accepting paid sexual services in public spaces, particularly within 200 metres of residential or commercial centres and schools. Fines are envisaged for those who fail to comply with the regulations. Councillor Ana Velasco told Europa Press that the by-law is expected to be approved at the next council meeting. Assistance and advice will also be available from social services for prostitutes who work locally, especially for those who want up to give up the profession. The by-law also covers other matters such as the practice of youngsters drinking in the street, graffiti, unauthorised street peddling and the responsibility of dog owners to clear up after their pets.

British fraudster arrested in Torrevieja

 

The Spanish National Police has arrested a British man who is wanted by the authorities in the United States for a fraud. Named as 61 year old R.B.A. he was arrested in Torrevieja, Alicante, when he was carrying out some transactions in a real estate company. The US fraud dates from March 1999 when the Briton was the main owner of a company which mis-invested the firm’s retirement funds. He and others in the company invested part of the fund in treasury bonds, but the rest was transferred to personal accounts. The arrest was carried out by agents of the UDEV from the Alicante Police Station, coordinated by the fugitive location group of the Judicial Police.

Moroccan teenager found dead on Marbella roadside was shot for trying to steal marijuana plants

 

The wife of the man who shot him has been arrested for covering up the crime and another youngster is in custody for attempted robberyThere have been two more arrests in the case of the 15 year old Moroccan boy whose body was found on the roadside between Marbella and Ronda on morning. The owner of a nearby finca was initially arrested, and it has now emerged that he shot the teenager dead after catching him breaking in to try and steal his marijuana plants. The owner, 58 year old P.N.G., moved the body off his property to the roadside and now faces charges of a public health crime in addition to the murder charge. His wife has also been arrested for allegedly covering up the crime. The third person taken into custody is a friend who was with the deceased on the night it happened, who is charged with attempted robbery. The deceased lived in San Pedro de Alcántara and is reported to have been involved in previous attempted break-ins at the property with a group of friends from the area. They had been shot at before, and on one occasion one of the group suffered minor injuries but did not report the incident to the police. The murder weapon was a hunting shotgun which was found in a police search of the suspect’s house. Another 10 firearms have also been confiscated.

Thursday 13 October 2011

FORMER policeman lived the high life in Marbella by running a £300million VAT fraud

 

 – the biggest ever uncovered in the UK. Nigel Cranswick, 47, tried to cheat the taxman by claiming back tax on £2billion worth of bogus sales made by his mobile phone firm I2G. The “phenomenal” turnover was generated in eight months, HMRC said. Advertisement >> Meanwhile Cranswick lived it up in his rented villa in Marbella. “Despite this phenomenal turnover... I2G operated from a small office in Sheffield,” HMRC said. The scam was smashed after a five-year police probe, Newcastle crown court was told. Cranswick, from Sheffield, admitted conspiracy to cheat HMRC, as did accomplices Brian Olive, 56, of Doncaster, and Darren Smyth, 42, from Rotherham. Claire Reid, 45, also from Rotherham, admitted false accounting. The four will be sentenced next month

Man arrested in connection with body found on Marbella roadside

 

A man has been arrested in connection with the death of the 15 year old Moroccan whose body was found by the roadside between Marbella and Ronda. The arrested man lives on a nearby finca to where the body was found, and has claimed that the 15 year old was continuously stealing from him. Government Sub Delegate for Málaga, Hilario López Luna, said that the National Police arrested the Spaniard on Tuesday. The 15 year old Moroccan is known to have had a police record. The arrested man said that he surprised the Moroccan on his land and shot him in the face with a shotgun. He then moved the body to the roadside. He is expected to appear in court shortly.

Tuesday 11 October 2011

Spain health service chokes as austerity tightens

 

Medical suppliers haven't been paid for as much as two years, emergency rooms have been shut down and doctors in Catalonia have been told to accept a pay cut or 1,500 medical residents will lose their jobs. Spain's treasured public health care system has become the latest victim of the euro zone debt crisis. "We haven't been paid, but there's nothing we can do about it. We need the contracts, so we're just going to have to wait it out," said a representative for a cleaning company who did not want his or the firm's name used for fear of a backlash. The company, which says it is owed hundreds of millions of euros by the government of the Castilla-La Mancha region south of Madrid, is one of dozens of providers of everything from surgical swabs to disinfectants struggling to pay workers as Spain's regions delay payments to meet tight deficit targets. The debt-burdened autonomous regions' spending cuts are a tangible sign of the present and future pain as Spain works to meet ambitious deficit reduction goals pledged to the European Union in the midst of an economic downturn. Spain's political parties have kept their positions on the issue vague ahead of November 20 general elections, but even the most passionate defenders of the current system agree there is scope for cost savings and more efficiency. Spain's conservative opposition, the People's Party (PP), which is expected to win in November, will likely cut into social welfare programs the incumbent Socialists have left untouched. But even the Socialists now say they can find ways to reduce health spending without harming services. Examples include forcing car insurance firms to pay for the treatment of accident victims and sending foreign governments the bill when their citizens use Spanish hospitals. 900-DAY WAITS Multinational pharmaceutical firm Roche says the Castilla y Leon region north of Madrid is more than 900 days behind on its bills, which has raised fears here that the company could start withholding drugs for some hospitals as it did in Greece, which is fighting off bankruptcy. Spain's central government makes yearly transfers of income tax revenue to the country's 17 autonomous regions, which are in charge of administering health care and schools. But the regions are being forced to make drastic budget cuts after piling up debt during Spain's property boom, the collapse of which in 2008 sent the country into recession and unemployment soaring to more than 20 percent. As the regions squeeze spending wherever they can, what they owe to companies that provide health care services and products has risen 42 percent in a year to more than 4 billion euros, according to the Spanish Federation of Healthcare Technology, known as Fenin. AT Kearney consultancy calculates the system's long-term deficit is 15 billion euros, a heavy burden for a government whose borrowing costs have soared in the euro zone debt crisis. Margarita Alfonsel, secretary general of Fenin, says small companies in her federation "are suffering to an alarming extent due to the liquidity squeeze." She said some will have to lay off staff or go into bankruptcy. The average number of days providers must wait for payment has risen in the past year to 415 days, from 285 days, she said. "It was unacceptable before. Now it's totally incomprehensible," said Joaquin del Rincon, Spanish representative of Boston Scientific, which provides medical and surgical instruments to Spanish hospitals. "We have to explain to our central offices that this is an ongoing problem in Spain made worse by the crisis," he said.

Possible Drug Connection Moroccan teenager found dead on a roadside in Marbella

 

The National Police have identified a body which was found on the hard shoulder of the road between the Nueva Andalucía area of Marbella and Ronda on Monday as that of a 15 year old Moroccan boy who has been named by his initials, T.A. Despite the identification from finger prints there is no report of a missing person. It’s thought that his body could have been thrown from a moving vehicle as it passed the access road to the La Quinta urbanisation. The body, which was dressed in sports gear, was removed from the scene for autopsy as the investigation continues to determine the exact cause of his death. However reports indicate that he had suffered shotgun wounds to the face.

British man mugged in La Línea

 

Local police in La Línea de la Concepción have reported that last Sunday they arrested three local men, 17 year old J.Z.B., 20 year old L.M.L.F. and 22 year old J.R.P. in connection with a robbery with violence. The police were patrolling the Calle Gibraltar in the town at 0630am close to a discotec, when they were approached by an 18 year old British man who told them that his father was being beaten up in the Princesa Sofía park. On their arrival at the scene they saw a 63 year old British man on the ground, with injuries to his face and body. They called the health services and were told by the victim how three youngsters had attacked him and stolen his mobile phone, passport and tobacco. Local police informed the National Police and a search of the area found the three in the Bellavista district. Once back at the police station the three are reported to have confessed and the stolen items were found in their pockets.

Four people arrested for murder of Finnish woman in Mijas

 

Four people have been arrested in connection with a murder committed on the Costa del Sol this summer, after a body was found on an isolated property in Mijas last week. It’s believed to be that of 19 year old Jenna Lepomaki, a woman from Finland who arrived in Fuengirola for a holiday in June and was reported missing the following month after she failed to return home to her family. DNA testing is to be carried out to confirm the identification. She is reported to have travelled to the Costa del Sol at the invitation of friends she met on line and who paid for the trip. El País indicates that it has now emerged that she placed a complaint with the Spanish Civil Guard while in Spain for the threats her friends made against her after she refused to act as a courier to smuggle cocaine back into Finland from Spain. Investigations in Finland led Spain’s National Police to the property in Mijas, owned by a Finnish man, where the body was found, partially dismembered, wrapped up in a sleeping bag which was half covered over in a mound of leaves. Part of a missing arm was found inside a barrel which was being used by workmen working on site to renovate the swimming pool. Four Finnish nationals have been arrested in connection with the murder. The man who owns the Mijas property is in custody as a suspected accessory and, in Finland, the two friends she was travelling with in Málaga have also been arrested, as well as the mother of one of the two.

Dead Moroccan dumped on Marbella roadside

 

BODY found on a Marbella roadside with shotgun wounds to the face has been identified as a 15-year-old Moroccan boy. The youngster was found near the La Quinta urbanisation on the Marbella to Ronda road on Monday, with reports indicating he had been thrown from a moving vehicle. An investigation is now underway, with an autopsy being held to determine the cause of death. Despite being identified by his fingerprints, there is no report of a missing person. It comes as four people have been arrested in connection with the murder of a Finnish woman whose partially dismembered body was found at a villa in Mijas. Jenna Lepomaki, 19, is thought to have been killed after refusing to help smuggle cocaine between Spain and Finland.

alleged members of an organized network trafficking with weapons and drugs were arrested in Granada.

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All the detainees are Spanish and are aged between 35 and 45.
The operation began several months ago focused on locating illegal weapons which had allegedly been sold by the network. The police also found sophisticated cannabis greenhouses where more than 2,000 plants were seized. The electrical supply to the greenhouses had been obtained illegally.
Thirteen properties in Granada province were searched, and more than €130,000 in cash, as well as 14 firearms, ammunition, and four high range vehicles were seized.

Polish woman arrested in Marbella for murder

 

POLISH woman was arrested in Marbella for her alleged involvement in a murder in Valencia in August 2009. The victim was Djordje Kenecevic, who was shot and burned inside his car in Almussafes (Valencia). The 49-year-old woman, identified as Danuta G.K. but also known as Renate B. and other identities, was arrested on the Palm Beach urbanization in Marbella. She had been identified as a suspect some months ago but was only located in Malaga last week after using one of her false identities to travel within Europe. She is a known drug smuggler and was wanted by the German authorities, according to press reports. She was set free with charges of covering up the murder, but later taken to prison under the orders of the National Court as there is also a request for extradition to Germany. The extradition process will have to wait, as the crime which she will have to respond for in Spain is more serious and carries a longer sentence. Djordje Kenecevic is believed to have been killed by members of the gang he belonged to. Most of them, like him, were sailors who took advantage of their work with Europe’s main shipping company to transport packages with up to five kilos of cocaine between European ports. The detainee is considered to have been one of the leaders of the organization, and is the second person arrested in this case.

Bank manager arrested for robbing his own bank

 

Bank manager has been arrested in Vitoria after trying to rob his own branch. The man arranged for his brother to attack the bank, but things immediately went wrong when several people saw the brother putting on a wig and false moustache sitting in a car round the corner from the bank, and alerted the authorities. The man then left the bank by car but was found later by the police who found a wig, beard, moustache and false teeth in a bag he was carrying, along with gloves and a fake pistol. The car he was driving was found to belong to the bank manager, his brother. When the police asked the bank manager what had happened he initially said that a man had come into the bank to ask about several products and left shortly after, but other clients and employees said that it was ‘evident that the man was in disguise’. Both men have been arrested by the Basque regional police, la Ertzaintza, who said that the brothers came up with the idea because of the financial difficulties they were in. The arrests took place on Friday, but the Basque Government interior department only released news on Monday. The 60 and 53 year old are accused of attempted robbery with intimidation and will appear in court shortly.

Moroccan teenager found dead on a roadside in Marbella

 

National Police have identified a body which was found on the hard shoulder of the road between the Nueva Andalucía area of Marbella and Ronda on Monday as that of a 15 year old Moroccan boy who has been named by his initials, T.A. Despite the identification from finger prints there is no report of a missing person. It’s thought that his body could have been thrown from a moving vehicle as it passed the access road to the La Quinta urbanisation. The body, which was dressed in sports gear, was removed from the scene for autopsy as the investigation continues to determine the exact cause of his death. However reports indicate that he had suffered shotgun wounds to the face.

Monday 10 October 2011

Family mourns man's death in Spain

 

family has been left "devastated" after a young father died while on holiday in Spain. Chris Lindsay was staying in Calahonda, between Marbella and Fuengirola, when he died on Friday. His brother told a newspaper that the 34-year-old was found unconscious in the street with cuts and bruises and his passport missing. He is thought to have died of liver and kidney failure. Mr Lindsay had become a father three months ago. His brother, Tony Lindsay, 38, from Edinburgh, told the newspaper: "We don't know who found him but he had been unconscious in the street and his passport was missing. There was bad bruising down his right-hand side and cuts on his knees and elbows. He had certainly been in a fight. "All we can say for sure is that he ended up dead." Mr Lindsay's father, Harry Lindsay, from Airdrie in Lanarkshire, told the newspaper he was "absolutely devastated". Mr Lindsay is believed to have travelled to Spain with colleagues from the Marketing Company, based in Glasgow. A company spokeswoman said she had "no comment at all". A Foreign office spokeswoman said: "We can confirm the death of a British national in Spain on October 7. We are providing consular assistance to the family."

Spain's fifth biggest bank, Banco Popular, said on Monday its takeover offer for smaller rival Banco Pastor has been accepted

 

Spain's fifth biggest bank, Banco Popular, said on Monday its takeover offer for smaller rival Banco Pastor has been accepted by the target bank's majority shareholders. Their agreement effectively seals the all-share deal, worth a reported 1.36 billion euros ($1.8 billion), the latest step in the restructuring of Spain's financial sector following the collapse of a property bubble in 2008. The three major Banco Pastor shareholders representing a combined 52.28 percent of the equity "have accepted the terms of the offer," Banco Popular said in a statement. The three shareholders are corporate foundation Fundacion Pedro Barrie de la Maza with 42.17 percent, Amancio Ortega, who owns the textile giant Inditex, with 5.06 percent and Tesalia with 4.04 percent. Banco Popular announced Friday it was in talks with Banco Pastor, one of five Spanish banks that in July failed European Union stress tests to assess the ability of lenders to withstand a prolonged recession. "It was very unlikely that Banco Pastor could survive given its strong exposure to the property sector and its resulting high level of bad debts, but also its reduced size and weak capital base," Spanish retail bank Bankinter said in a research note. Banco Pastor hopes to complete the deal by early next year. It said it may carry out a convertible bond issue of around 700 million euros to maintain its solvency ratio at 9.6 percent. "It is likely that there will be more concentrations in the sector, but this will take place slowly," said Fernando Hernandez, a fund manager at Spanish brokerage Inversis. The Bank of Spain and the government have put pressure of Spanish banks to merge so as to lower costs and strengthen their balance sheets to cope with bad loans that piled up after the 2008 property market collapse. The financial restructuring has already cut the number of savings banks from 45 to 15 through a series of mergers. Banco Pastor and Banco Popular shares were suspended from trading on Friday when they announced the takeover was being discussed. The offer consists of: -- 1.115 new Banco Popular shares in exchange for each Banco Pastor share. Based on the latest Banco Popular share price, that would value Banco Pastor's outstanding shares at 1.08 billion euros. -- 30.9 new Banco Popular shares for each mandatory convertible bond in Banco Pastor. According to the daily El Pais, this part of the offer is worth another 277 million euros. Hernandez said the deal would allow Banco Pastor "to get out of a delicate situation and move to a more normal situation. "But for Banco Popular, even if they gain market share, they will introduce more risk to their balance sheets through greater exposure to the property sector," he added. Banco Pastor shares jumped 21.05 percent at 3.68 euros in mid-afternoon trade while Banco Popular shed 1.21 percent at 3.522 euros. Banco Popular had total assets worth 130 billion euros ($174 billion) at the end of last year, compared to 31 billion euros for Banco Pastor.

British Ambassador encourages cooperation between social services and English speaking charities

 

As part of his visit to Murcia, the British Ambassador to Spain, Giles Paxman, attended a workshop with local English speaking charities and social services to help improve the support offered to vulnerable British nationals living in the area. As the British population in Murcia has increased tenfold since 2002, all parties were keen to get together and discuss how working together could help them to better support vulnerable and elderly British nationals. The workshop, part of the Alicante Consulate’s ConeXiones programme, was the first of its kind in Murcia, and was organised with the help of YoVoluntario, the Murcia regional government volunteer support organisation. The Ambassador was able to see the local English speaking charities find out from social services exactly what was help was available and also discuss how they could work together in the future. They all agreed that it is vital for British nationals to be registered on the padrón in their local towns as without this, they cannot access social services assistance. Leopoldo Navarro Quilez, the head of Yo Voluntario, started the event by explaining to the local associations what support Yo Voluntario can offer and also how to ensure that they are legally registered in Spain. He encouraged people to use the resources that are available in Spain and thanked them for their hard work in supporting British nationals. During his talk at the event, the Ambassador said: “I am delighted to launch ConeXiones in From left to right, The Ambassador, the President of the Region of Murcia, the British Consul and the Regional Councillor for Tourism Murcia. The rapid increase in British population in the last decade has meant that it is essential that there is an adequate support network. It is impressive to see representatives from social services from all the main town halls where there is a significant population working hand in hand with British and Spanish charities to support those who are in need.” As this is the first time that the Ambassador has visited the Region of Murcia, he also took the opportunity to meet with the President of the Region to discuss issues around property and the new airport that is being built. Additionally, he met with the Honorary Consul in Murcia, Antonio Berdonces, and the Delegado del Gobierno for Murcia where they discussed the location of the Honorary Consulate and contingency planning. Charities that attended the ConeXiones event included Age Concern Costa Cálida, MABS Murcia, Royal British Legion, Help at Home and Help Mar Menor. From the Spanish side, Caritas and Cruz Roja attended as well as social workers from the key town halls where British nationals live, such Mazarrón , Los Alcazares and San Javier.

Belgian pensioner jailed for wife's death in Calpe

 

80 year old man from Belgium was remanded to custody on Monday after his 78 year old wife was found dead at their home in Calpe on Saturday. The Civil Guard found him next to his wife’s lifeless body at the couple’s home on the Carrió urbanisation on Saturday afternoon after a phone call from the man’s son saying that his father had confessed by telephone to killing his mother. She was also from Belgium and her body was found lying on the floor with a serious wound to the head. She was pronounced dead at the scene by emergency services who were called out to the couple’s home. The husband was found to have minor injuries, which he appears to have sustained after attempting to commit suicide after killing his wife. The accused took up his right to refuse to answer any questions when he was interviewed by the judge on Monday, although Diario Información indicates that the 80 year old confessed to the Civil Guard on Sunday that he had killed his wife during an argument. There has been no confirmation as yet of any previous history of domestic violence.

54 immigrants intercepted by the Spanish authorities

 

54 immigrants were intercepted by the Spanish authorities on two patera small boats close to Motril and Adra on Saturday night. Most of those rescued were adult Moroccans, but it has not been ruled out that some are under age. The Red Cross reports that all are in good health. The Motril boat was carrying 24 males, 21 Moroccans and three from the Sub-Sahara. They were taken into Motril port where they arrived at 0410 Sunday morning. The other boat was intercepted 7.5 miles to the SE of Adra, and was carrying 30 male Moroccans.

Two children missing from Córdoba

 

search is underway for a brother and sister, aged 6 and 2, Ruth and José Bretón Ruiz, who vanished from a park in Córdoba on Saturday afternoon. The children were in the Cruz Conde park in the city with their father, and since then there has been no sign. Police say they are keeping all options open after taking statements from the parents who are in the process of separation, and after the mother denounced psychological ill-treatment on Sunday. The mother is from Huelva where the coupled lived until a month ago, when they decided to end their relationship. The father is from Córdoba and the first news of the missing children came at 1840 on Saturday. He claimed that they vanished when he lost sight of them for an instant.

Teenager found dead on a roadside in Marbella

 

The National Police have identified a body which was found on the hard shoulder of the road between the Nueva Andalucía area of Marbella and Ronda on Monday as that of a 15 year old boy who has been named by his initials, T.A. His exact nationality has not yet been released, although it is known that he is not Spanish. The body was removed from the scene for autopsy as the investigation continues to determine the exact cause of his death.

Thursday 6 October 2011

900 kilos of hashish recovered on the Costa del Sol

 

organised crime and drugs unit, UDYCO of the National Police on the Costa del Sol has found 900 kilos of hashish on a yacht and hidden in a house in Cártama. At least eight people have been arrested, three Moroccans and five Spaniards. La Opinión de Málaga reports that the investigation started in Madrid, and a police operation last week which observed how the yacht left Morocco last week destination Spain. The vessel was intercepted and then escorted into Málaga port where 600 kilos of hashish was found. The police say the owner of the yacht is already well known to them for his alleged links to hashish trafficking across the Strait. The second part of the operation came in Cártama where a home was found to contain 300 kilos of hashish, 2.5 kilos of cocaine, some 150 marihuana plants and about 70,000 € in cash. A man and woman arrested there were finally released. It’s believed the house was used to store the drugs before they were distributed across Europe.

Wednesday 5 October 2011

Change of Heart for Maurice Boland

 

 Maurice Boland, is set to launch a new radio station later this month after formally leaving Heart FM. The controversial DJ posted a statement on his Facebook page this morning (Wednesday) thanking the station for its support during his ‘short but enjoyable stay,’ but announced he had a new project in the pipeline. “Let me assure you that my absence on the airways will be only short lived. I’m delighted to announce that along with an exceptional team of top class broadcasters, I am developing a new radio project,” he said. He later told the Olive Press: “I am really excited to be setting up a new radio station. “It will be similar format to before with news and current affairs and I have a great name and fabulous studios. “But I haven’t really released any information about it yet. I put it on Facebook as so many people had been calling and emailing me asking where I had gone as I had disappeared off Heart so I was forced to reveal something,” he added. Boland refused to confirm the name of his new station but sources believe it will be an online station called Eye Talk Europe. It comes after the disgraced Irish entertainer returned to the airwaves in April after his close relationship with a 16-year-old girl was exposed. He was forced to lie low for nine months after having his contract terminated at Talk Radio Europe (TRE), as exclusively revealed at the time by the Olive Press. The broadcaster, 62, had set out to help the teenager forge a musical career but their relationship had evolved and he later admitted to making a ‘terrible mistake.’

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