Costa Del Crime

Amsterdam Hells Angels leave clubhouse

2012-01-31T04:55:00.001Z

The Amsterdam chapter of the Hells Angels motor club have left their clubhouse at the H.J.E. Wenckebachweg. The club handed over the keys to the building to city officials at 1030 on Monday morning. A wrecking machine arrived immediately afterward to demolish Angel Place later on Monday. The clubhouse on the H.J.E. Wenckebachweg was home to the Hells Angels for more than 40 years. The city council wanted to redevelop the area and initiated an expropriation procedure. However, the judge ordered the council to pay the Amsterdam Hells Angels 400,000 euros in compensation. It is not yet known if and where they will open a new clubhouse. Amsterdam Mayor Eberhard van der Laan has said he will do anything in his power to prevent the motor club from finding a new place in the capital. He added that Amsterdam is willing to help nearby municipalities bar the Hells Angels following their expulsion. Many of the neighbouring municipalities are concerned the Hells Angels may move into their area. The motor club is suspected of organised crime including drugs trafficking and blackmailing restaurants and cafés. The town of Diemen has already announced the Hells Angels are not welcome there. Daniël Uneputty Unu will resign as president of the Amsterdam Hells Angels on Monday. He said the name of his successor is already known internally, but that the person in question will himself announce his appointment when he is ready to do so.

Spain Declares War on Online Pirates

2012-01-30T23:46:00.001Z

As 2012 began—and less than two months after winning control over the Spanish parliament—the right-leaning Partido Popular passed a controversial new anti-Internet-piracy law that will impose strict penalties on website owners who fail to remove copyrighted material from their sites. Sound familiar? The law, named after the former culture minister, Ángeles González‑Sinde [above], gives the Spanish government nearly the same broad-ranging authority found in the equally controversial Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) now wending its way through the U.S. Congress. Owners of the material can now complain to a government commission that can issue an order to block a website's service. The Spanish law was initially brought up for consideration and rejected in 2010. Evidence obtained by the Spanish paper El País suggests that the United States has been pushing hard for a reevaluation of the measure ever since, using trade agreements as leverage to prod the Spanish government to resurrect it. It's no surprise that the United States has shown such interest. Piracy is epidemic in Spain. Thirty percent of the population uses file-sharing sites, often to download Hollywood movies. But there are good reasons to think that the Sinde law will only encourage more of this behavior. Because the law goes after only the content provider and leaves intact an individual's right to a digital copy, it may actually encourage Spanish citizens to use peer-to-peer file sharing, says Rosa María Garcia Sanz, a professor in the department of communication law at the Complutense University of Madrid. In fact, there is little evidence to suggest that the enforcement strategies called for by the new law actually work to stop illegal downloading. France passed a law in 2009, known as Hadopi, or the "three strikes" law. It gives the government the authority to interrupt service for individuals who are caught downloading illegal content after they've received two warnings. Plenty of people took the legislation more as a challenge than a threat; many immediately began avoiding detection, thereby sidestepping the regulation, with the aid of virtual private network servers. The Sinde law will be just as tough to enforce, according to Professor Sanz: "Even blocking domain name system [DNS] sites," she says, "would just encourage users to use alternative and unregulated DNS servers. In other words, there is a real problem of applying the law because it [is] so easy to circumvent the technical barriers used to block users from reaching the websites." The same will likely be true in the United States, where SOPA has been held up in the House Judiciary Committee since last year, and a far-flung group of individuals and organizations have targeted companies that have come out in support of the antipiracy measure. Even the Obama administration has suddenly taken an under-the radar position against SOPA. Developers are already providing tools to circumvent the legislation. The Firefox add-on DeSopa was written as a proof of concept, but if the law is implemented, the add-on would allow users to resolve blocked domains by obtaining an IP address through foreign DNS servers. But these kinds of solutions, which would certainly become popular if SOPA is enacted, carry serious security concerns. They would most likely increase the incidence of DNS hijacking, whereby an attacker redirects queries to a faulty, and potentially malicious, IP address. Security analysts at Sandia National Laboratories, in Albuquerque, raised these concerns in response to both the Senate and House versions of the bill, calling the DNS filtering mandate a fruitless " 'whack-a‑mole' approach that would only encourage users and offending websites to resort to low-cost work-arounds." It's unclear how seriously members of Congress are taking this advice. Indeed, the Obama administration's opposition may make SOPA moot. As U.S. lawmakers pause to catch their breaths after the first rounds of this battle, they might consider taking an even bigger step back to watch how the Spanish effort plays out—to see whether legislation actually brings about the hoped-for result.

Canada has joined Colombia as a leading exporter of synthetic or designer drugs, flooding the global market on an almost unprecedented scale

2012-01-29T22:48:00.001Z

Canada has joined Colombia as a leading exporter of synthetic or designer drugs, flooding the global market on an almost unprecedented scale, police say. The RCMP have seized tonnes of illicit synthetic drugs that include Ecstasy and methamphetamine being shipped abroad after being “cooked” in make-shift labs in apartments, homes and businesses in the GTA. Police are now seizing more chemicals and synthetic drugs, which they say is favoured by young people, at Canadian border checks rather than the traditional cocaine, heroin or hashish that officers call drugs of “a last generation.” Most of the Ecstasy (methylenedioxymethamphetamine), meth or ketamine, a hallucinogenic used in “drug cocktails,” are smuggled from Canada by trucks, air cargo, human couriers or courier services to a network of traffickers. The U.S., Europe, Australia, New Zealand and Japan are the world-wide targets of these highly organised criminal syndicates, the Mounties said. Two Japanese students were arrested at Vancouver International Airport in 2009 after 47,000 Ecstasy pills with the “Chanel” logo were seized from their luggage. And, in November that year 400,000 tablets and 45 kgs of pot were seized in Michigan as it was being transferred from a small Canadian aircraft to a vehicle. The RCMP is working to stamp out the problem and have created a Chemical Diversion Unit (CDU) to target “rogue chemical brokers” who import and sell chemicals to organized crime cells to “bake” synthetic drugs for export. The force also created a Synthetic Drug Operations (SDO) whose members target clandestine drug labs in the GTA that are operated by crime cells and traffickers. “We execute search warrants once we locate a clandestine lab,” said SDO Sgt. Doug Culver. “These labs are dangerous with toxic chemicals and our members are specially trained to handle them.” His officers use hazardous material suits to enter a suspicious lab to ensure it is safe from corrosive chemicals before uniformed officers can enter. Police said an Ecstasy tablet, that usually features a harmless-looking logo, is sold for up to $15 each at Toronto nightclubs and the potency can last for about 10 hours. The tablets used to sell on the street for about $40 each two years ago. Supt. Rick Penney, who is in charge of an RCMP-GTA Drug Squad, said tonnes of chemicals and synthetic drugs are being seized by his officers. “We are talking tonnes and not kilograms,” Penney said. “This is becoming a matter of routine for us and it concerns me.” Penney said Canadian-made Ecstasy and meth are popular in Australia, New Zealand, Japan, the U.S. and some European countries. “Canada is a player on the global market,” he said. “We see a lot of synthetic chemicals passing through the Canadian border or going out of province.” He said some of the chemicals are purchased by criminals on the Internet from suppliers in China or India. “The majority of the drugs we seize in Ontario are for export,” Penney said. “This is a global problem and Canada is a big player.” The drug officers said Canada exports as much Ecstasy and chemical drugs as Colombia ships out cocaine. Police said synthetic drugs are the choice of young people because it is cheap, with a pill being made for 50-cents and sold for up to $15; lasts a long time; can be easily hidden and a tablet appears relatively harmless with a “cute” imprinted logo. Sgt. Brent Hill, of the Chemical Diversion Unit, said rogue brokers use fake names, companies or addresses to import the chemicals into Canada. Some use the name of legitimate companies and give fake delivery addresses, he said. He said the imported chemicals are resold by rogue brokers at exorbitant profits to organized crime groups originating from China, Vietnam and India, including criminal bike gangs in Canada. The chemicals are “cooked” into synthetic drugs. The CDU monitors more than 100 chemicals entering the country. Some are for legitimate industrial uses ranging from industrial cleaners to pharmaceutical products. Others are strictly for “baking” drugs. Hill shows a make-shift laboratory that was seized in a 2007 Scarborough bust in which three people were arrested. Officers seized two million units of Ecstasy and bags of chemicals at a residence on Pipers Green Ave., in the Brimley Rd. and Finch Ave. E. area. Jian Yao Quan, 24, and Yan Shi, 46, both of Scarborough, and Wan Shun Ling, 55, of Brooklyn, New York, were convicted of drug-related offences and will be sentenced on Feb. 14. A warrant has been issued for Wei Quan Ma, 43, of Toronto, who’s believed to have fled to China. During that raid, police found a 22-litre round-bottom heating mantle filled with chemicals being baked as vapors flowed through a hose taped at the top of the container to a large can filled with cat litter, that helps to absorb toxic gases to avoid leaving smells behind, police said. Hill said the mixture leaves a cloud of corrosive chemical hanging over the area that is harmful to people and is the reason why officers wear haz-mat suits to enter drug houses. “These labs pose a serious threat to the safety of the public and emergency first responders such as police, fire and ambulance workers,” Hill said. “Most chemicals in a clandestine drug lab are highly toxic, corrosive, explosive or flammable “ He said some unsafe labs can cause a fire or explosion that can lead to environmental pollution. Police said its common to find an Ecstasy pill containing a combination of controlled substances including methamphetamine or other controlled or non-regulated psychoactive substances. Some doses can be lethal and kill users. Officers point to the deaths of five B.C. young people since last August from Ecstasy laced PMMA, the same lethal chemical linked to deaths in the Calgary area. There have been about 18 Ecstasy-related deaths in B.C. in two years. “Some of these drugs are dangerous cocktails,” Hill said. “Crime groups are putting more addictive chemicals in some of the mixtures to get kids coming back for more. “These brokers are aggressively targeting the legitimate chemical industry. They continue to expand in a highly-lucrative market selling legal chemicals, regulated precursors and non-regulated psychoactive substances.” Officers said some unscrupulous brokers establish fake front companies, or claim to be legitimate companies to import chemicals into Canada. They fill out paperwork required by the Canada Border Services Agency but usually provide false information, police said. “The acquisition of chemicals is the choke point,” Hill said. “We are fully engaged with the legitimate Canadian chemical industry and monitor suspicious chemical transactions.” He said its a crime under Bill C-475 to possess, produce, sell or import “anything” if the person involved knows it will be used to produce methamphetamine or Ecstasy. “Crime groups with links to south-east Asia continue to dominate chemical-brokering operations,” the Mounties said. “There are criminal enterprises including individual operators and semi-legitimate companies that are brokering or procuring chemicals for synthetic drug production.” Police said some chemical shipments imported into Canada for industrial use are stolen by crime gangs to produce drugs. “Global demand for Ecstasy remains high,” Hill said. “Ecstasy continues to be the most sought-after and widely available controlled synthetic drug in the Canadian illicit market.”

Wrecked Italian liner will not be moved for months

2012-01-29T21:02:00.001Z

The wreck of the cruise ship Costa Concordia could remain where it lies near the Italian island of Giglio until the end of the year or longer before it can be broken up or salvaged, the official in charge of the recovery operation said on Sunday. Divers searching for bodies in the hulk, which lies half submerged a few metres from the shore, suspended work on Sunday after heavy seas and strong winds caused the vessel to shift noticeably, authorities said.

In Spain, taxmen snoop about homes rented to sun-seeking vacationers — then visit the owners who neglected to report the income

2012-01-29T14:32:00.001Z

In Greece, tax officials fly helicopters over residential areas to spot swimming pools of the alleged poor. In Italy, inspectors raid elite ski resorts to catch the down-and-out in their Ferraris. In Spain, taxmen snoop about homes rented to sun-seeking vacationers — then visit the owners who neglected to report the income. File photo by Virginia Mayo, AP The European Union, whose headquarters are pictured here, has been concerned about the debt crisis in southern Europe. EU officials blame part of the economic mess on a culture of tax evasion.EU officials blame part of the economic mess on a culture of tax evasion. Ads by Google CPD Online, On Time Online CPD - for when your deadline is demanding. Evading taxes is almost a national pastime in European nations such as Greece, Spain and Italy, and for years their governments largely looked the other way. On Monday, the 27 nations of the EU will meet in Brussels to focus on how to boost growth and jobs. But as the southern European nations struggle with a debt crisis that threatens to overwhelm the European Union, their recently installed governments feel they must become more like their more solvent northern neighbors, where the crime of tax evasion is taken seriously. Greece, Spain, Italy, Portugal and other countries are raising taxes and clamping down on those who have found creative ways not to pay them. Many people admit they cheat, but the wealthy say they are being unfairly singled out to cover for government overspending — and people in the middle class, who have seen their household incomes crumble, are bitter about losing even more to taxes. "In this country, (most of us) are struggling day-to-day in order to make ends meet," said Argiris Eleftheriou, 76, of Athens. "The pensioners and the employed are the only ones that aren't evading taxes. We're paying the taxes of the rich, too." EU officials blame part of the economic mess on a culture of tax evasion in debtor nations that has cost billions in revenue that could be used to shore up their finances. Greece has a projected debt burden of 162% of GDP this year. The amount of taxes past due to the state is $78 billion, according to a 2011 report by the EU's Task Force for Greece. EU officials say that about half of that will never get collected, and the other half is tied up in 165,000 pending court cases. Paying for things in cash is the norm in Greece (and Italy and Spain), making it hard for tax inspectors to track. In Greece, cash transactions accounted for 25% of GDP, according to a 2011 report by Friedrich Schneider, a professor of economics at the University of Linz in Austria. And the EU believes tens of millions of dollars in Greek income has been deposited out of sight in Switzerland banks. Greece is pushing back with a "naming and shaming" campaign. This week, the Greek Economics Ministry published the names of 4,151 individuals who owe a total of more than $19 billion in taxes including a famous singer, a professional basketball player and a former newspaper publisher. "Our sovereignty is being chipped away because some are not paying their taxes," said Finance Minister Evangelos Venizelos, referring to the strict fiscal oversight imposed by the EU and IMF in return for bailout funds. Meanwhile, new taxes keep coming. In the past two years Greeks have seen a self-employment tax of $390 to $650, a solidarity tax of about 1% to 5% of income and a property tax. More are expected, but locals say they can't pay. "Life has drastically changed; we don't go out anymore; we're locked in our homes and close to depression," said Eleni Benekou, 48, a middle-class housewife in Athens. "(Recently) I went to the flea market to buy some things, but I didn't dare open my wallet." In Italy, the focus is on tax evasion by the super-rich, which ran rampant under the leadership of former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi— also accused of tax dodging and who once famously said that evasion of high taxes was a God-given "right." Berlusconi successor, technocrat Mario Monti, has vowed to get Italy's house in order by reducing spending and increasing tax revenue. One of his first actions has been to clamp down on "the pretend poor," as Italian media have dubbed the super-rich tax evaders. While one in four Italians — 15 million — reported no taxable income last year. Italy says that at least 3 million of those own at least three homes. Meanwhile, Italian taxpayers reporting incomes of less than $26,000 owned 188,000 Ferraris and Lamborghinis, more than 500 private airplanes and about 42,000 yachts. Monti has ordered tax police to go to the super-rich wherever they are. In raids on the elite Italian Alps ski resort of Cortina in early January, officials found 42 high-end sports cars belonging to owners who reported less than $26,000 of income annually. The Italian government is also cracking down on money-laundering, lowering the maximum allowed for cash transactions to from $3,200 to $1,275 and putting dogs at the Swiss border to sniff out large sums of cash. (It is common for Italians to drive their money over the Alps to Swiss banks, tax agents say.) So far, Italian officials say this has netted $52,300 on average per day at the border, up from almost zero a year ago. Since Monti took office in November, Italian tax police have identified $65 billion in untaxed money, officials announced Wednesday. Monti is also pushing for a new tax bracket for the super-rich and a financial transaction tax. Even TV commercials appeal to Italians to help find these "parasites of society." And while Italians hang effigies of tax officials at protests, some agree with the push. "Everybody has to do their part, but the rich should do more than their part," said Angela Perin, 56, a school administrator in Rome. "They've had it easy too long, and now everybody is suffering because of that." In Spain, officials also declared "an open season" on tax evasion. They have capped cash transactions at $1,300 and are cracking down on tax havens. Spain has taken hundreds of tax evaders to court, and tax police have caught about 200,000 individuals who had not declared income from rental properties — a large source of income in the sunny tourist destination — and an easy source of under-the-table cash, officials said. One of the first actions of Conservative Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy upon taking office in mid-December was to break a main campaign promise by raising taxes: The government has passed measures to raise income and property taxes by more than $7.64 billion a year and has added a new tax bracket for the rich — which increased the cap by 7% to a maximum of 56% in some Spanish federal states for those earning more than $390,000 annually. Some say the zeal for taxes as the solution to a country mired in debt and high unemployment of 21.5% will backfire. "The tax hike is going to have a perverse effect on the Spanish economy," said Miguel Borra, president of CSI-F, the main civil servant union in Spain. "That will include a growing lack of trust among the population (in government) as well as diminishing purchasing power." In crisis-hit but tax-averse Ireland, officials haven't raised income tax but rates on many other things have risen: taxes on pension contributions, property, carbon dioxide emissions and a hated "universal social charge," along with hikes in sales taxes. "They get called stealth taxes, but they're not particularly stealthy as we can see them coming," said Gerard Casey, professor of philosophy at University College Dublin. "They do it so they can say with a relatively straight face, smirking perhaps, 'We've not raised taxes.' " Emeline Callan, who runs a barbershop in Celbridge, County Kildare, says she earns less than minimum wage despite working nine or 10 hours a day — and the cost of her commute has doubled with the gasoline and car tax increases. Her frustration may be a warning to Europe's governing elites that they must find another way to balance the books. "The tax I pay gets me nothing that I need," she said. "The social charge is just a cover to gain more money from us to pay for the government's mistakes. It's loan repayment on a loan we the people didn't take out."

On the 31st May this year, nine men from Paddle4Heroes are going to paddle from Gibraltar to Marbella in Spain by kayak to raise funds for Help for Heroes and a new charity called Families of The Fallen.

2012-01-29T13:10:00.001Z

PADDLE4HEROES, RAISING MONEY THROUGH KAYAKING - FOR HELP FOR HEROES AND FAMILIES OF THE FALLEN

On the 31^st May this year, nine men from Paddle4Heroes are going to paddle from Gibraltar to Marbella in Spain by kayak to raise funds for Help for Heroes and a new charity called Families of The Fallen. Both of these charities should touch the heart of anyone British, as they are at the forefront of helping servicemen and women recover from the trauma of war.

Of the nine paddlers (aged between 20 – 58!), six are ex-servicemen (including one from my own regiment) and all live on the Costa del Sol. Several have experienced active service and all know the devastation that war can bring to everyone involved.

Indeed, the consequences of active service can be long lasting, not just for servicemen and women but also for their immediate families. Both parties often need significant help readjusting to normal life (whether the trauma is psychological or physical) and that is where charities like Help for Heroes and Families of The Fallen come into their own.

Needless to say, Britain seems to have been continually at war for years now, with the Iraq wars and Afghanistan being notable. However, our military forces also continually operate in many other areas including often as unsung UN peacekeepers, which can often involve significant risks – and injury.

TRAINING, TRAINING AND...MORE TRAINING!

In fact, whilst deaths in battle always make the news, injuries rarely do and they, of course, far outnumber deaths, despite often being utterly life changing for those hurt. Indeed, I hate to think how many British servicemen and women have sustained terrible injuries over the past twenty years – with their injuries never having made the news or having been ‘hidden’ deep within governmental statistics. Certainly, many more servicemen and women (and their families) need help than most of us realise…

Needless to say, the point of the canoe trip by Paddle4Heroes from Gibraltar to Marbella (90 km) on the 31^stMay is to raise funds for Help for Heroes and Families of the Fallen. It is your money that keeps these charities going and your money that directly helps our servicemen and women in their time of greatest need.

So, please make an effort to spare some money for Paddle4Heroes. What they are doing deserves your support and it would be great to think that any of you Britons, with any connection at all to Spain, could help to make the Paddle4Heroes event an outstanding fund raising success – that does justice to any Briton living or holidaying in Spain!

If you want to know more or wish to contribute to Paddle4Heroes then please see the Paddle4Heroes Facebook page.

20 year prison sentence for Miguel Carcaño, Marta del Castillo's killer

2012-01-27T16:36:00.001Z

Miguel Carcaño, the self-confessed killer of the 17 year old Sevilla girl, Marta del Castillo, on January 24 2009, has been given a 20 year prison sentence for the crime, even though he was found not guilty on the charge of rape. His brother Francisco Javier Delgado, and the other two youths who are thought to have helped to dispose of the body, Samuel Benítez and María García have been released without charge. Carcaño will have to compensate Marta’s parents with 280,000 € and with 30,000 € each to Marta’s sisters. The prosecutor had asked for a 52 year prison sentence for Miguel Carcaño and between 5 and 8 years for his alleged accomplices. Marta’s grandfather, José Antonio Casanueva, said the sentence gives it to understand that she has vanished and that he felt ‘rage and indignation’ and said that he did not know how the judges reached this justice when there was evidence and proof that they had not taken into account. He described the sentence as ‘A jug of cold water’, and he called on Carcaño’s family to ‘tell all they know’. Marta’s father, Antonio del Castillo, said he will be reading the sentence in detail before making any comment. Later he said that the family is very affected by the sentence. ‘This has no rhyme or reason, to say that Carcaño had done everything alone’, he said. He told the press that his wife Eva was on the sofa crying her eyes out, unable to speak. ‘She can’t believe it, none of us can’, he said. After 19 sessions the case was ready for sentencing on November 29, when the family told the court that they could not alleviate their pain until the body of Marta has been found. Coincidentally police have ordered a new search for the body near the town of Camas where Miguel Carcaño has been living.

Marta's 'friend' confesses to her killing

2012-01-27T16:35:00.001Z

The 17 year old girl had been missing from her home in Sevilla for 21 days, but now a 20 year old man has confessed to her killingMarta del Castillo with Miguel C.D. - EFE An ex friend of Marta del Castillo, the 17 year old girl who has been missing for 21 days from her home in Sevilla, on Saturday confessed to her killing. 20 year old Miguel C.D. told police that he had thrown her body into the Guadalquivir River. He had got into an argument with her and hit her with an ashtray until she was dead. He then called a friend of his, named as Samuel B.P. who has now also been arrested, who helped him to throw her body from a quiet pedestrian bridge. A helicopter in the search for the body - EFE He had been missing since her disappearance but was arrested by police on Friday. Police say he broke down and confessed when he was shown the ashtray. National Police and Guardia Civil are to restart their search for her body on Sunday in an area between Camas and the Isla de la Cartuja. Marta’s shattered family have made a call for justice, and promised to fight for it. Marta's father Antonio - EFE Her cousin Sandra told the press that the man who has been arrested was Marta’s friend a long time ago, and they went out together for about a month, but had been friends before that. Her uncle in a brief statement to the press called on the media not to refer to her killer as her ex boyfriend, as a relationship of a month is not enough to describe it as such.

Two Moroccan were caught in the act attempting to smuggle more than two tons of cannabis onto shore in San Fernando, Cádiz province,

2012-01-27T16:34:00.001Z

Two Moroccan were caught in the act attempting to smuggle more than two tons of cannabis onto shore in San Fernando, Cádiz province, early on Thursday. The Civil Guard were alerted after a suspicious boat was detected by the SIVE electronic surveillance system near the Caños de Gallineras area at around 5am. Officers found 69 bales of the drug on board the boat with a total weight of 2,070 kilos. It came after another drugs boat was intercepted 36 miles off the coast of Torre del Mar, in neighbouring Málaga province, on Wednesday, with 221 kilos of cannabis on board. The original size of the cargo is unknown as a number of packages were dumped overboard after a Civil Guard helicopter spotted the boat from the air. It’s understood that the vessel’s three crew are also Moroccan.

Angry customers call for charges against holiday home tycoon

2012-01-26T11:20:00.001Z

SPANISH judge will decide whether football club boss Darragh MacAnthony will face charges after a raft of complaints from disgruntled customers who claim furniture ordered from his firm never arrived. MacAnthony Realty International (MRI) developed resorts in several countries from its Marbella headquarters and sold furniture packs to clients. Hugely popular on the holiday market, MRI had hundreds of Irish customers and boasted an annual turnover greater than €100m before the credit crunch. It made the 35-year-old Dubliner, who now owns Peterborough Football Club, a multi-millionaire. However, a group of 51 Irish and British buyers claim that €492,000 worth of furniture, ordered more than five years ago for apartments in Morocco, Bulgaria and Cape Verde, was never delivered. Antonio Flores, the Spanish lawyer acting for the group, claims "many other" MRI customers are affected. He alleges that missing furniture is just one of the irregularities linked to MRI, or related companies. He said that an additional claim, totalling €15m, is being prepared on behalf of 200 Irish and British MRI customers claiming that they lost large sums in upfront fees. MRI has consistently denied any allegations of wrongdoing. The initial complaint regarding furniture was referred to a Marbella court and is being heard by Judge Beatriz Gomez-Escolar at the Court of Instruction. Under Spanish law, individuals can initiate criminal procedures in some cases. The judge will now decide whether Mr MacAnthony and five other defendants should face the charges of "misappropriation of funds and theft by swindle". Among those wielding placards outside the Marbella court were claimants Brendan O'Dell (52), who works for a pharmaceutical company, and his partner Elizabeth Egan (52), from Corofin, Co Clare. The couple paid €14,000 for a furniture pack for their Moroccan apartment which they claim was never delivered. "It's a joke. This has been dragging on for five years. Like everyone else here we are determined to get our money back," Mr O'Dell said. Claimants John and Muriel Andrews, from Ballycarry, Co Antrim, were also at the court. They paid MRI €29,900 in advance for two furniture packs, for apartments in Cape Verde, which they claim have never been delivered. Efforts to contact Mr MacAnthony were unsuccessful last night. But he has previously said: "There are no foundations behind these allegations. I certainly didn't do anything wrong and neither did anyone with MRI when I was there." He also said: "I operated a company which did thousands of sales around the world with many happy clients, but will forever be haunted by the few hundred for which it didn't work out." In relation to undelivered furniture, the company has said the 2008 property crash forced several of its furniture suppliers out of business and it had to engage new ones -- effectively paying twice for the same furniture order. Also accused in the Spanish case are former MRI CEOs Michael Liggan and Dominic Pickering, Sarah O'Callaghan, and Nicola Shaw, a former director of MRI Ireland. The defendants face up to eight years in jail if convicted of the charges.

Italian fugitive arrested in Almería

2012-01-24T20:25:00.001Z

An Italian fugitive has been arrested in Almería on a European arrest warrant for pending sentences amounting to almost 10 years behind bars. His crimes include drug trafficking, violent robbery, illegal possession of weapons and falsifying documents. It’s understood from EFE that his criminal record goes back for more than 20 years. The man, named as Maurizio R. aged 56, was arrested in Almería City in the early hours of Friday after discovered that he had moved to the province.

The father of a baby of about a year old, has been arrested in Alicante after the child accidentally ate a quantity of cocaine.

2012-01-23T02:15:00.002Z

DISCLAIMER:Text may be subject to copyright.This blog does not claim copyright to any such text. Copyright remains with the original copyright holder.The father of a baby of about a year old, has been arrested in Alicante after the child accidentally ate a quantity of cocaine.
National Police say the baby was admitted on Thursday to the Perpetuo Socorro private clinic, and then transferred to Alicante General Hospital.

It’s thought baby put his hand across a table where there were remains of the drug and then sucked his fingers, producing strange behaviour which led the father to take him to the doctor. It’s thought he only absorbed a small amount of the drug.

Following protocols for such cases, the father, aged about 40 was arrested on Friday and after giving a statement at the National Police station, was released with charges outstanding.

On Sunday the court ruled that the baby should go into the care of a foster family on a temporary basis, ahead of a search for a family ideal to take care of him.

Partido Popular cat killers case

2012-01-23T02:14:00.000Z

DISCLAIMER:Text may be subject to copyright.This blog does not claim copyright to any such text. Copyright remains with the original copyright holder.The so called ‘Partido Popular cat killers case’ which came to light in February last year has been closed by the judge, who claimed that the death of the cats was the fruit of a hunt without any pleasure being taken.

The ruling goes against the evidence of the photos and videos taken at the time of Jaime Ferrero, the then candidate for the PP in the Town Hall of Talavera de la Reina, who could be seen laughing with a friend displaying the tortured and dead cats to the camera.

Ferrero and his friend, Juan Carlos Vázquez, organised the killing of the defenceless animals, taking photos of the bodies of the dead cats afterwards, smiling broadly. Later they placed a video on the internet.

The publicity from the case led the Partido Popular to expel the two men from the party, and the Amnestía Animal organisation claimed that they had broken article 337 of the Penal Code with their behaviour, calling for a 3 month to year prison term.

However the judge in Talavera has now ruled that there was no pleasure taken by the two, a verdict which Amestía Animal now says it will appeal.

found a webcam in their hotel shower

2012-01-23T02:13:00.000Z

DISCLAIMER:Text may be subject to copyright.This blog does not claim copyright to any such text. Copyright remains with the original copyright holder.Instruction court 1 in Figueras, Girona, is investigating a denuncia placed by three tourists from Madrid, two brothers and the girlfriend of one of them, who found a webcam in their hotel shower in August 2010. She is said to be very worried that there may be a video on the internet or elsewhere of her taking a shower. The camera was hidden behind a ventilation panel in room 730 of the Hotel Sant Marc in Roses.

The lawyer is calling for compensation for moral damage of 20,000 € per person.

All three had used the shower before they discovered the camera, then after dining one of them saw some tape on the vent, and when he pulled it the camera was revealed.

Diari de Girona says the tourists quickly advised the hotel staff, and presented their complaint before the Mossos d’Esquadra regional police the next day. They also say that when the hotel sent two maintenance staff, the young one was clearly surprised by the find, but the older member of staff denied a camera had ever been there.

The police say the camera, equipped with a small antenna, was fed by a battery. They say it could have been placed there weeks before, and a cleaning lady said she had noticed the tape on the vent some two weeks before.

The Guardia Civil has arrested three people after 700 kilos of hashish was found

2012-01-23T02:11:00.002Z

DISCLAIMER:Text may be subject to copyright.This blog does not claim copyright to any such text. Copyright remains with the original copyright holder.The Guardia Civil has arrested three people after 700 kilos of hashish was found in a military barracks in Ceuta. Among the detained a soldier from the barracks from the ULOG logistical unit.

The police operation continues open, but reporting restrictions have been introduced, although it is known that investigations started a year ago.

‘El Faro de Ceuta’ newspaper reports that the Guardia Civil entered into the barracks last Thursday night, with the corresponding judicial orders and found the drugs inside.

Meanwhile members of the Fiscal and Frontier patrol of the Guardia Civil at Tarifa have arrested six people after finding a boat containing 624 kilos of hashish on the Tarifa coastline.

A grisly event in South East Asia highlights the region's developing meth-driven drug war

2012-01-19T04:11:00.001Z

The Mekong River in Thailand Photo via By Jed Bickman 10/11/11 | Share Uppers Rock the World New Life for Asia’s Golden Triangle China Unveils Radical New Approach to Drug Treatment Vietnam's Rehab Gulag Revealed Spinning to Cambodia! In one of the grisliest incidents of the drug war in South East Asia in recent memory, the corpses of thirteen Chinese sailors have been found by Thai authorities on the Mekong River. The victims, including two female cooks, were blindfolded, bound, and shot dead. They're believed to be the crew members of two Chinese cargo ships that were hijacked last week by Thai drug gangs—the boats were recaptured in a firefight with Thai police and 950,000 methamphetamine pills were discovered on board. It's unclear whether the meth was loaded onto the boats by the Thai gangs, or whether it was already being shipped from China. Thai military officials blame a drug trafficking ring led by 40-year-old kingpin Nor Kham—who operates out of northeast Burma and is a wanted man in both Burma and Thailand—for the attacks. Authorities speculate that the Chinese ships neglected to hand over protection money and paid the price. The Chinese government has reacted defensively, suspending cargo and passenger trips along the Mekong river. The region along the border of Burma, Laos, and Thailand—known as the “golden triangle”—is the center of methamphetamine production in Asia, although China has also produced vast amounts of meth since the 1990s. Ephedrine, the base of methamphetamine, is derived from a native Chinese herb—“mao,” AKA "yaba"—which has an important role in Chinese medicine. The UN estimates there are between 3.5 million and 20 million methamphetamine users in South East Asia: such a broad range only serves to illustrate how badly understood the problem is. In 2009, countries in South East Asia collectively reported a 250% jump in methamphetamine arrests, as well as an increasing trend of injecting methamphetamine, which leads to a corresponding jump in HIV and other diseases among users.

Arrested businessman had ‘double life’

2012-01-19T03:31:00.001Z

A MAN, 36, was arrested in Albacete, southeast Spain, accused of the abduction and rape of several women. In Albacete, he was a respected businessman, with a wife and children, but in Madrid, he was wanted for the abduction of one woman, raping another and several robberies. His criminal ‘other life’ allegedly began in 2010 when he began to carry out burglaries when on business trips, mainly to obtain jewellery and cash, although he also kept ‘trophies’ from his victims. With time, he began to commit other crimes and in October he allegedly pointed a gun at a woman in the Chamartin district and kept her captive for 12 hours, threatening her to obtain her credit card numbers and sexually abusing her before letting her go. In November, wearing a balaclava he approached a woman at Barajas Airport, threatening her with a gun and forcing her into the boot of a car. She was able to alert a colleague and her husband with her mobile phone, and was rescued in the Madrid area of Torrejon de Ardoz. The attacker escaped but left behind a shotgun, an airgun and a machete. He was traced to a farmhouse he used to carry out his criminal activity which was guarded by six dogs. Police are now studying the ‘trophies’ he took to determine whether he was involved in other crimes. He has been remanded to prison charged with rape, illegal detention, robbery, illegal weapons possession, causing bodily harm and car theft. On the way to prison, he attempted to escape but was caught by police.

Pasquale Mazzarella and Clemente Amodio arrested in Marbella

2012-01-17T15:18:00.001Z

TWO Italians belonging to the Mazzarella mafia family were arrested in Malaga for their alleged involvement in drug trafficking activities, according to Press reports. Pasquale Mazzarella, who had been on the run from the authorities for the past three years, and Clemente Amodio, wanted since last Spring, had European arrest warrants against them and were handed over to the National Court to be extradited to Italy. They were living in a villa in Marbella, and had moved their headquarters to Spain, allegedly bringing drugs from Morocco to sell in Europe.

Property owners not impressed by Junta's decree on irregular property

2012-01-16T23:56:00.001Z

The regional government’s plan to regularise the dozens of thousands of illegal properties is not proving successful. Owners of the properties are refusing to pay the costs of bringing their properties into legality. In most cases the regional council for public works and housing have offered a ‘recognition’ of the properties – a legal device to allow them to come out of limbo and gain access to power and water. But this needs the collaboration of the citizens, and their money. Many Town Halls have discovered the process does not get underway, and El País reports that two of the most interesting cases are in Córdoba and Chiclana in Cádiz. These two localities have about 25,000 homes build outside the regulations, 15,000 in Chiclana and some 9,000 in Córdoba. In both cases the property owners are refusing to meet the costs of the regularisation process; in Chiclana only 56 have applied. In Córdoba none of the 42 illegal urbanisations has brought itself into legality. Meanwhile in the Axarquía where many foreigners have purchased such property in good faith, say they are against the latest decree from the Junta last week. President of the Save Our Homes association, Philip Smalley, says the formula will just leave thousands of properties in the district in limbo. He says there is no judicial guarantee after the process because the Junta will be able to do what they want with the properties in the future. The Junta has identified 12,760 irregular properties in the Axarquía. In the Almanzora valley in Almería, again there are many foreign property owners affected. The AUAN protest group there says the decree does not help those with ongoing court proceedings against demolition. President Maura Hillen considers that only 16% of their members will benefit from the decree.

Nine in every 10 Spaniards feel uncomfortable speaking English

2012-01-16T23:52:00.001Z

A new survey has shown that nine in every ten Spaniards still feel uncomfortable speaking English, despite the fact that 37% of them have spent more than 15 years studying the language. Thirty five percent said they felt insecure and embarrassed, and 4% said they would not make the attempt in case they seemed ‘ridiculous’. Europa Press reports that one in two, although knowing that their grammar was not correct, would however try and speak the language. The survey by ‘Pueblo Inglés – More than English’ also revealed that 98% of those questioned felt that the standard of teaching English in Spain’s schools was not the best. Many felt that more time should be spent on the subject in schools, with particular emphasis on conversations with English speakers and on role playing for real life situations. Language schools and academies were the most popular method of learning English, but more than half said the best way was spending time abroad in English-speaking countries.

British peer calls for abolition of time limit on expat voting

2012-01-16T23:47:00.001Z

Britons who live abroad currently have no voting rights if they have been out of the country for more than 15 years An estimated 5.6 million Britons currently live abroad but, under UK law, those who have been out of the country for more than 15 years have no right to vote in British elections. There has been support for changes to the law in a recent debate on electoral reform in the House of Lords. The Telegraph reports this week on a comment from Lord Lexden, the Conservative Party’s official historian, that the time limit is, ‘a problem which has been allowed to go on for far too long.’ He proposed that the government’s plans to reform the electoral system could provide the ‘perfect vehicle’ to abolish a limit which he said has been ‘chopped and changed’ ‘without rationale.’ It was originally set at five years in 1985, was extended to 20 years in 1989, and was then reduced to 15 in 2002. Brian Cave from the website www.votes-for-expat-brits.com, which campaigns for the right to vote for Britons abroad, told the Telegraph, ‘To have Lord Lexden make such a long speech and make such telling comments was a milestone in our campaign.’ The newspaper however notes a comment by the Labour peer Lord Lipsey during a radio debate last month that there was, ‘no chance’ of the limit being abolished.

British driver arrested after Sevilla hit and run

2012-01-16T23:39:00.001Z

23 year old Briton has been arrested in Campillos, Málaga, by the Guardia Civil in connection with a hit and run accident at a petrol station in Gillena Sevilla last Thursday. A petrol station worker was injured and had to be admitted to the Virgen del Rocio Hospital, and the driver failed to stop. The Briton lives in Campillos and has been named with the initials W.A.F., and has been taken to Sevilla to attend the court which has charge of the case. By chance a member of the public had seen a TV report on the wanted driver and recognised him coincidentally at a petrol station in Campillos.

Bad news for foreign victims of Costa del Sol mortgage scam

2012-01-16T23:37:00.001Z

The National Court will not be investigating the mortgage fraud which was reported last year by twenty foreign residents of the Costa del Sol and which affected victims all along the Spanish coastline. Most of the banks and foreign financial advisors involved were from Denmark who informed their clients that, if they died without a mortgage on their Spanish property, their heirs would be subject to hefty inheritance taxes which they would never be able to pay. They were then offered a mortgage on their property, with the money invested outside Spain, mainly in Luxembourg. El Mundo reports that the investments did not however go well, and the victims are now in danger of losing their homes. The Málaga victims are represented by the Marbella law firm Lawbird, who told El Mundo, ‘This is complete judicial apathy from this court, which considers the complaint as lacking in relevance.’ ‘It contrasts,’ they said, ‘with the rapid response from the Danish government which has announced that it will investigate the manoeuvres which invested the funds from the loans in fiscal paradises.’

Court orders Spanish woman to return her children to her husband in the UK

2012-01-16T23:34:00.001Z

Spanish woman resident in Valencia, named by EFE as Carolina A.G., has been ordered by a local court to return her children to their father in the UK, where the family moved in 2008. Her estranged husband is a Nigerian man who obtained Spanish nationality after they married in Spain in 2003. The couple has three children, now aged 8 and 5 years old and, the youngest, just 4 months. Their mother says she has suffered abuse from her husband throughout her marriage, and she finally reported the abuse last year. She also reported him for rape. She told the EFE news agency, ‘I feared for mine and my children’s lives … he has also mistreated the eldest and he even punched me in the stomach when I was pregnant with my last child.’ She decided to return to Spain after he threatened to take the children to Nigeria and she was advised by the Spanish Consulate in Nottingham that it was better for her children to be in Spain. The mother does not have sole custody, and a Valencia court applied the Hague Convention in its ruling made public on Monday, considering to be responsible for illegal abduction. It also said that she has violated an order from a Nottingham court banning her from taking two of her children outside the jurisdiction of England and Wales. The denuncias against the husband were not taken into account by the Valencia court and the mother’s lawyer has now requested a letter rogatory to the UK justice system for the official complaints to be provided to Spain. It’s understood that he has also lodged a denuncia for rape and abuse at the National Court, as the body which is responsible for safeguarding the rights of any Spanish citizen.

Spanish tourism received a welcome boost last week with UK travel agents reporting a rise in interest and bookings to the country.

2012-01-15T16:24:00.001Z

Spanish tourism received a welcome boost last week with UK travel agents reporting a rise in interest and bookings to the country. The news came when on Friday the Post Office revealed evidence that resort prices have crashed by as much as 40% compared to 5 years ago. That, combined with political unrest in some other popular tourist destinations and the fact that the pound is at a 2 year high against the euro has once again made Spain an affordable and favourite option. The annual survey conducted by the Post Office measured the prices of 8 items in resorts across 33 destinations around the world. Those items included a cup of coffee in a bar or café; a bottle of local beer; a 1.5 litre bottle of water from a supermarket; a can of Coca-Cola; a three course evening meal for two adults; sunscreen; insect repellent and a pack of cigarettes. The results of the survey showed that Spain came out the second cheapest with an average price of £37.72 for the 8 items. It was topped only by Sri Lanka offering the best value at £27.95. With people looking for a cheap way to enjoy fun in the sun and the Post Office currently offering a currency rate of 1.165€ to the pound (prices correct as of Friday 13th Jan.) it is thought a new wave of visitors will be enjoying the delights of Spain this year with the firm’s Holiday Money Report concluding: ‘Resort prices in the Costa del Sol are now 40% lower than 5 years ago, when we conducted the first price barometer. The cheaper cost of travel to Spain will make it a compelling choice for bargain hunters. So does the rising value of the UK pound - up 6.4% against the euro in the past three months.’ Turkey has in recent years been a serious rival to Spain's top status for bargain breaks but this year it proved to be 60% more expensive than Spain. This year, Turkey was17th in terms of the cheapest option according to the Post Office survey. At the other end of the scale the survey showed Australia to be the most expensive country for the 8 items at a staggering £115.69, together with Barbados, Singapore and New Zealand. The biggest rises were recorded in Kenya, where the basket was 52% more expensive than last year and Portugal, where the increase was 39%.

Anthony Read was found dead in the sea in the port town of Puerto De La Duquesa

2012-01-15T11:25:00.001Z

Anthony Read was found dead in the sea in the port town of Puerto De La Duquesa – on the country’s Costa del Sol – the morning after a night out drinking with friends in March last year.

Yesterday, at an inquest, mum and dad Jacqueline Jenkins and Martin Read criticised the investigation into the tragedy carried out by the authorities in Spain.

Anthony, 33, had visited a number of pubs during the evening and took a taxi back to a pal’s home ten minutes’ drive away in the early hours.

But it is thought he may not have had the correct fare when he arrived and was driven back to the port, between Marbella and Gibraltar. Hours later, his body was found in the water.

Spanish authorities said there had been no signs of violence and that Anthony had drowned, concluding that the death may have been the result of an accident.

But at the inquest in Portsmouth, Anthony’s mother Jacqueline Jenkins hit out at the “vague” report drawn up by local officials as she attempted to piece together what had happened.

Dad Martin Read told the inquest he wanted confirmation from Spanish police that they were satisfied the taxi driver had driven away and was not involved in the tragedy. The inquest also heard how Anthony may simply have fallen in.

However, it remains unclear as to how he came to be in the water.

Coroner David Horsley said it was unlikely Anthony had been robbed as he was still in possession of his wallet and mobile phone when his body was discovered.

But he agreed that he had been faced with a lack of evidence in preparing the inquest.

He told Anthony’s parents: “It is possible that he fell in by accident but I cannot say that that is the most likely scenario because it is possible that he was pushed in – it may have been some kind of simple assault or he may have been trying to evade an assault.”

He added: “If there were any witnesses they did not come forward – or were they asked?”

Mrs Jenkins broke down in tears as she read out tributes to her “kind, thoughtful and wonderful son”, who was working as a financial controller in Gibraltar and was enjoying living in Spain.

In the run-up to his death, Anthony had been studying to become a chartered accountant.

Mr Horsley recorded an open verdict.

Days of the Costa del Crime could soon be over

2012-01-15T11:11:00.001Z

THE days of the Costa del Crime could be seriously numbered. Or at least, so say the Spanish police. Detectives in Malaga have revealed that a year-long crackdown on British and Irish fugitives is paying off and Malaga is no longer an ideal hideout for wanted criminals. The clampdown, which came in a series of on-the-spot raids on pubs, bars and shops on the Costa del Sol, has drawn considerable success. In total, dozens of wanted fugitives have been caught in the raids after six roving teams of national police were set up at the end of 2010. The teams entered establishments closing off exits and demanded identification from all those present. In one day alone, last year, they made a staggering four arrests, while in total 117 Irishmen were arrested last year, using the method. The moves were spurred on by the murder of Irish tourist John O’Neill, 40, who was shot near a pub in Benalmadena by a man wanted by British police. Police insist that due to the crackdown there were fewer gangland shootings and ‘settling of accounts’ last year. “The recession could also have had an influence but things are definitely a lot quieter,” said a spokesman for the UDYCO organised crime unit.

Gold treasure trove and millions in cash seized from Colombian drug dealers in Spain

2012-01-12T12:26:00.001Z

A National Police operation has seized more than 4 million € in cash and a treasure trove of gold ingots from a group of drug traffickers based in the north west of Madrid which was finalising a deal to sell off half a ton of cocaine. Three suspects from Colombia have been arrested, who also face charges of money laundering. The Interior Ministry said in a press release on Tuesday that the drugs were brought into Spain by air and the laundered proceeds from their sale were then sent to Colombia in the same way. Police began their investigations last month and swooped on the luxury apartments which were used by the gang early on the morning of January 5, seizing more than 3.5 million € and three kilos of highly pure gold. The gold was made up of ingots each weighing a quarter of a kilo. A further half a million € was discovered when the suspects’ vehicles were searched.

Suspect arrested over woman found murdered in Fuengirola

2012-01-12T12:21:00.001Z

An arrest has been made in the case of the woman who was found dead, wrapped in plastic and a blanket, beneath a bridge in Los Boliches, Fuengirola, on Monday morning. She was identified as E.U.G, a woman who was born in Almería in 1980. She is believed to have been killed last Saturday, two days before her body was found. The autopsy has now confirmed the cause of death as asphyxiation, and it’s understood there were also signs that she had been hit on the head. There was no sign of rape, or that any of her personal possessions had been stolen. All that’s known on the suspect is that he was known to the victim. La Opinión de Málaga said he was arrested in Fuengirola.

Abandoned cargo of 1.6 tons of cannabis found on boat adrift off Ceuta

2012-01-12T12:19:00.001Z

The Civil Guard have recovered almost 1.7 tons of cannabis from a half-sunken boat which was found adrift in the Strait of Gibraltar late on Tuesday. The Civil Guard officers who were sent out to assist what was thought to be a vessel in distress located the Zodiac boat 9 miles to the north of Punta Almina, Ceuta. There were no crew members on board, but they found that it was carrying a cargo of 57 bales of cannabis. The cargo’s exact weight quoted by Europa Press on Wednesday is 1.68 tons. It would have an estimated street value of 2.5 million €.

the secret of the Costa del Sol got out to the world, in a big, big way

2012-01-10T22:51:00.001Z

.The mid-Andalusian coastline began to lure Northern European types, weary of their long, dark winters and eager to bask in the region's ever-present sunshine. First came the super-rich and famous (think Audrey Hepburn, Cary Grant, and Laurence Olivier), after Prince Alfonso of Hohenlohe-Langenburg opened the aristocratic Marbella Club in 1954. The demi-rich and B celebs followed, and gradually the masses—as is their wont—caught wind of the fun and sun, subsequently descending in droves. Through it all, the gays came too, establishing their beachhead at Torremolinos in the 1960s and 70s. Unfortunately, the switch from sleepy-fishing-village-dotted seashore to frolicksome touristic playground proved too rapid for the area to bear seamlessly. Unsavory types like on-the-lam Brits, the Russian mob, and Arab arms traffickers crept in, earning the region the unwelcome nickname Costa del Crime in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Unsavory Marbella politicians meanwhile took advantage of the instability, pushing through scores of corrupt construction projects before being stopped and ultimately jailed. Now, however, with a clean political slate and hot on the heels of a highly publicized summer 2010 visit to the area by Michelle Obama, the Costa del Sol is back with a vengeance. A new generation of hip tourists, a large faction of them gay, are now discovering the 300-plus days of sun, the warm Mediterranean beaches, the bargain-to-luxury shopping, the excellent spas, the delectable food, the rich history, the effervescent culture, and yes, those scrumptious southern Spanish men of the delightful Costa del Sol. By far, most international visits to the Costa del Sol start in Málaga, and more specifically at its Pablo Ruiz Picasso International Airport. Low-cost carriers like Ryanair and EasyJet have turned this into Spain's fourth busiest airfield, with scores of carriers now serving over 60 countries. The airport's newly opened third terminal is expected to accommodate the growing number of travelers in the coming years. Thanks to an extension of Spain's high-speed AVE train line in 2007, it's now also possible to get from Madrid to Málaga by rail in just about two and a half hours. While many Málaga arrivers scurry off to nearby beachside resort towns, any proper visit to the area requires a healthy dose of the beautiful city itself. With about 570,000 inhabitants, this is Europe's southernmost metropolis, not to mention one of the world's oldest towns, with an historical center dating back more than 3,000 years. In this now fully modern and vibrant city, remnants of previous civilizations are around every bend, with Phoenician, Roman, Moorish, and Reconquista Christian sites especially visible—and more still being found all the time. In 1951, during the construction of a new library, a fantastic first century B.C.E. Roman Theater was unearthed, and it's now one of Málaga's main attractions. More recently, during the construction of the Vincci Selección Posada del Patio Hotel on Pasillo Santa Isabel, remains of both the Roman and Arab walls of the city were found, and can be viewed by all from a specially designed underground walkway. THE INSIDERS GUIDE WHERE TO STAY WHERE TO PLAY WHERE TO EAT WHAT TO DO Pablo Picasso and Antonio Banderas are two of Málaga's most famous sons, and while you have a slight chance of seeing the latter on one of his frequent visits to town, you certainly won't miss homages to the former, known to his mother and many a modern tour guide as Pablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno María de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santísima Trinidad Ruiz y Picasso. The fabulous Museo Picasso, while just one of three major museums devoted exclusively to the artist's work (the others are in Barcelona and Paris), contains perhaps the most intimate and revealing collection, with more than 220 works donated directly by Picasso's daughter-in-law and grandson. Also worth a visit is the Museo Casa Natal (Birthplace House Museum), which features thousands of works by Picasso, his contemporaries, and those he influenced. Just up the hill from the Roman Theater is the Alcazaba, a Moorish fort started in the eighth century but mostly taking its present form in the mid-11th century. Farther up the hill (but further forward in time) is the Castillo de Gibralfaro, where the Moorish people of Málaga famously waged a three-month battle (albeit ultimately unsuccessfully) against the Catholic monarchs, Ferdinand and Isabella, in 1487. Inside the castle is a small but interesting archaeological museum, but most visitors come for what's outdoors: breathtaking views of the city below. For a royal hotel stay, the Parador de Málaga Gibralfaro, part of Spain's exceptional state-owned Paradores system, is actually attached to the castle itself. Continuing onward chronologically, Málaga's post-Reconquista city center Cathedral is known locally as La Manquita, or "one-armed lady," thanks to her clearly missing second tower, a victim of depleted coffers in the 18th century. She's still stunning, and her one beautiful outstretched arm manages to crop up in photos all around the old town. CLICK FOR SLIDESHOW OF COSTA DEL SOL When you're ready for a break and some Málaga tapas, the nearby La Moraga is unparalleled, the local outpost of Michelin-starred chef Dani García's growing gastronomic family. Once sustained, try out Málaga's plentiful shopping options, especially the city center pedestrian street Calle Marqués de Larios, which is lined with chic shops, boutiques, and cafés. Málaga also has a Corte de Inglés (part of the much-beloved, Spanish, one-stop, department store chain), as well as several malls and countless specialty stores spread across the city. One of Málaga's most famed festivals is its vivid Holy Week (or Semana Santa), during which massive ornate tronos (thrones, or floats), made of gold and silver and often weighing more than five tons, are carried through the streets, accompanied by music and song. Things turn especially dramatic on Good Friday, when shops and streetlights go dark to better showcase the solemn procession. Antonio Banderas sometimes still takes part in the festivities, as he did here in his youth. The festival dates back more than 500 years to the Catholic Reconquista, and its long history is commemorated at the Museo de la Semana Santa (Holy Week Museum). Somewhat less holy but even more famous is the Feria de Málaga, a nine-day, mid-August festival that's one of Spain's largest. Shops and offices close so everyone can enjoy the food and drink. Meanwhile, traffic is stopped so the streets can fill with music and dancing. Traditional costumes are everywhere, with many women in colorful flamenco dresses and many men dressed as sexy vaqueros (or cowboys). While it's not nearly as big as Holy Week or Feria, Málaga has its own Pride event as well called Hoy Málaga es Gay (Today Málaga is Gay), taking place annually in late June. LGBT life is thriving in Málaga, which boasts a growing number and variety of gay bars and clubs, many situated around Plaza de la Merced. For a fun dip into the local queer scene, start out with the lively Bohemian loungy-ness of El Carmen, then move on to the throbbing disco action of Reinas (Queen). The refreshingly small (just 50 rooms) and colorful Room Mate Lola Hotel is a great place to lay your head in Málaga, with cool design, a central location, a hip clientele, and a friendly staff. Even more centrally located (right next to the Cathedral) is the AC Málaga Palacio Hotel, which boasts a rooftop pool and restaurant/bar with 360-degree views of the city, making it a consummate setting for that impromptu Spanish same-sex wedding. For venturing beyond Málaga proper and onward to the splendid Costa del Sol, your best bet is to rent a car. This can be ridiculously cheap, as low as $60 a week depending on when you travel, your vehicle preference, and Euro conversion rates. Taxis are plentiful, but distances between towns are fairly large, so fares can be high. Buses are available as well, but they run sporadically. Trains, running about every 30 minutes, also connect Málaga to Torremolinos and Fuengirola, but the latter is only about halfway to Marbella, so you'll still need a cab or car to take you the full distance there. Less than ten miles south of Málaga lies Torremolinos, long the gay capital of the Costa del Sol region. Though it began like many towns in the area as a sleepy fishing village, people were here and queer as early as the late 1950s. By 1962, Toni's Bar, Spain's first-ever gay bar, had opened. Even during the oppressive Franco regime, homosexuals were mostly given wide berth to behave as they liked in Torremolinos—as long as they spent their tourist pesetas while doing so. By the early 1970s, gay life was booming here, centered (as it still is) around La Nogalera in the heart of town. Torremolinos lost much of its cachet in the mid-70s when down-the-coast Marbella came into full bloom, but with the decriminalization of homosexuality in Spain later in the decade, the town began to attract more and more gays from all over the country, and eventually from across Europe. After an upswing in the 1980s and much of the 90s, another downturn followed just before the millennium, as Eurogays bored of a destination that'd become too routine and gone stale. Somewhat surprisingly, Torremolinos has undergone yet another powerful resurgence in the last few years, proving it a gay Spanish phoenix that simply refuses to go quietly. As Spain's magnetism draws in more and more international LGBT travelers, Torremolinos, virtually unknown to Amerigays until recently, is now finally being discovered by those looking beyond the tried and true Madrid-to-Barcelona-and-Sitges route. Interestingly, Torremolinos also draws many heterosexual Nordic and British types, leading to odd amalgams like a Finnish bar atop a gay disco, as in the case of the popular and very fun Home. Other current LGBT hotspots (among some 20 in Torremolinos) include Parthenon and Passion discos, both always packed on weekends. Since Torremolinos isn't yet exactly teeming with upscale lodging options, many visitors choose to stay in Málaga and make the journey by taxi at club time—in fact, it's what many Malagueños themselves do every weekend. For those who'd rather be able to stumble home, Hostal Guadalupe is a solid Torremolinos choice. Beyond the packed nightclubs and visible renovations around town, another clear indication that Torremolinos' star is again on the rise was the 2010 debut of Expo Gays, an international gay business expo that drew some 180 exhibitors and 15,000 visitors to the city's 60,000-square-foot Palace of Congresses and Exhibitions over three days in mid-October. Of course, one of the main reasons people flock to Costa del Sol is to soak up the ever-present local sun. Torremolinos itself has several lovely stretches of sand, including the once gay but now mixed Poseidon Beach. Most locals will assure you, however, that the best gay beach in Costa del Sol is farther down the coast, between Calahonda and Marbella at Cabopin. While this naturist beach isn't exclusively gay, it boasts a large pink stretch (commencing about 200 yards to the west of the parking lot) that includes a very cruisy and action-packed dune area. Whether you lay or play, Cabopin makes for a nice rejuvenating stop on the journey south from Torremolinos or Málaga to Marbella.

Undercover agents with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, working with their Mexican counterparts, helped transfer millions of dollars in drug cash and even escorted a shipment of cocaine via Dallas to Spain

2012-01-10T22:45:00.001Z

The covert activities were undertaken as part of an operation to infiltrate and prosecute a major Colombian-Mexican narco-trafficking organization moving cocaine from Colombia to Mexico and the United States. The undercover operation, detailed in Mexican government documents obtained by the New York Times, first came to light via a Monday dispatch by Times reporter Ginger Thompson. The documents "describe American counternarcotics agents, Mexican law enforcement officials and a Colombian informant working undercover together over several months in 2007," Thompson reported. "Together, they conducted numerous wire transfers of tens of thousands of dollars at a time, smuggled millions of dollars in bulk cash—and escorted at least one large shipment of cocaine from Ecuador to Dallas to Madrid." The documents "show that in 2007 the authorities infiltrated" the operations of an accused major Colombian cocaine trafficker, named Harold Mauricio Poveda-Ortega, Thompson wrote. Poveda-Ortega, also known as the Rabbit, "was considered the principal cocaine supplier to the Mexican drug cartel leader Arturo Beltran Leyva." Leyva was killed in 2008 in a shootout with Mexican naval forces. Poveda-Ortega was arrested in Mexico City in November 2010. The Mexican government documents include testimony from a DEA special agent "who oversaw a covert money laundering investigation" into Poveda-Ortega, Thompson reported. The documents form part of the file supporting a Mexican Foreign Ministry extradition order for Poveda-Ortega from last May 2011. The United States, however, has declined to indicate whether Poveda-Ortega was extradited to the United States, Thompson writes. A Justice Department spokeswoman Laura Sweeney similarly told Yahoo News Monday that the department is "not in a position to comment on the specific matter." The Drug Enforcement Administration defended the undercover operation in a written statement given to Thompson. "Transnational organized groups can be defeated only by transnational law enforcement cooperation," the agency wrote. "Such cooperation requires that law enforcement agencies — often from multiple countries — coordinate their activities, while at the same time always acting within their respective laws and authorities." Former DEA agent Robert Mazur, who posed as a money launderer in a similar undercover DEA investigation targeting the banks supporting the Medellin drug cartel, said such undercover operations are necessary and legitimate. Covert drug stings are critical, he says, in lining up evidence to successfully prosecute the top command and control figures of organized crime cartels. "This is a law enforcement technique that has been used for decades," Mazur told Yahoo News in a telephone interview Monday. "If we were to embrace the concept that these undercover money laundering operations shouldn't be conducted because in a small way, they for a brief period of time create a short term benefit for the criminal, we would be doing criminal organizations around the world the greatest favor they could get. We would be closing door to one of the most effective methods available to attack what law enforcement calls the command and control of these global organizations." The organizations targeted in these intricate DEA stings "are not people selling dime bags of crack on the street, but people trying to create terrorists states around the world," continued Mazur (Mazur, who retired from the DEA in 1998, has recounted his experience infiltrating the BCCI bank accused of money laundering for the Colombian drug cartel, in a book, The Infiltrator.) Mazur also disputed any comparison between the undercover DEA case exposed by the Times Monday and the recent controversy over "Fast and Furious," the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) program that allegedly put guns in the hands of Mexican drug gangs. "I would never agree in any circumstances it's worthwhile to put 2,000 weapons in the hands of criminals," he said. "Each of these operations needs to be professionally managed and individually scrutinized. This one, from what I read, is very common place, and I don't see anything in there that disturbs me in the least." Recent DEA undercover operations have led to the apprehension and successful prosecution of two major global arms traffickers, including the Russian-born, so-called "merchant of death" Viktor Bout, who was convicted in November on four counts of plotting to sell anti-aircraft guns and other weapons to Colombia's FARC rebels; and the Syrian-born "Prince of Marbella," Monzer al-Kassar, who was sentenced by a New York court in 2009 to 30 years in prison.

Trial begins in giant Spanish corruption scandal

2012-01-10T21:39:00.001Z

top Spanish former official went on trial Monday at the start of legal proceedings into a raft of corruption scandals in which King Juan Carlos' son-in-law is also accused. Jaume Matas, the ex-head of the regional government of the Balearic islands who had also served as environment minister, appeared at a court in Palma de Majorca alongside three other suspects. They have been charged with embezzlement, fraud, falsifying documents and influence peddling. Matas was charged in March 2010 and was released after paying a record bail of 3.0 million euros ($3.8 million). Prosecutors are demanding an eight and a half years jail term. Matas served as president of the government of the Balearic Islands between 1996-1999 and then between 2003-2007. He was environment minister between 2000-2003. The so-called "Palma Arena affair" as the Spanish press has dubbed the corruption scandal centres on the suspected embezzlement of public funds during the construction of a velodrome in Palma de Majorca between 2005-2007. An investigation concluded that the cycling track had an unjustified cost overrun of 41 million euros. That led authorities on the archipelago to uncover other cases of suspected embezzlement of public funds, including one allegedly involving royal son-in-law Inaki Urdangarin. The 43-year-old ex-Olympic handball player is scheduled to appear in court on February 25 as part of a probe into corruption at a non-profit organisation, Instituto Noos, which he headed between 2004 and 2006. The probe centres notably on a payment of 2.3 million euros to Instituto Noos for organising a tourism and sports conference in 2005 and 2006. Urdangarin, who has the title Duke of Palma and is married to the king's youngest daughter, Princess Cristina, has denied any wrongdoing. Last month the royal family suspended the the duke from official engagements and the palace's highest official, Rafael Spottorno, gave an unprecedented rebuke, telling Spanish media his behaviour "does not seem exemplary".

THE ex-lover of Holby City star Laila Rouass has been jailed for nine years in a £250m VAT fraud.

2012-01-08T16:54:00.001Z

• NASIR KHAN WAS FOUND GUILTY OF ALLOWING CRIMINAL GANGS TO LAUNDER MONEY THROUGH A STRING OF HIS COMPANIES

Nasir Khan, 39, who lived in Gibraltar, was found guilty of allowing criminal gangs to launder money through a string of his companies.

Khan who divided his time between a flat at Atlantic Suites and a six million euro villa in Marbella, ‘deliberately cheated the public purse,’ heard London’s Southwark Crown Court.

The businessman who dated Rouass, also a contestant in Strictly Come Dancing in 2009, managed to amass a fortune of 50m euros and was regularly seen driving luxury sportscars or in his £40,000 yacht moored.

The lynchpin was able to make huge amounts of money in VAT rebates in a clever mobile phone scam.

The son of a Surrey bus driver, he borrowed £2,000 from friends and was named the Bank of England’s Young Entrepreneur of the Year when his mobile phone company The Accessory People took off in the 1990s.

At the age of 29, he was valued at £45million, but as the accessory market declined around 2001, his company began a fraudulent wholesale trade in mobile phones, boosting turnover from £13million in 2002 to £219million in 2003.

The scam involved bogus UK companies buying high value mobile phones in Europe.

The phones were then moved through a number of British firms before being sold back to Europe.

Through a series of rapid transactions, often taking place in less than a day, the fraudsters were able to exploit UK tax laws and claim vast sums in VAT rebates.

Khan used his company and other firms, including Direct Accessories Ltd, to launder the cash.

Michael Parroy QC, prosecuting, said: “The loss of tax revenue ran into millions of pounds and those involved made a lot of money.”

Judge Nicholas Loraine-Smith said: “Quite why somebody who had been as successful as you would decide to become involved in fraud I very much doubt this court will ever know.

“I suspect the enormous profits which were available in the fraud were too great for you to resist, the figures speak for themselves.”

Two members of the Italian mafia have been arrested in a Marbella villa.

2012-01-08T15:12:00.001Z

The two Italians are from the Mazzarella clan of the Camorra mafia and were arrested last Wednesday morning by UDYCO police on the Costa del Sol working with Italian police. They face charges of belonging to a criminal organisation dedicated to the traffic of drugs into Europe from Morocco. They have been named as Clemente Amodio and Pasquale Mazzarella. European arrest warrants are in place and the two men have been taken to Madrid where the National Court will handle the extradition. The Italian anti-mafia prosecutor has said that these arrests are more confirmation that the south of Spain in general, and the Costa del Sol in particular, has become one of the favourite refuges for members of the Camorra. Meanwhile in a separate incident, police have arrested a 24 year old Frenchman, named with the initials Y.K. in Torremolinos. He’s wanted in France on charges of attempted homicide and drugs offences, and was seized on December 28 after being stopped at a routine control. Police noted that his driving licence photo looked nothing like him.

50 year old buildings in Spain to get an ITE inspection

2012-01-08T15:09:00.001Z

Buildings which are more than 50 years old are to be obliged to have a so-called ITV/MOT inspection from July. The new legislation affects buildings older than 50 years in towns of more than 25,000 inhabitants. Buildings will be obliged to display a certificate before any flats can be sold. The ITE Inspección Técnica de Edificios has been in existence for some time, but only from July 7 2012 will it become obligatory. The buildings will be subjected to a complete technical inspection by a competent architect or engineer who will draw up a report on the state of the building, indicating any deficiencies detected and whether they are serious or not. In the case that work needs to be done, a further inspection is needed when the work is completed. Fines of 1,000 – 6,000 € are envisaged for those who don’t comply. The process will have to be repeated every ten years.

King Melchor had a heart attack and died while sitting atop his float.

2012-01-08T15:06:00.001Z

Drama of an unexpected sort in the Valencia town of Pobla de Farnais, during the Three Kings Parade on Thursday night. Levante EMV reports that King Melchor had a heart attack and died while sitting atop his float. The man, who was in his 50’s and a great fan of the local fiestas and traditions is reported to have told people to carry on with the procession, although he was not feeling well. Finally witnesses reported that J.M. Martínez fainted and fell unconscious from his chair.

Prison for father and son in connection with Barcelona Senegalese killing

2012-01-08T15:03:00.001Z

Two of the four people arrested in connection with the death of a Senegalese man, Ibrahima Dyey in Barcelona last Tuesday have been sent to prison on remand, while the other two have been granted provisional release by the judge in Instruction Court 12 in Barcelona. The father of a gypsy clan, Antonio F.P., is one of those being held in custody, along with one of his sons, 28 year old Antonio F.G who is believed to have actually carried out the killing. The tragedy has caused serious friction between local gypsy residents and the Africans in the Besòs district of the city. The judge ordered that the other two sons face charges of making threats and causing injury and they have to report every day to the court. Their passports have been removed and they are not allowed to leave Barcelona, or be closer than 500m to any of the witnesses called to the court.

Domestic violence in Spain claimed the year’s 60th victim on Tuesday night

2011-12-29T17:00:00.002Z

The victim is his ex partner and Spain's 60th victim of domestic violence this year

The building in Marchena where Inmaculada D. was killed - EFE

Domestic violence in Spain claimed the year’s 60th victim on Tuesday night when a 29 year old woman, Inmaculada D., died at the hands of her ex partner in Marchena, Sevilla. Her killer is named as Fernando F.G., who is also her distant uncle and the father of her three year old daughter.

The victim was stabbed to death and her current boyfriend received treatment for a minor stab wound.

EFE reports that after the stabbing the assailant went to a local bar before returning to the scene of the crime, a flat on Calle Maestro Moreno Torroba, where he was arrested by police without putting up any resistance. It’s understood that he had been under a distancing order since the summer.

A minute’s silence was held outside the Town Hall building in Marchena on Wednesday and three days of official mourning have been called in memory of Andalucía’s fifteenth victim of domestic violence this year.

Civil Guard have recovered 1 million € in jewellery and watches which were stolen in May

2011-12-29T16:58:00.002Z

Five people have been arrested

EFE archive

The Civil Guard have recovered 1 million € in jewellery and watches which were stolen in May from stores on Madrid’s famous ‘Golden Mile’, the ‘Milla de Oro’ in the city’s Salamanca district.

Five people have been arrested and also face charges of drug trafficking, after officers confiscated more than three kilos of methamphetamine and another kilo of cannabis.

The first suspect to be arrested was a Ukrainian man who was caught in El Escorial in October selling luxury watches which had been stolen on the Golden Mile. His arrest led detectives to the gang’s main fences, two brothers who stored the merchandise in their parents’ home in the Canillas district of Madrid and used it as a meeting point with prospective purchasers.

The parents were also taken into custody when they were caught trying to throw the drugs which were on the premises out of the window.

Officers also seized 30,000 € in cash and four top range cars.

Pere Puig will serve a maximum of 25 years in prison

2011-12-29T16:56:00.002Z

Pere Puig will serve a maximum of 25 years in prison

Pere Puig under police escort - EFE

The man known as the ‘Gunman of Olot’, the 58 year old labourer Pere Puig, has been sentenced to 60 years in prison on four counts of murder, for the shooting dead of his two bosses and two bank employees in December last year.

He will serve a maximum of 25 years behind bars. The convicted man has been ordered to compensate the victims’ families with 643,000 € and must also pay the court costs for the case.

The jury which found him guilty did not consider there to be any diminished responsibility in the case, as had been claimed by the defence.

The murder weapon was a hunting shotgun which he used first against his bosses, the father and son constructors Joan and Ángel Tubert. They were shot dead at 7.45 am on December 15, 2010, as they were eating breakfast in a local restaurant in Olot. He then went on to a local branch of the Caja de Ahorros del Mediterráneo savings bank and killed Rafael Turró and Ana Molas.

He immediately confessed the four killings to the police officers who arrested him.

Puig refused to answer any questions from the prosecution during his trial, restricting himself to only answering questions from his lawyer and ratifying the statements he had made during the instruction phase of the case. He said during that phase that he killed his bosses because they owed him money, and had shot dead the bank staff because he felt defrauded by the bank.

Two arrests have been made in the case of the German tourist, 67 year old P.A.C. who was found beaten to death

2011-12-29T16:55:00.000Z

Police say he died as the result of a fight when he resisted their attempts to rob him

A suspect in handcuffs - EFE archive

Two arrests have been made in the case of the German tourist, 67 year old P.A.C. who was found beaten to death in a tourist complex in Playa del Inglés, San Bartolomé de Tirajana, on the south of Gran Canaria, on Sunday.

The suspects are both Spanish and are named as 27 year old Diego P.L., who was arrested on Tuesday, and Cristóbal P.N., an 18 year old who was taken into custody the following day. The latter is reported to have been known to the victim, who let him into the apartment owing to their friendship. The teenager then opened the door to the other man when the tourist’s attention was distracted.

Police indicated to EFE on Thursday that the man died in the fight which ensued when he resisted their attempts to rob him. The suspects fled the scene with a laptop computer, two mobile phones and a small amount of cash. Both are reported to have lengthy criminal records.

wanted by Spain and Belgium for money laundering and fraud

2011-12-29T16:53:00.002Z

He was wanted by Spain and Belgium for money laundering and fraud

EFE archive

A U.S. national, named by Diario Sur as F.L.P., aged 54, who was wanted for crimes in both Spain and Belgium has been arrested in Fuengirola.

Acting on information that he may have moved to this part of the Costa del Sol, police had been keeping the area under surveillance and took him into custody as he was leaving a shop in the Miramar district of Fuengirola on December 13.

He was wanted on an arrest warrant for alleged money laundering which was issued by Spain in April 2010, and on a European warrant from 2007 issued by the authorities in Belgium for fraud, money laundering and illicit association.

Francisco Javier de Urquía has been found guilty of accepting bribes

2011-12-29T16:52:00.000Z

Francisco Javier de Urquía has been found guilty of accepting bribes

Francisco Javier de Urquía - Photo EFE

The Supreme Court has decided to rehabilitate the Judge, Francisco Javier de Urquía, despite him being found guilty on two occasions of accepting bribes when he was the judge in the Instruction Court 2 in Marbella.

The High Court of Justice in Andalucía considered the judge had accepted 73,800 € from the man at the centre of the Malaya case, Juan Antonio Roca. The money reportedly helped him to by a property in exchange for judicial favours. A few days after the payment of the money, he blocked a Marbella TV station from showing an uncomfortable documentary on Roca.

In the Hidalgo case Urquía picked up 60,000 € for granting bail to three of the accused. He was instructing that case on money laundering of drug trafficking profits.

The Supreme Court has ruled however that having a criminal record does not mean you cannot hand out justice, and that Urquía can return to the judiciary as the 21 month suspension handed down has been served.

It’s the second time the 43 year old judge has got a favourable resolution from the Supreme Court, and where he has a third one still pending. But if a second charge against him becomes firm, then he will be suspended again as a judge.

Carmelo Gallico is wanted in Italy for murder, extortion and money laundering

2011-12-29T16:50:00.002Z

Carmelo Gallico is wanted in Italy for murder, extortion and money laundering

Carmelo Gallico in police custody. Photo - Mossos d'Esquadra

A leading member of the Calabrian mafia, the ‘Ndrangheta’, has been arrested in Barcelona in an operation by the Mossos d’Esquadra Catalan police in cooperation with police in Italy.

The Mossos said in a statement on Wednesday that Carmelo Gallico, aged 46, was arrested on December 23, hiding out in a flat in the Eixample district, ‘where he tried to attract as little attention as possible’. His daily routine was to spend, ‘hours in the library, in a nearby gym and in certain bars in Eixample where he felt safe.’

Gallico is wanted in Italy for serious crimes including membership of a mafia organisation, murder, extortion and money laundering.

Four senior British police officers are under investigation over allegations of misconduct for partaking in a gangland killing case, news reports said.

2011-12-24T12:15:00.001Z

Staffordshire Police launched an inquiry into the murder of amateur footballer Kevin Nunes, 20, who was gunned down in a country lane in 2002, British media reported.

Nunes, a drug dealer who had been on the books of Tottenham Hotspur, was shot dead in an execution style killing after a gang dispute.

His killers, Levi Walker, Antonio Christie, Adam Joof, Michael Osbourne and Owen Crooks were all jailed for life after being found guilty of murder by a jury at Leicester Crown Court.

The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) will look into the handling of the investigation into case of the four officers, including the lead on police ethics. Five men were jailed in connection with the killing in 2008.

The IPCC confirmed that formal notice of investigation had been served on “a number of former and serving Staffordshire Police officers”.

Meanwhile, Northamptonshire Police Authority confirmed that its force's chief constable Adrian Lee and deputy chief constable Suzette Davenport were being investigated.

Lee is also the head of the Association of Chief Police Officers' ethics portfolio.

teenager who murdered a 16-year-old schoolboy outside a pub in Stretford has denied his motive was revenge for another gangland killing.

2011-12-22T00:04:00.001Z

A teenager who murdered a 16-year-old schoolboy outside a pub in Stretford has denied his motive was revenge for another gangland killing. Moses Mathias told Manchester Crown Court he intended to commit a robbery but instead fired at a vehicle carrying Giuseppe Gregory out of "fear for my life". He said he did not learn of the death in May 2009 until the next day. Àt the age of 15 he later went on the run. Mathias, now 18, remained at large until he was arrested in Amsterdam earlier this year on a European Arrest Warrant after a joint investigation by the Serious Organised Crime Agency and GMP. He was flown back to the UK in June and four months later admitted the murder of the youngster who was gunned down in the early hours of May 11 in a car outside the Robin Hood pub in Stretford. In March 2010, Mathias's associates Njabulo Ndlovu and Hiruy Zerihun, then aged 19 and 18, were jailed for life and ordered to serve minimum terms of 21 years and 23 years respectively after they were convicted of Giuseppe's murder. Their trial heard the pair carried out the attack in revenge for the murder of Zerihun's boyhood friend Louis Brathwaite, also 16, who was shot dead in a betting shop in Withington, south Manchester, in January 2008. They were affiliated to Fallowfield Man Dem, a splinter group of the notorious Gooch Gang, who targeted Giuseppe and his friends because of their association to the rival gang the Longsight Crew. Mathias, of no fixed address, also admitted possessing - with Zerihun and Ndlovu - an imitation firearm, a self-loading pistol, a .32 pistol and six .32 bullet cartridges. But now he has argued the basis of his plea and claimed he did not know Louis Brathwaite, saying in evidence that the plan was to enter the pub and "rob the tills".

Jose Maria del Nido has been sentenced to seven-and-a-half years in prison for his role in the embezzlement of public funds in the southern Spanish town of Marbella.

2011-12-19T16:11:00.002Z

Sevilla president Jose Maria del Nido has been sentenced to seven-and-a-half years in prison for his role in the embezzlement of public funds in the southern Spanish town of Marbella.

GettyImagesJose Maria Del Nido has had his issues in the past.

The offences took place between 1999 and 2003 when Del Nido worked as lawyer and he will also have to pay the Marbella town hall €2.7 million in compensation.

Marbella's former mayor, Julian Munoz, was also sentenced to seven and half years in prison, while former urban planning adviser Juan Antonio Roca got four.

Del Nido took charge of Sevilla in 2002 and the club has since gone on to win the UEFA Cup, Copa Del Rey, Spanish Supercopa and the UEFA Supercup under his guidance.

He will appeal his sentence to Madrid's Supreme Court.DISCLAIMER:Text may be subject to copyright.This blog does not claim copyright to any such text. Copyright remains with the original copyright holder.

A Spanish court on Wednesday heard new testimony from a young woman who alleges that one of the world's richest men, Saudi Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal, raped her on a yacht

2011-12-16T16:37:00.001Z

A Spanish court on Wednesday heard new testimony from a young woman who alleges that one of the world's richest men, Saudi Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal, raped her on a yacht anchored at the Spanish island of Ibiza in 2008, said a court spokeswoman and a lawyer for the woman.

The prince and his lawyers were not present at the hearing. But, he has maintained that he is innocent, that he hasn't been in Ibiza in more than a decade, and that others have tried to impersonate him.

The woman, a 23-year-old dual Spanish and German citizen, provided the new testimony at the request of the Spanish prosecutor, who said some of her previous testimony needed to be clarified, the court spokeswoman and her lawyer said.

The woman, who has worked as a fashion model, entered the courthouse in Ibiza wearing a black hat and dark sunglasses to conceal her face from reporters outside, one of her lawyers, Max Turiel, told CNN by phone from Ibiza. Her mother accompanied her.

The two-hour, closed-door hearing included the woman, another one of her lawyers, the prosecutor and the investigating magistrate who is in charge of the investigation.

The magistrate is expected to ask the prosecutor to formulate questions that Spain would send to Saudi Arabia, for officials there to ask of the prince, said the court spokeswoman, who by custom is not identified. She talked to CNN by phone from Ibiza.

The woman filed her complaint in Ibiza in August of 2008, but a local judge shelved it last year, citing a lack of evidence that a crime had been committed, according to court documents. .

The woman appealed to the next highest court, the Balearic Island Provisional Court, which ruled that the lower court in Ibiza should reopen the investigation.

The lower court reopened the investigation last July, a court document shows, and it has labeled Prince Alwaleed as a person "imputado," or someone "under official investigation." Being named an imputado is a step short of an indictment. To this point, the prince has not been formally charged with any crime.

The Saudi prince is a billionaire and the biggest foreign investor in companies such as News Corp.

A statement, issued Wednesday by his lawyer in Madrid, reiterated the prince's innocence and said the prince was with his family in France in August of 2008 on a visit that was well-documented by his passport, cell phone records, hotel receipts, as well as photographs, video and eyewitness accounts.

"We strongly support the action of the Ibiza prosecutors and the judge to fully examine the false, unsubstantiated and constantly evolving story of the alleged victim, her mother and her lawyers," said the statement from the lawyer, Horacio Oliva. "The multiple inconsistent accounts lack even one corroborating witness nor do they present a single piece of evidence regarding" the prince.

But in her testimony on Wednesday, the woman maintained her accusation against the prince, said Turiel, her lawyer, despite what he termed tough questioning by the prosecutor seeking details of the alleged rape.

Turiel said the prosecutor's pointed questions on Wednesday, seeking to clarify the woman's earlier testimony, treated her "as if she were the one under investigation and not the victim."

According to an earlier court document in the investigation, the woman believed that her drink had been drugged. She sent a text message to a friend stating as much. She awoke on a yacht to find she was being sexually assaulted by a man she identified as Prince Alwaleed, according to the court document.

Turiel told CNN last September that "there were remains of semen" that should be examined against the prince's DNA, as well as "remains of a tranquilizer that produced the symptoms she had."

anti drink-drive campaign from Monday to Sunday this week

2011-12-12T17:20:00.001Z

The DGT traffic authority is carrying out an anti drink-drive campaign from Monday to Sunday this week. We can expect more breathalyser controls as the DGT says it wants to crack down on office Christmas parties and other celebrations which are held ahead of Christmas.

The DGT reminds drivers that being under the effects of alcohol the risk of having an accident increases nine-fold. They say it slows down reaction time, causes vision problems, drowsiness, loss of control, excitability and problems with coordination.

Peter and Benjamin Schmidt were found guilty by an Alicante court of fraud,

2011-12-09T12:39:00.001Z

Peter and Benjamin Schmidt were found guilty by an Alicante court of fraud, sentenced to two years in prison and ordered to repay the £50,000 deposit taken from Keith and Marilyn Brown in 2004.

A total of 60 people, mostly British, paid deposits in excess of £50,000 for property sold off-plan via the German father and son company Construciones Monte Puchol S.L.

Within the space of a year the expectant homeowners began to realise that building licenses had not and would not be granted to the Schmidts, who had illegally earmarked 'rustic' land on which to build the 60 properties.

It remains to be seen whether the decision will set a legal precedent and enable remaining victims, not just of the Schmidts, but of all fraudulent developers in Spain, to claw back their losses.

Despite the allegations of fraud and the evidence against the Schmidts, the Browns were required to fund the six-year legal action themselves – something that has left a bad taste in the mouth of Mr Brown, particularly as there is no guarantee that the Schmidts will actually pay back what they owe.

He's wanted for contempt of court in Arizona. He is under investigation by Italian police over his connection with an international bond scandal exposed by Reuters in August and totalling at least $500 million

2011-12-09T12:37:00.001Z

He's wanted for contempt of court in Arizona. He is under investigation by Italian police over his connection with an international bond scandal exposed by Reuters in August and totalling at least $500 million (320 million pounds). And he is named as a key player in one of the first criminal indictments following the collapse of Iceland's economy.

But last week you could find David Spargo in a holiday resort on the Spanish island of Majorca. He's a regular at La Batucada cocktail bar, where he might be drinking anything from a cocktail to a beer or whisky. Locals say he also enjoys playing on the 95-euro-a-round (81 pound) Alcanada golf course, which overlooks the sparkling Mediterranean.

Since he arrived in Majorca early this year he has even tried to issue more bonds, one source told Reuters.

Spargo's case shows how tough it is for regulators and law enforcement agencies to track and punish alleged financial crimes across borders. Networks of 'shell companies' -- paper-only firms with few real operations -- make it hard enough to identify suspects. Even if regulators can identify them, they are often hard to bring to justice. Spargo may be of interest to officials in at least four jurisdictions around the world but police and civil guard officials on Majorca said they were unaware of the fraud investigation.

The 44-year old American is sought by U.S. Marshals for failing to repay $5.5 million to investors in Texas and Virginia who had bought bonds issued by his company. But because the charges against him are civil ones, the United States is not able to extradite him and the U.S. embassy in Madrid says they are not aware of Spargo's presence in Spain. Iceland and Britain (whose top financial services regulator recently called $500 million of bonds Spargo issued in 2008 a "fraudulent instrument") have also not tried to extradite him. A prosecutor in Italy declined to say whether authorities had tried to extradite anyone in connection with the case.

"There are likely to be hundreds of suspected white-collar criminals who have moved to other countries and are now living off the proceeds from their alleged crimes," says Andrew Gordon, forensic services partner at accountants PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC). Police in the City of London say more and more criminals are trying to hide their operations in different countries, using myriad bank accounts to siphon off the profits.

Spargo himself denies any fraud. "A lot of your information is extremely incorrect," he told a Reuters reporter from the balcony of his second-floor apartment on November 28. "You'll find out in the next three days."

He did not elaborate

46 Sub Saharan migrants reached the beach in Ceuta on Wednesday morning by swimming across

2011-12-08T12:56:00.001Z

A group of 46 Sub Saharan migrants reached the beach in Ceuta on Wednesday morning by swimming across from Morocco, using rubber rings and inner tubes from tyres to help themselves keep afloat.

They were part of a larger group which was spotted jumping into the sea near the Moroccan border at Tarajal, some of whom were stopped from going any further by the Moroccan gendarmerie.

Four of the group which managed to reach the Spanish North African enclave were treated by Cruz Roja personnel for minor injuries and hypothermia.

Two people have been arrested in Yecla, Murcia, in connection with a body

2011-12-08T12:54:00.001Z

Two people have been arrested in Yecla, Murcia, in connection with a body which was found tied up in the boot of a crashed car on the A-31 motorway in Sax, Alicante, at the end of October.

The body was badly burnt after the car burst into flames on crashing into the central reservation, but was identified as a Spanish man from Yecla with a previous criminal record and the owner of the vehicle where he was found.

All that’s known about the two suspects is that they are also Spanish, aged 39 and 44, and were arrested in Yecla on November 25.

two and a half tons of marijuana have been seized from a drugs and money laundering network

2011-12-08T12:52:00.001Z

two and a half tons of marijuana have been seized from a drugs and money laundering network based in Lorca after a months-long investigation which has arrested eight suspects.

Four are Spanish, one is from Morocco, and the remaining three are Italian. One of the Italian suspects is a man who was based in El Garrobillo, near Lorca, with a lengthy record for drug dealing and violent crime both in Italy and in Spain, who is thought to have laundered the proceeds from drug dealing by buying up large areas of land in the area. He had been under investigation since June and was found to be linked to the other suspects who are now in custody as part of the same criminal network.

The Interior Ministry said in a press release on Wednesday that the value of the personal and real estate property seized as part of the joint operation by the Civil Guard, National Police and the Agencia Tributaria Tax Authority amounts to more than 1 million €.

couple are accused of killing two people while on the run

2011-11-28T11:36:00.001Z

The escape of prisoner from jail with his prison art teacher has ended with two people being shot dead in Murcia. Mar S. And Jorge S were staying in a hotel in Mazarrón on November 16.

During the night Jorge went down to the street and allegedly shot a 32 year old man and a 16 year old youth. He was arrested by the Guardia Civil at the scene, and Mar was arrested four days later by the Mossos d’Escuadra in Barcelona, accused with Jorge of attempting to kill her ex boyfriend.

The couple had been on the run for several months, travelling round Spain with false identities in a stolen car.

The 37 year old woman had been seen by several witnesses with Jorge, but it was not initially clear who she was. She was with Jorge when he shot two random victims, an Ecuadorian man in the chest, and a youth walking his dog, shot in the head.

La Verdad de Murcia says that Jorge was carrying a lot of money when he was arrested, and the police are investigating whether the couple had robbed a bank. One theory is that the money was taken from Mar’s ex boyfriend.

Anselmo Sevillano Amaya Europe’s biggest drug trafficker in Hashish has been hiding in a villa in Estepona.

2011-11-28T11:34:00.001Z

The drug runners, dressed as Civil Guards,
hid the launch full of drugs at the Isla Cristina dockyard in Huelva

Europe’s biggest drug trafficker in Hashish has been hiding in a villa in Estepona.
Anselmo Sevillano Amaya, who was on the run, has now been arrested. With 60 mobile phones, GPS and satellites, he controlled ‘an incalculable business’ according to the police. A member of the Guardia Civil who was in his pay has also been arrested.
His helpers often used to be dressed up in Guardia Civil uniforms.

He has been living in the Atalaya Park urbanisation in Estepona with his wife and small son, neighbour to the bullfighter Curro Romero. He had five expensive cars in the parking area, one of them a Porsche, but away from home he was said to have behaved in a less ostentatious way.

His luck ran out on Tuesday when the Judicial drugs police from Huelva arrested the 33 year old while he was resting at home with his wife. Described by police as one of the largest hashish traffickers in Europe, if not the largest for the level of merchandise he dealt with, and the contacts and time he had been in the business. They say it is impossible even to guess the amount of the drug he has brought into Spain, but there was thought to be a consignment arriving every week.

It was the last consignment which was intercepted; 3,620 kilos of the drug with the arrest of 11 people in Isla Cristina in Huelva.

Rapid launches were generally used to bring in the drugs, with the crew dressed as Guardia Civil, in perfect uniforms. He paid 600,000 € for the consignment in Morocco, and it would have brought him 4 million on the market.

He purchased a yacht to bring in drugs during the Virgen del Mar regatta in Huelva, with the craft escorted by several of his men on jet skis.

In Estepona the police found his office, with 26,000 € in cash, six nautical GPS systems and two satellite phones. He used this equipment to communicate with his boats at sea, as well as with contacts in Morocco and Holland, one of the main destinations for his drugs.

Anselmo already has a four year prison sentence from an early bust last year, but he fled before being admitted into jail. He was also arrested in July 2005 with his partner at the time, Sergio Mora Carrasco, and in that case police discovered that two of their force had been purchased.

16 people have been arrested in Spain, along with two in Belgium and two in Holland against a gang of cocaine traffickers who used babies to introduce the drug via airports.

2011-11-28T11:30:00.001Z

16 people have been arrested in Spain, along with two in Belgium and two in Holland against a gang of cocaine traffickers who used babies to introduce the drug via airports. 11 kilos of cocaine was recovered in the operation from the National Police with the collaboration of the police in Belgium and Holland.

A statement from the Ministry for the Interior says the drugs mules flew from South America with between 1 and 5 kilos of the drugs each, and used the babies to quell suspicions, and placed the drug inside their nappies and in false compartments in their suitcases.

Police first became suspicious of a group of people living in Zaragoza, linked to the gang and this led them to uncover the organisation of a shipment of drugs to Schipol airport in Holland.

The Dutch authorities arrested a Spanish couple travelling with a baby and found 1,574 kilos of cocaine hidden on the child.

German couple have been arrested in Manacor, Mallorca, for withdrawing a payment of 30,000 € which had been paid into their account in error.

2011-11-27T08:07:00.001Z

A German couple have been arrested in Manacor, Mallorca, for withdrawing a payment of 30,000 € which had been paid into their account in error. The couple failed to inform their bank of the error after noticing the payment, and instead withdrew the entire amount in a number of visits to the bank.

Diario de Mallorca reports that they were released after questioning, and have been charged with misappropriation of funds.

arrested a British citizen, a 39 year old from Liverpool, for allegedly causing serious injuries to a compatriot, breaking his tibia and fibula of a leg.

2011-11-27T08:04:00.001Z

National Police has arrested a British citizen, a 39 year old from Liverpool, for allegedly causing serious injuries to a compatriot, breaking his tibia and fibula of a leg. The Briton also was found with unlicensed firearms and in addition two top of the range vehicles with false plates have been recovered. It’s thought they were stolen in the U.K.

Investigations in the case started on October 3 after the aggression which took place at 4pm in an urbanisation in Marbella. National Police say in a statement that the wounded man was taken to hospital but did not want to talk about what had happened, despite his injuries.

However police investigations and eyewitness reports allowed them to establish that the aggressor was known to the victim. Finally he was arrested at his home in Benahvis.

Inside the house they recovered a pistol with the registration number filed off, and holding a bullet in the chamber. Plus there was a charger with 10 projectiles, gas spray, and an extendable cane truncheon. All the weapons were considered as prohibited and the two cars he used were found to have been stolen in the U.K.

Scientific police are now studying the pistol to see if it has been used in any other crimes on record.

Spanish savings bank has fired two directors and is investigating two former executives for allegedly syphoning off 20 million euros ($26.5 million) into secret pension funds

2011-11-26T22:35:00.001Z

Spanish savings bank has fired two directors and is investigating two former executives for allegedly syphoning off 20 million euros ($26.5 million) into secret pension funds, the bank said Saturday.

The board of directors of Caixa Penedes bank had "required the departure" of its president, Ricard Pages, and director general Manuel Troyano. It said both men had agreed to leave, the bank said in a statement.

The decision comes after state prosecutor for the northeastern region of Catalonia, Teresa Compte, said her office was investigating all four on suspicion of involvement in illegal activity.

Regional newspaper La Vanguardia said the case was the first time prosecutors had investigated senior executives for "criminal responsibility" in their handling

speculation that FreddieThompson will link up with Cullen if he gets bail in Spain.

2011-11-23T05:55:00.001Z

GANG boss 'Fat' Freddie Thompson was visited by a close associate of a Dublin criminal on the run in Spain while awaiting extradition.

Thompson was extradited to Madrid to face major gangland charges there.

He left Cloverhill Prison at approximately 2pm and was conveyed to Dublin Airport in a prison van as part of a convoy of four vehicles. Thompson had been in Cloverhill Prison since being arrested by gardai on foot of a European Arrest Warrant two weeks ago.

Armed detectives and airport police were awaiting his arrival at the airport, and he was marched on to the plane some two hours before its scheduled departure while passengers looked on in the departures terminal.

After his arrival in Madrid, Thompson was brought to the Alhaurin de la Torre jail in Andalusia. It is understood the Crumlin gang boss is confident he will get bail in Spain, which is why he opted for uncontested extradition proceedings in the High Court here last week.

While awaiting his extradition, Thompson received three visitors.

One of these visitors is believed to be a close associate of fugitive Eugene Cullen, who is being sought for questioning by detectives in relation to a robbery in Dundrum and a fatal shooting in 2009.

Celeb

This person's visit is now leading to speculation that Thompson will link up with Cullen if he gets bail in Spain.

A court hearing is believed to have been scheduled in Spain for today -- but will not be held in public.

Last week, jail sources in Cloverhill revealed that Thompson has been "celeb prisoner number one" during his stay at Cloverhill. Officers with years of experience and raw recruits wanted to see the man behind the headlines.

While he was held in a segregation unit for the duration, he didn't seek out friendship, even at recreation -- but he was not short of legal advice.

John Dundon, from the infamous Limerick crime family, shouted legal advice from his cell below Freddie on D1.

Sources at the prison said that Thompson had indicated that being on bail in Spain would be a more attractive proposition.

"He was always polite and caused no trouble whatsoever," said a senior officer.

Sources said that Thompson's decision to agree to extradition to Spain to face gangland charges is a "tactical manoeuvre" to allow him to continue his life of crime.

Three men have been sentenced to nine years for a boiler-room investment fraud

2011-11-23T05:52:00.001Z

Three men have been sentenced to nine years for a boiler-room investment fraud, the Serious Fraud Office has said, including one man who stole the identity of a registered financial adviser to commit the crime.

The operation, based in Spain, targeted investors in the UK between 2009 and 2010 and took in over £1.3m.

During the course of the fraud one of the men, James Muir Baird, stole the identity of an FSA registered financial adviser and an FSA registered company and set up a bank account.

By posing as a financial adviser he was able to purchase the contact details of people who had made investment enquiries on an investment website. This gave the boiler room the cold call list it needed to deploy high-pressure sales techniques.

Baird (D.O.B. 09/06/81) and Paul O'Leary (D.O.B. 22/08/73) of Braintree, and Omar Shorif Choudhury (D.O.B. 02/08/79) from Great Yeldham were sentenced today at Chelmsford Crown Court after pleading guilty to running a boiler-room fraud.

The defendants used high-pressure telesales techniques to promote worthless share bonds in non-trading companies pretending they were promoting shares in Chinese commodities firms.

Money paid to the boiler-room operation was used to to support the lavish lifestyle of Baird and the boiler-room employees.

"Boiler rooms are a blight on the investment sector," said SFO director Richard Alderman. "They often create victims out of aspiring individuals and dash hopes of a secure retirement.

"I am pleased that the SFO has played its part in bringing the offenders to justice. I hope that confiscation will help to restore some of the damage so callously done."

Miguel Montes Neiro could get an early release once his various sentences are recalculated to take remand time

2011-11-23T05:21:00.001Z

Miguel Montes Neiro could get an early release once his various sentences are recalculated to take remand time served Family and friends demonstrated for Miguel Montes Neiro’s release

There is some new hope for release for Spain’s longest serving common prisoner, in a Tuesday ruling from the Supreme Court which has ordered a recalculation of his sentences. Miguel Montes Neiro has been in prison off and on since 1976 and took his appeal to Spain’s highest court after the Granada provincial court refused to allow him to combine his various sentences.

As things currently stand, he is not due for release until 2021 and has held two hunger strikes this year in protest at his situation.

The ruling on Tuesday has now ordered the Granada court to take into account in the calculation the time Montes Neiro has spent in prison on remand for other cases while serving time for separate crimes. This would mean his release from jail ahead of September 2, 2021.

The 61 year old has also applied for a pardon from the government, but it has received negative reports from both the Granada court, the prosecutor and from the jail where he is being held.

Fernando Torres Baena is charged with systematically abusing dozens of youngsters who attended his martial arts academy Fernando Torres Baena

2011-11-23T05:18:00.001Z

Fernando Torres Baena is charged with systematically abusing dozens of youngsters who attended his martial arts academy Fernando Torres Baena

The main accused in one of the biggest child sex scandals to have ever hit Spain, Fernando Torres Baena, is described as a ‘sexual predator’ by state prosecutors, who have asked that he be sentenced to 303 years in prison.

The so-called ‘karate case’ accuses Torres Baena, ex Spanish karate champion, of systematically abusing dozens of the youngsters who attended his martial arts academy in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria over a period of years. ‘Sexual orgies’ are also alleged at his home in Agüimes on the south of the island.

He is charged on 36 counts of sexual abuse, 13 of corruption of minors and illegal possession of weapons.

Until the scandal broke, Torres Baena was President of the Gran Canaria Karate Federation and research and development director for the Spanish Karate Federation.

Charged with him in the case are his girlfriend and two other martial arts instructors

A heroin trafficker who fled to Spain has been ordered to hand over £49,000 he made from drug dealing.

2011-11-21T11:28:00.001Z

Jason Cleary was arrested after going on the run for more than two years before being brought back to Scotland to face criminal proceedings.

The 34-year-old was jailed for a total of 14 years in 2010 after Judge William Dunlop told him: "You are a career drug dealer."

Part of the sentence was for him failing to appear at the High Court in Glasgow in May 2007 after being granted bail on drug dealing charges by a sheriff in Greenock the previous year.

Cleary, from Greenock, was involved in the drugs trade in his home town and at other locations in Scotland between January 2005 and February the following year.

The Crown raised proceedings to strip him of any crime profits following his conviction.

His counsel, Mark Moir, told the High Court in Edinburgh on Monday that a settlement had been reached in the proceeds of crime action.

Advocate depute Barry Divers said a confiscation order should be made for £49,000 representing the "benefit of his general criminal conduct".

The judge, Lord Uist, agreed to make an order for that sum with Cleary being given six months to pay it.

His assets include his interest in properties in Greenock and West Kilbride. Cleary was the target of a police operation, codenamed Operation Rivet, which was set up to disrupt the activities of an organised crime group involved in drug supply.

Spanish ship-owner with a voluminous record of skirting international laws – and who swears he has never fished illegally – has been sentenced in Spain to one year and eight months in prison

2011-11-18T14:47:00.001Z

Spanish ship-owner with a voluminous record of skirting international laws – and who swears he has never fished illegally – has been sentenced in Spain to one year and eight months in prison for trying to unload fish caught by one of his vessels.

An Australian patrol boat spotted the Hammer, owned by Manuel Antonio Vidal Pego, fishing without authorization in protected Antarctic waters in December 2005. In an attempt to mask the source of those fish, Vidal Pego twice renamed the vessel, finally settling on Chilbo San 33 and registering the ship in North Korea. The shipment of 240 tons of Chilean sea bass was confiscated by South Korean authorities after it was sold for more than $2.7 million to Uruguay-based Coast Line S.A., an affiliate of the Spanish seafood company Freiremar.

According to the sentencing documents, Vidal Pego masked from his trade partners that he had used a boat blacklisted for having previously circumvented international regulations. Once a boat lands in a black list it is banned from fishing in protected Antarctic waters.

Vidal Pego's lawyer said in court that the charge stems from an error on the company’s import declaration and has appealed the case. “We’re sure we will win, because we’re right,” said Foro Hernández, spokesperson for Vidal Pego, in an interview with the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists.

In October ICIJ detailed how Vidal Pego, his companies and affiliates have been repeatedly pursued by government agencies and international regulators for their role in a decade-old network of vessels that entered remote and protected waters of the Antarctic and targeted toothfish – also known as Chilean sea bass – in violation of an international convention.

Since 1999, international fisheries regulators have linked vessels owned by Vidal Armadores – a company owned by Vidal Pego and his father – or its affiliates to more than 40 cases of alleged illegal fishing, ranging from using banned fishing gear to targeting protected kitefish shark.

ACCUSED drug smugglers Ivan Valea and Julia Fernandez face life imprisonment if convicted.

2011-11-18T14:35:00.001Z

ACCUSED drug smugglers Ivan Valea and Julia Fernandez were the life of a pirate party at Bundaberg marina only a few nights before they were arrested in one of Australia's biggest cocaine busts.

Fellow yachties say the fun-loving Spanish couple gave no hint that they were allegedly part of an international crime syndicate, with Gold Coast links, during their three-week stay at the marina on board their boat Friday Freedom.

Carousing with other boaties who had sailed alongside them from Port Vila to Bundaberg in the annual Port2Port Yacht Rally, Valea, 35, and Fernandez, 37, were hardly keeping a low profile for two people with an alleged cargo of 300kg of cocaine worth up to $120 million hidden in their hull.Hamming it up for the camera, Valea even won the award for best costume at the rally's pirate party last week.

"They were very, very nice people," Bundaberg Yacht Club president Lesley Grimminck told The Courier-Mail yesterday. "They came to just about all our functions and we never suspected a thing. Everyone was just blown away when we found out."

Ms Grimminck said Friday Freedom was one of 85 boats in the rally fleet which arrived in Bundaberg on October 20.

She said Ms Fernandez spoke no English and Mr Valea interpreted for her at functions held at Bundaberg marina.

"We didn't have a clue they were up to no good," Ms Grimminck said. "The first I knew about it was on Saturday morning when all hell broke loose at the marina. There were police and Customs officers everywhere and they turned the boat upside down."

The couple, along with alleged cocaine syndicate kingpin Jose Herrero-Calvo, 38, of Sydney, and Miguel Angel Sanchez Barrocal, 39, of the Gold Coast, were arrested in Bundaberg at the weekend over what Australian Federal Police said was the fifth biggest drugs bust in the nation's history.

The AFP said cocaine with a wholesale value of $78 million was seized in raids that also netted $3.5 million in cash, including almost $300,000 at a Surfers Paradise residence.

Ms Fernandez was in tears when the four Spanish nationals briefly faced Bundaberg Magistrates Court yesterday. All were remanded in custody until their next court appearance in January.

The Friday Freedom, a 17m steel ketch, had been under surveillance since September as part of a 10-month investigation. Codenamed Operation Avalon, the probe began as a money-laundering investigation in February after the AFP received intelligence on large amounts of cash being sent overseas.

Queensland police and Customs officials joined federal agents in the investigation and tracked the Friday Freedom after it left Port Vila for Bundaberg.

Authorities swooped on Bundaberg marina after Mr Herrero-Calvo and Mr Barrocal allegedly drove from the Gold Coast to Bundaberg last Friday and removed 100kg of cocaine from the vessel in two suitcases. They were arrested on Friday night after allegedly driving off in two hire cars with their huge stash.

Assistant Commissioner Kevin Zuccato, the AFP's national manager of serious and organised crime, said syndicate members had been "very patient", waiting three weeks to begin moving the cocaine after the Friday Freedom docked in Bundaberg.

Mr Valea and Ms Fernandez were arrested on Friday Freedom and the remaining drugs, believed to have originated from South America, were located in the boat's bilge, wrapped in black plastic and tape to keep them dry.

The four Spaniards face life imprisonment if convicted.

The National Police are investigating a robbery of drugs from the official deposit in Malaga Port.

2011-11-14T23:52:00.001Z

The National Police are investigating a robbery of drugs from the official deposit in Malaga Port.The deposit is gaurded by a private firm from Monday to Friday and on the weekend by the Gaurdia Civil.Nobody knows how it was robbed or the amount of the drugs stolen

Australian court charged four Spaniards Police also seized 3 million dollars in cash after searching two addresses in Sydney and the Australian Gold Coast.

2011-11-14T16:18:00.001Z

300 kilos of cocaine have been seized from a yacht docked on ‘Friday Freedom’ at port in Bundaberg -

An Australian court charged four Spaniards with importing drugs on Monday, after one of the country’s biggest ever hauls of cocaine was seized on Australia’s north eastern coast last Friday. They have been remanded to custody ahead of the next hearing on January 12 and each face possible life imprisonment if found guilty.

It’s understood that two of the suspects are resident in Australia.

The three hundred kilos of cocaine which were seized from a yacht in Bundaberg, Queensland, are valued at some 80 million dollars and represent Australia’s fifth largest haul.

Australian police swooped as the two crew, Julia María Boada Fernández and Iván María Ramos Valea, who were crewing the yacht, ‘Friday Freedom’, were allegedly negotiating the sale of part of the cargo with the other two suspects, José Herrero Calvo and Miguel Ángel Sánchez Barrocal.

The boat arrived in Bundaberg from Vanuatu, in the South Pacific, last month, where the two crew were located in September.
Police also seized 3 million dollars in cash after searching two addresses in Sydney and the Australian Gold Coast.

Benefits fraudster who lived in Spain for five years has been jailed

2011-11-13T06:13:00.001Z

BENEFITS cheat who lived a luxurious life in Spain thanks to the British taxpayer has been jailed for 18 months. Debbie Williamson bought a villa with a swimming pool in Valencia, which she named after her daughter Jessica, funded by the £42,000 she milked from the system. Williamson, 45, also helped run a bar and deposited £30,000 in a Spanish bank in a five-year period while living abroad but claiming benefits as if she was living in the UK. At Sheffield crown court, Judge Alan Goldsack told Williamson: “There you were enjoying yourself in Spain while people here were having tax taken off them, which was going to fund your lifestyle.” The court heard Williamson falsely claimed £42,558 while in Spain. She was overpaid £28,558 income support, £11,142 in housing benefits and £2,100 council tax benefit between 2003 and 2008. A probe began in October 2008 after an anonymous tip-off that she was living with husband Ian in Spain and running a bar. Williamson, of Brierley, South Yorks, sobbed throughout the hearing. She admitted 10 charges of benefit fraud.

Turkish commandos shoot dead lone ferry hijacker

2011-11-13T06:09:00.001Z

Turkish commandos killed a lone hijacker, identified as a Kurdish militant armed with a bomb, in a pre-dawn operation on Saturday to rescue more than 20 passengers and crew held hostage for 12 hours on a high-speed ferry near Istanbul. Hostages aboard the "Kartepe" ferry later described how the hijacker was shot dead minutes after the commandos slipped aboard. "There was no chance left we'd capture him alive. The long phone calls to persuade him (to surrender) failed," Interior Minister Idris Sahin told NTV news channel, adding that 450 grammes of plastic explosive were found on the body. None of the 18 passengers or six crew were hurt, but some were taken to a hospital for checks after their ordeal. The Interior Minister identified the dead hijacker as Mensur Guzel, saying he was a member of "the terrorist organisation" -- a reference to the militant Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). Guzel, according to the minister, was born 1984 in Diyarbakir, the southeastern city at the heart of the Kurdish separatist insurgency, but had been living in western province of Kocaeli, where the ferry set sail from. Three people connected with the dead man had been detained, Sahin said. Officials had described the man as carrying a device with cables with a switch. Before the minister confirmed explosives were found, the provincial governor of Kocaeli had said it was a fake bomb. SHOTS BEFORE DAWN Since Friday evening, coastguard vessels with commandos aboard had tracked the "sea bus" in the Sea of Marmara before it ran low on fuel and dropped anchor. Shortly before 5.00 a.m. (0300 GMT) a flurry of activity was evident on the ferry's main deck. Hazy television pictures showed figures moving in the aisle between rows of empty seats. A few people were apparently wearing life jackets. Orders were given for marine commandos to storm the ferry at 5.35 a.m. (0335 GMT) as it lay anchored a few kilometers off shore, some 50 km (30 miles) west of Istanbul, according to Istanbul Governor Huseyin Avni Mutlu. There was no official word on how the commandos boarded the ferry, but news channels spoke with hostages as they left a police station in the town of Silivri where they had given their accounts of the hijacking. "The terrorist had told the crew to gather us upstairs, we never saw him. He sent us tea and biscuits," Kadir Altunoglu, a man in his thirties, told Samanyolu news channel "We heard five or six gunshots before dawn. We had opened the rear exit door of the ferry to let the commandos in." Another passenger, Ceyhun Tezer, 28, told the NTV channel: "It lasted no more than 10 minutes after we saw them (the commandos). We heard six gunshots, they told us three in the head and another three in the chest, there were no more gunshots." He said passengers were alarmed the ferry was taking too long for the short run between the towns of Izmit and Karamursel and was off course, but only realised it had been hijacked when they saw news reports on the television in the passenger lounge. NTV also aired security camera footage of a dark-haired man, said to be the hijacker, carrying a sports backpack, walking to the ferry. Transport Minister Binali Yildirim had told reporters in the capital Ankara the hijacker had not made any concrete demands and had only sought fuel, food and drink. Earlier reports said up to five suspected Kurdish militants armed with explosives carried out the hijacking on the high-speed ferry. There was no immediate comment from the PKK, which is listed as a terrorist organisation by Turkey, the United States, European Union. The PKK is fighting for Kurdish autonomy in the southeast of Turkey. More than 40,000 people have been killed in the PKK insurgency since the group took up arms in 1984. Last month, in one of the biggest attacks in the history of the insurgency, PKK militants killed 24 soldiers in Hakkari, bordering Iraq, prompting the military to mount cross-border operations. Several thousand PKK fighters are based in the mountains of northern Iraq. Security forces had been prepared for the possibility that the hijacker might have wanted to force the ferry to go to Imrali island in the Sea of Marmara, where PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan has been jailed since 1999, CNN Turk reported. Before a national election in June this year, Ocalan warned of a "big war" unless the state entered serious negotiations with him, and following a series of militant attacks Turkey launched multiple air strikes on PKK bases in northern Iraq, while police detained scores of suspected militants. A hijacking would represent a change in tactics for the PKK which frequently carries out attacks on security forces in the mainly Kurdish southeast.

A Romanian man wanted for murder and robbery in Portugal has been arrested in Torre del Mar.

2011-11-10T15:29:00.001Z

27 year old from Romania escaped to Spain after he was sentenced for the death of a woman who was killed in Portugal in 2005

EFE archive

Named by El Mundo newspaper as 27 year old Ioan R., he fled to Spain after a Portuguese court sentenced him to 15 and a half years in prison for the death of a woman in 2005. The victim was smothered to death in her bed during the course of a robbery.

The wanted man was traced to the Axarquía district of Málaga province and was arrested near a bar in Torre del Mar on November 4. He has now been transferred into the custody of the National Court for extradition to Portugal.

Read more: http://www.typicallyspanish.com/news/publish/article_32623.shtml#ixzz1dJgywORG

Nigerian scam case deflates in Málaga

2011-11-10T15:19:00.001Z

Nilo Case has reached court in Málaga, judging the largest ever swindle carried out mostly by Nigerians who sent out letters to try and capture their victims. Under the scam thousands of letters were sent from Málaga around the world, informing their recipients that they had won a prize in the Spanish lottery, and calling for them to pay a management fee so they could receive their winnings. There are 247 known victims of the fraud from Belgium to Australia and in the United States and even the UAE. The network collected 2.98 million € in ‘management fees’, via phone booth businesses on the Costa del Sol. 168 people from 14 countries were accused in the case, but the procedure was deflated somewhat on the first day on Wednesday when 55 of the accused could not be located by the court to serve them with the summons to appear. Of the 113 remaining, plea bargains were established with 87 to give them 23 months and 15 days in jail and a 1,800 fine each. That means that if they have no previous record, they will not have to go to prison, just having to pay the fine. Another group of just 16 refused to accept the plea deal, which implies them admitting their guilt, and they will be called back for the oral hearing of the case which will start on December 15. During the instruction of the case 84 people found to be in Spain illegally were deported back to Nigeria.

The Civil Guard have asked for help from the public in identifying a body

2011-11-10T15:14:00.001Z

The unidentified man - EFE

The Civil Guard have asked for help from the public in identifying a body which was found floating in the waters of Tarragona Port at the end of October.

The deceased is a man aged between 55 and 65, 1.60 metres tall, with short greying hair and a beard. He was wearing blue Lois jeans when he was found, with a white vest, a blue T-shirt with the words ‘Out One Jeans’, a brown ‘North Face’ fleece, and brown Paredes sports shoes.

His body was found on October 31 and is thought to have been in the water between 10 and 16 hours.

Any member of the public with information on the man’s identity should contact their nearest Civil Guard barracks or call the central Civil Guard emergency number, 062.

Read

Hundreds of foreign residents could lose their homes after mortgage scam in Spain

2011-11-10T15:09:00.001Z

A group of some twenty foreign residents of the Costa del Sol have denounced a fraud under which they could lose their homes. They have formed a platform to denounce a mortgage fraud which had the objective of getting large amounts of money which was then invested in financial havens such as Luxembourg or the Channel Islands. There were foreign victims, mostly all retired, along the entire Spanish coastline and on the islands, from the Costa del Sol to the Costa Blanca, Baleares and Canaries. The scam was headed by foreign banks and foreign financial advisors, nearly all from Denmark, who had been working for some years in Spain, many without the correct authorisation of the National Commission for Market Values. They told the foreigners purchasing property that they had to get a mortgage as otherwise they would be hit with high Spanish taxes. The sales patter for these inverted mortgages claimed that residents’ homes were in danger from the Spanish taxman, claiming Spain would claim between 70 or 80% in succession tax. In effect the scheme invited the foreigners to defraud the Spanish Hacienda tax authorities. The lawyer representing those affected in Málaga, Antonio Flores, from Lawbird in Marbella, said the victims signed up for ‘predatory mortgages’ which offered the possibility of mortgaging their homes for nearly five years at a value above the level of the official appraisal and investing the money outside Spain, mostly in Luxembourg, in order to obtain a profit which covered their costs and gave them an extra payment. Some 800 contracts for the scheme were taken out between 2004 and 2009, and now the foreigners’ platform on the Costa del Sol is appealing to the National Court that those contracts be declared null and void. The total fraud is estimated at 250 million €. The mortgages were signed in Spain, with Spanish notaries and the investment contracts were signed in offices which the financial agents had in Spain, or in some cases in the client’s home. Nearly all those offices are now closed and the financial agents implicated have abandoned Spain. The clients’ money went on the purchase of currency or bank bonds in operations which soon lost money, leaving many of them now facing the possibility of losing their homes.

Man decapitates his daughter in Girona saying the devil ordered him to kill her

2011-11-10T15:04:00.001Z

Latin American man was arrested at his home in Girona on Thursday morning after telephoning emergency services to say he had killed his two year old daughter. His other daughter, aged six, was found with him at the family home on Calle Oviedo unhurt. She is understood to have been watching television when it happened. Her sister’s decapitated body was found lying on the bed when a medical team arrived at the property with police. The father is reported to have claimed that the devil had ordered him to kill her.

Farmer dies after being attacked by jabalí

2011-11-08T13:44:00.001Z

A farmer has died in Guadassuar, Tous, in Valencia after being attacked by a jabalí wild boar. Reports say the 60 year old man was working in his own orange grove when he was surprised by the beast. Miguel E. suffered injuries in the groin and was found with his blood over his hands and face according to witnesses who said it looked like he tried to defend himself from the attack. It happened last Saturday morning. Tous is a municipality where 90% of the population are hunters and nobody can ever remember anything similar ever happening before. The local police say the victim’s son reported that his father had phoned him on his mobile to say he had been injured, but when a neighbour arrived at the scene he was already dead. Reports indicate that he had earlier suffered a heart attack.

National Police arrest Local Policeman in Marbella

2011-11-08T13:38:00.001Z

National police arrested a member of the Marbella Local Police force who was found shoplifting in a local commercial centre on Saturday. The man had tried to take a camera from the store. Municipal sources say the agent has already handed in his plaque and pistol, and is being suspended from his post without pay. Marbella Town Hall said they lamented the incident which they described as ‘totally isolated’.

Juan Antonio Roca, the ex Municipal Real Estate Assessor, at the centre of the allegations, has moved on to the most interesting phase

2011-11-08T13:32:00.001Z

Juan Antonio Roca - EFE archive

The Malaya case investigating the widespread corruption in Marbella Town Hall, and with Juan Antonio Roca, the ex Municipal Real Estate Assessor, at the centre of the allegations, has moved on to the most interesting phase, as the Málaga court starts to investigate the bribes.

On Monday, some five years and seven months after his arrest, Roca has had to start to respond to the big questions at the centre of the case, the backhanders he allegedly received from real estate promoters in exchange for licences to build outside the PGOU urban plan. More than 50 people including ex Mayors and Roca himself are expected to declare in this section of the case.

The court considers that Roca was paid by 19 different companies between 2001 and 2006, a total of 33.3 million €. Among the big payers were Carlos Sánchez and Andres Liétor – 6.8 million, José Avila Rojas – five million, and the directors of Aifos – 4.8 million.

The Córdoba promoter Sandokán, who is now a councillor in the city, allegedly handed over 600,000 in exchange for town planning favours.

The prosecutor claims that despite not being elected, a politician or even a civil servant, Roca was the man who was running Marbella Town Hall following the motion of no confidence passed in August 2003 against the then Mayor, Julian Muñoz. Roca’s power, lubricated by bags of cash, saw all the councilors act as his subordinates.

Key to the prosecution’s case are a series of files found at the lawyers offices, Maras Asesores. The business was controlled by Roca and councilors and businessmen often met in their offices. Police found some files, in the power of Salvador Gardoqui, which are considered to be Roca’s secret accounts, showing the entry and exit of money, with the real estate section of the accounts showing a surplus of more than 17 million €.

In the court on Monday another one of the accused, Eusabio Sierra, admitted, following a plea bargain with the Anti-corruption Prosecutor, that he paid a 60,000 € backhander to Roca to speed up the Town Hall’s payment of a debt. His two year prison threat has now been reduced to six months as a result, which means he will escape jail by paying a fine.

The basis of Roca’s statement to the court today was that he was not in control of the Town Hall and that the now late Mayor, Jesús Gil decided absolutely everything, ‘above all in the areas of work, the economy and real estate’. Asked by the Prosecutor what his relationship was with the Marbella Town Hall, he replied that it was always via municipal companies.

However Roca did admit paying local councilors for their votes in the motion of no confidence against Julián Muñoz, and admitted to the judge that he was paid more than 3.5 million € in backhanders, which he described as ‘advice payments’ for projects developed in the town. He admitted that Construcciones Salamanca 740,000 € and said that Aifos, whose bosses are also on the accused bench, paid as much as 1.8 million €. He said that the accounting of Maras Asesores, was correct, and admitted that was the company he used to try and hide all his finances.

Three Gibraltar police injured in collision with Guardia Civil boat off Gibraltar

2011-11-08T13:25:00.001Z

Three Gibraltar police have been injured after their boat was in collision with a Guardia Civil vessel in the waters off the Rock on Monday night. Spanish media say the collision took place in Spanish waters close to La Línea during a joint chase of drug traffickers who were in an inflatable craft. The fact the Gibraltar and the Spanish authorities were both chasing the drug traffickers showed that in this case there is no talk of any interference having taken place between the two. Spain has repeatedly requested clear protocols to be established to avoid accidents in situations such as this. The three men were injured as a result of the impact between the two boats, and were seriously hurt. All three had fallen into the water and were rescued by the Guardia. One man with a suspected head fracture was taken to La Linea Hospital but is now at St Bernards on the rock. The other two were taken to the Punta de Europa hospital in Algeciras where they were x-rayed and cleared of fractures. An investigation is underway and it is unclear at this stage whether the drug traffickers got away. The Royal Gibraltar Police vessel is reported to be extensively damaged, including its engines. It’s the latest of a chain of incidents between the Gibraltar Police and the Spanish Guardia Civil.

16 members of three Romanian families have been arrested

2011-11-04T23:34:00.001Z

Some of the items recovered. Photo - Civil Guard

The Civil Guard have recovered more than four tons of stolen property from a gang of Romanian burglars which operated mainly in the Guadalhorce Valley, but were also active in other areas of Málaga, Algeciras, Granada and Córdoba.

Fifteen men have been arrested, plus another suspect who is underage. They all belong to three families based in Pizarra, Estación de Cártama and Campanillas.

The Civil Guard said in a press release on Wednesday that the gang worked seven days a week and would have carried out up to 10 robberies every night after selecting their targets in the morning. They are believed to be responsible for more than 100 burglaries since March, mainly in private homes, where they stole everything they found to hand.

The items recovered in a search of their homes range from televisions and computers, jewellery and cash, to food and drink, and clothing, both new and used. A number of stolen firearms were also found.

Body found in Motril could have been a passenger on an immigrant boat

2011-11-04T23:32:00.001Z

autopsy carried out on a body which was found in a rocky area near the port of Motril on Sunday has shown it to be that of a male aged between 20 and 40, probably of Arabic origin. There were no signs of violence on the body, which was in the water for around 20 days and is believed to have been swept there by the currents. The deceased's fingerprints are not on record and he does not match any person who has been reported missing. The Civil Guard believe he could have been a passenger on one of the many patera boats which arrive on the Granada coast. Europa Press reports that, as no-one has come forward to claim the body nor is there any reason to link his death with any crime, the investigation has been archived.

the Marta del Castillo case in Sevilla

2011-11-04T23:30:00.001Z

More revelations in court as the case following the disappearance and murder of the Sevilla teenager, Marta del Castillo, continues. Miguel Carcaño has admitted that he killed Marta by accident with an ashtray, but has no idea where the body is as his friends dealt with it. Now his ex girlfriend, Rocio D., said that he had told her that he had killed Marta with the help of his older brother, Javier Delgado. ‘Miguel hit her with an ashtray and once on the floor he and his brother had hit her’. Rocio cannot however be considered as a reliable witness. She is thought to have sent police on a wild goose chase regarding the location of Marta’s body and later admitted she had lied to protect Carcaño. The owner of a bar close to the flat where Marta died, has told the court that he saw two youngsters with a wheelchair around 2am. He thought they were carrying a carpet and remembered thinking it was odd that people would throw away such large items so late at night. He remembered the two were thin and that there was a difference in height between them of some 10cm.

Juan Antonio Montero Luceño, has been stabbed to death by an ex student in Mérida.

2011-11-04T23:29:00.001Z

The retired teacher was well known in Mérida.

'Manley' at one of his art shows - Photo www.ActualidadExtremadura.com

A Spanish language teacher for immigrants, Juan Antonio Montero Luceño, has been stabbed to death by an ex student in Mérida.

The National Police have arrested a 21 year old Moroccan man in connection with the homicide of the 69 year old Spaniard who was well known in Mérida after being the headmaster at the Trajano college in the city Centre. He was known across the town as ‘Manley’ and had dedicated his retirement to helping the marginalised, fundamentally immigrants.

He was an artist also had showed an exhibition last February of work featuring the people of Africa.

It appears the two men had met when the retired teacher was helping out at the Mérida refugee centre giving Spanish classes to the immigrants.
The centre closed down last year due to a lack of funding.

The Government Delegation in Extremadura has said that the cause of the attack is being investigated, and that robbery has already been ruled out.

Seven arrested in Málaga for coastal thefts and robberies

2011-11-04T23:27:00.001Z

National Police has arrested another seven members of an organised crime group which was specialist in burglaries and the theft of and from vehicles. The first phase of the ‘Pinchazo’ operation took place at the end of September, and saw the arrest of 18 at the time, facing some 40 charges. The new arrests have solved another 20 burglaries on the Costa del Sol and Costa Blanca. All the seven new arrests were made in Málaga, and are made up of six Romanians and an Italian. Three property searches on the Costa del Sol have resulted in 3,000 €, 1,000 pounds sterling, 1,000 dollars, jewels, 22 watches of top names and more than 20 mobile phones. One of the techniques the group used was to manipulate the tyres of cars parked at service stations and then pass by to help the driver, and then steal items from inside the vehicle. Police say the organization worked in separate and well coordinated ‘brigades’. Agents from the UDEV Central Robbery Unit of the judicial police, group 1 of the UDYCO organized crime squad in Alicante and the robbery group of the UDEV in Málaga all took part in the operation along with the Denía judicial police and the Provincial Citizen Security Brigade and UP from Alicante.

large-scale cannabis smuggling gang based in Adra has been broken up in a joint operation

2011-11-01T06:53:00.001Z

450 kilos of cannabis have been recovered

Photo - Interior Ministry

A large-scale cannabis smuggling gang based in Adra has been broken up in a joint operation by the National Police, Civil Guard and the Agencia Tributaria Tax Authority.

They used leisure boats to unload cargos of drugs out at sea from vessels sent over from Morocco, and then brought the cargo into port along the Almería coast. The final destination of the drugs is thought to have been Central Europe.

The group had been under observation for some time, and the Interior Ministry said in a press release on Monday that six gang members were arrested 10 days ago after one of their fleet of boats was intercepted after returning from collecting a new cargo. Four of the gang were caught in the act unloading 450 kilos of cannabis into a stolen van on a beach in Albuñol, Granada province.

Two other suspects were also later arrested.

Celia Coria was killed by her ex boyfriend on the Balcón de Europa three years ago

2011-11-01T06:50:00.001Z

The accused outside the courts in Torrox three years ago - EFE archive

The trial begins this Wednesday for the death of Celia Coria, a 25 year old woman from Argentina who was stabbed to death by her ex boyfriend in Nerja in September 2008. It happened in broad daylight as she arrived at her place of work on the Balcón de Europa.
Her ex Moroccan boyfriend is charged with her murder and faces more than 26 years in prison.

The victim’s family say the sentence requested by prosecutors is not enough. Her sister, Vanesa Coria, said ‘We are not talking only of a premeditated, malicious murder, but also of other crimes for which he is standing trial’. She said the accused had broken a distancing order which was in place when her sister was killed and there was an arrest order pending ‘which was never implemented’.

She told EFE that, in her view, he will be out of prison in 15 years if he is sentenced to just 26 and could potentially attack again.

Fat FreddieThomson has been wanted in Spain for the past 18 months

2011-11-01T06:37:00.001Z

30 year old Irishman, Freddie Thompson, known in the criminal world as ‘Fat Freddie', was arrested by the Garda in Dublin on October 21.

The arrest order dates from 18 months ago and was issued by the courts in Estepona, Málaga. The police consider that Thomson was a member of the Irish gang led by Christopher Kinahan, which was broken up by police in May 2010 in an operation codenamed ‘shovel’ which saw the arrest of more than 30 people in Spain, Ireland and the U.K. They were all linked to large scale drug and arms trafficking, as well as money laundering and other crimes committed on the Costa del Sol.

Thomson is now expected to declare before the court in Estepona this week. Police had thought that he could have been hiding in Holland.
He has been the most famous prisoner in the Clovenhill prison since his arrest.

Marbella police arrested a man considered to be a ‘frontman’ for the group, who was paid a monthly sum for the use of his name. Officially he owned luxury cars and businesses, when in fact he was almost pennyless.

Most of the money is thought to have been laundered in Brazil where real estate was purchased. 60 properties worth an estimated 150 million € have been impounded on the Costa del Sol in connection with the case.

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

2011-10-31T23:51:00.001Z

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

2011-10-31T16:51:00.001Z

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.

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

2011-10-30T14:30:00.001Z

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.