Five Moroccan men were arrested at the weekend

Five Moroccan men were arrested at the weekend and are said by the Guardia Civil to have been members of a violent group that has been using pistols in holdups at petrol stations. The arrests took place in Águilas but the crimes cover a wide area. The gang is also said to have created a climate of intimidation amongst other Moroccans. More arrests are expected as investigations continue. Finally, Murcia priests became suspicious at the number of English women in their 50s who were being married to Nigerian men who didn't speak any Spanish. They took their suspicions to the Guardia Civil and a huge increase has been identified in the number of marriages between Nigerian males and women of Gypsy origin. Study of documentation provided for the marriages showed many common addresses and other suspicious aspects. Some of the women had only been in Murcia for a day. About 40 cases of alleged marriages of convenience, which aim to get residency for non-EU immigrants, are now being investigated and there are suspicions that an organised crime gang may be involved. recent string of successes by police and security forces has seen several gangs accused of committing major crimes arrested while a strong crack-down continues. The investigations and arrests have been carried out by National Police, Local Police and the Guardia Civil. Many specialist units have been involved, from those who target organised crime, to groups that investigate money laundering and officers who are anti-drug experts. Crime has become a major concern for both Spanish and foreign residents on the Costas and police and security forces resources are being significantly increased. In Murcia it has been announced that additional National Police officers are about to enter service, with 40 being assigned to Murcia City, 30 to Cartagena and 20 to Lorca. The Guardia Civil presence in the province will now stand at about 250 agents, 200 of whom will be on regular duties and another 50 on specialist tasks. These include units specializing in fighting violent crime and in special operations. The Guardia is adding 40 new vehicles to its fleet.

Every week there are reports of additional vehicles being bought for Local Police and of more officers being added in towns and cities. More police dogs are aiding the fight against crime. Recently agents of the National Police and officers from La Unión, Cartagena and Alcantarilla, participated in an intensive course in work with police dogs. Many Local Police forces are now adding dog units to their resources, including one at Pilar de la Horadada. The dogs are trained to track, chase and detain suspects and to detect drugs at places which include schools and public institutions. Drugs are the reason behind a great many crimes, from large operations involving international criminals to dealing at street level. Drug users are responsible for many of the crimes, such as robberies that cause so much suffering to law-abiding people. Out in the Mediterranean the big war against drugs continues day and night. Sophisticated electronic surveillance systems around the narrowest crossing point, the Gibraltar Straits, mean that smugglers have moved their operations northwards with the coastlines of Murcia and Alicante now being targeted.

Plane carrying 600 kg of hashish crash-landed in rice fields not far from Sevilla

A light-engine aircraft carrying 600 kg of hashish crashed in southern Spain on Thursday, Spanish police said in a report.
"A plane carrying 600 kg of hashish packaged in 20 bags crash-landed in rice fields not far from Sevilla," the report read, adding that the plane's pilot and its sole passenger had fled the scene of the crash. Police eventually located and arrested the plane's occupants several kilometers away from the crash site. They have been accused of drug trafficking. Neither the identities of the suspected drug smugglers, nor the origin of the hashish have been disclosed. However, drugs are mostly trafficked into Spain from Morocco

Guardia Civil officers have arrested a 21-year-old man

Guardia Civil officers have arrested a 21-year-old man in Pego on suspicion of drug-peddling. He was reportedly caught red-handed in a street on Sunday with 22 bags of white powder. Police say that his odd behaviour attracted their attention. The powder was tested by forensics and was found to be cocaine.

Tangier,Customs services at the port of Tangiers arrested, on Tuesday, two Spaniards

Tangier,Customs services at the port of Tangiers arrested, on Tuesday, two Spaniards and a Moroccan with 72kg of hashish concealed onboard a car registered in Spain.
Moroccan with 72kg of hashish concealed onboard a car registered in Spain.In a separate catch, Moroccan authorities also seized some 24Kg of cannabis resin found in the dashboard of a vehicle registered in Spain. On Monday, Moroccan customs apprehended an Iranian-born Spanish national with 19kg of cannabis resin, locally known as chira, that he attempted to bring from Spain on board a luxury vehicle Since the beginning of January, drug seizures at the port of Tangier
are almost daily. The arrested traffickers of different nationalities are brought before court where they face sentences ranging from 5 to 10 years in prison and very heavy fines set according to the
quantity of drugs seized.

bound for southern Spain over 2MT of cannabis resin seized northeast

Nador, Moroccan Royal Navy on Wednesday seized 2,004 kg of cannabis resin, locally known as chira, in the region of Nador (northeast), local authorities said.
resin, locally known as chira, in the region of Nador (northeast), local authorities said.The drug was found on board a powerful dinghy that was bound for southern Spain. The dealers managed to flee aboard another dinghy.
This brings to 5,724kilos the amount of this drug seized over the past 24 hours in the city.
Another 60 kilos of hashish were seized, Wednesday, in Casablanca. Three drug dealers were arrested during this operation, according to police sources. At the port of Tangier (north), customs and police services seized a total of 160 kg of hashish in three catches and arrested eight individuals. The new catches came less than 24 hours after the seizure of no less than 5.6 metric tons (MT) of cannabis products in the cities of Tangier (north)and Nador (northeast).
Since the turn of the year, the rate of drug seizures has accelerated on almost a daily basis. The traffickers face sentences ranging from 5 to 10 years in prison and hefty fines set according to the quantity seized.

Nigerian lady with 46 capsules of cocaine in her stomach

38-year Nigerian lady living in Germany was arrested at the Mohammed V Airport in Casablanca on Monday, with 46 capsules of cocaine in her stomach, a police source told PANA here Tuesday. The lady flew into Casablanca from the Malian capital, Bamako, on her way to Madrid, Spain. On 8 February, two Nigerians and a Ghanaian were arrested at the same airport with capsules of cocaine in the stomach

Street fight that ended in the death of a 16-year-old Venezuelan girl.

Catalan regional police have arrested six Latin American youths in connection with a street fight that ended in the death of a 16-year-old Venezuelan girl. The Catalan police could not say if the 25 youths that took part in the fight early on Sunday morning were members of organised youth gangs. The main suspect of the crime is Alexis Emmanuel C.M, 20, a native of the Dominican Republic. The young man is believed to have stabbed his victim to death. The police said that they had recovered the knife that probably caused the death of the Venezuelan adolescent. The fight took place in a suburb of Barcelona, where the youths had met at a party. Police could not say what was the cause of the fight.

‘Expats Under Attack,’denounced

ITV programme broadcast on Monday night, ‘Expats Under Attack,’denounced the east european gangs that were targeting Northern Europeans, with a piece to camera of a reformed gang member. The chalk signs left by the gangs outside properties and the brutal violent robberies suffered by British expats. It spoke of foreigners, especially Brits, being targeted by criminal gangs in Spain, and one person interviewed said police in Spain are poorly paid and tend not to want to spend too much time on a specific case. In Málaga province, it noted a stabbing in Fuengirola, and highlighted the case of Gary Dunne, who was stabbed to death near Torremolinos, Málaga province, in March 2006, and whose family have been fighting for permission to bring his body home for burial.

Two drug dealers in custody and a large amount of cocaine confiscated by the officers in pursuit

National Police said in a press release on Monday that the two men, Francisco Javier V.T. and Rubén V.V., were intercepted near Vera last Wednesday night as they were returning from a drug-buying trip to Alicante. They were chased along the motorway, hitting one of the vehicles in pursuit, and throwing part of the drugs out of the car window as they tried to make their escape.125 kilometre police chase along the A-7 motorway last week ended with two drug dealers in custody and a large amount of cocaine confiscated by the officers in pursuit. They were finally caught at the exit for Balanegra, more than 120 kilometres from where the car chase began. EFE said officers found 300 grams of cocaine in the car, and a further 100 grams in a later search of Francisco Javier’s home.

(updated) Brit in shooting incident in Ibiza in which three people were injured has been arrested by police in Amsterdam

English man wanted in connection with a shooting incident in Ibiza in which three people were injured has been arrested by police in Amsterdam.
Kevin R is wanted in connection with what is believed to have been a shoot-out between two rival gangs - one British, one Moroccan - over the sale of drugs in certain areas of Sant Antoni.A warrant for his arrest was issued by a judge in Ibiza after he skipped bail.
Kevin R. was in the front passenger seat of a 4x4 BMW that was shot nine times during the incident. The driver of the car, Sean W. received a gunshot wound and is currently in Palma Prison awaiting trial.Another Briton, Keith D., is wanted in connection with the same incident.Though British, he is alleged to have rented the car from which the Moroccans fired at their British rivals in the BMW.BRITON suspected of being involved in a dramatic shoot-out between rival drug gangs in Ibiza has been arrested in Holland.The gun battle happened in the resort of San Antonio, on the island’s west coast, in August, two years ago.Shots were fired during a car chase through the centre of the town.The driver of one of the cars was shot and seriously injured.Two young Belfast tourists, caught in the cross fire as they left a disco, were also hit and wounded.The man, detained in Holland, allegedly skipped bail after being arrested by Spanish police.Most of those arrested were from Merseyside.Spain is expected to seek the man’s extradition from Holland.An international arrest warrant was issued for a 26-year-old Newcastle man allegedly involved in the shoot-out.

15-year-old Guinean girl working as a prostitute in a single’s club

National police squad has detained a 15-year-old Guinean girl in Palma who was found operating as a prostitute in a single’s club in Palma during the early hours of the morning.
The police communiqué said that the girl’s mother had reported her having left home on the 29th of last month. The officers who located the 15-year-old were members of a special unit which investigates illegal immigration and the use of false documentation. During an inspection of the club in calle S’Aigua Dolca, the girl was asked to provide identification but she was only able to produce a DNI card belonging to a cousin. The police were able to see the person and the card failed to tally. They then arrested the club’s owner - a 60-year-old Spaniard, Ramón L.G. along with a second Guinean - 22-year-old Arminda O.A. who had played a key part in allowing the 15-year-old to operate as a prostitute in the club.The police have taken the case to the Balearic Under-age court who have set up special protectin measures, but the anti-illegal immigration unit have not ruled out making further arrests.

Man electrocuted on trying to rob copper from wiring

Man electrocuted on trying to rob copper from wiring
A person walking out in the countryside, gathering wild asparagus near Establiments had a gruesome surprise when he came across the body of a 33-year-old man who police believe had been electrocuted whilst he was trying to prize the copper interior layers out of cables at a transformer belonging to the power supply company Gesa. A 15'000 volt charge put an end to his life. Investigators believe that Antonio Carrillo Redondo died on Thursday afternoon, but his body was not found until yesterday. He had parked his car near Puigpunyent and made directly for the transformer station, forcing the lock on the structure which housed the cables. In a careless moment he touched a loose, exposed wire.

Bottle of fruit juice containing a "high concentration of cocaine"

Health officials in Andalusia on Thursday confirmed that a bottle of fruit juice containing a "high concentration of cocaine" was responsible for the death of a 40-year-old man in his home in Ogíjares, Granada, on 28 January.
Juan Carlos Cuadros began vomiting, passed out and died in his sister's arms half an hour after drinking a tropical blend of fruit juices of the Jugo de Noni Tahitian brand that he had apparently bought on the internet. His wife, who only took a sip, complained of a burning sensation affecting her throat and tongue. Regional health chief María Jesús Montero said that tests had shown the Mexican-made drink was contaminated with a large amount of cocaine. She said Spanish health authorities have ordered stores to withdraw it, and that anyone who has bought bottles should hand them in to health authorities.

Home jackers arrested in Malaga province

Guardia Civil has broken up a large crime gang on the Costa del Sol today. 19 people have been arrested and another six are implicated in the crimes which where generally violent thefts from homes on the Costa del Sol, together with credit card fraud. Jewellery worth 800,000 € has been recovered together with 100,000 € in cash and computer material.Those detained are 14 Algerians, 6 Spaniards, 4 Moroccans and a Frenchman. Most of the arrests were in Málaga province although two did take place in Alicante.A shop which bought and sold gold has been searched and closed as part of the police investigations, in connection with the fencing of the stolen items.The group was headed by an Algerian who is reported to have crashed his car into an unmarked civil guard car at the time of his arrest.The Civil Guard are expected to release more information later.

Civil Guard officers suspected of involvement in the theft of almost half a ton of cocaine

Three of the Civil Guard officers suspected of involvement in the theft of almost half a ton of cocaine from Barcelona Port in January 2005 have now been remanded to custody, and it’s understood, according to information from El País newspaper, that another two were released with charges. Also remanded was an ex chief inspector with the National Police. A former Civil Guard who is now a local police officer was granted bail of 3,000 €, the paper said.The charges against them are drug trafficking, corruption, unlawful association, bribery and revealing secret information, and they are believed to have helped a gang to steal the cocaine which was under guard at the port. More than a ton of the drug had come in on a container of frozen prawns, and was seized thanks to information from the US Drug Enforcement Agency.El País said the investigation into the theft reopened recently thanks to information from a reformed criminal. They also note telephone tapping which took place after the theft, and said the gang who stole the drugs knew security would be lax when they arrived at the port to break into the container.

Drugs runs from Cueta to Estepona

National Police operation against a drug smuggling gang which operated between Ceuta and the Costa del Sol, and which brought large amounts of cannabis into Spain illegally. Central government offices in Ceuta said eleven arrests have taken place in Marbella, Estepona and Ceuta, and that six of them were from the Autonomous City, two from Málaga province, and the remaining three were Moroccan.It has been a joint investigation on both sides of the Strait, which brought information that the gang planned to make a drugs run to Estepona on the 5th of this month. The haul amounted to more one and a half tons of cannabis, and would, according to information from EFE, have brought the smugglers almost 2.5 million €.Also confiscated in the operation were the Zodiac boat the smugglers used for the trip across the Strait of Gibraltar, a stolen van and two other vehicles, satellite telephones, and GPS navigation equipment.

Mattress and bedding shop murder

A 25-year-old woman died has died after being stabbed during a robbery last Thursday evening at the mattress and bedding shop where she worked in the centre of Chiclana, Cádiz province. Police said Dolores Amaya Ramírez died almost instantly but not before she rang her family on her mobile to tell them she had been stabbed. The attacker, who had his face covered, managed to escape. The local council cancelled the carnival parade which was to take place last weekend and a demonstration against violent crime was planned for Monday lunchtime.

Coin family clan Two-and-a-half kilos of high-purity cocaine, two pistols and ammunition

The Guardia Civil have arrested a gang of drug traffickers involved in two shooting incidents in Coín. They said the gang was a “family clan” in which the women did the planning and looked after the investments, while the men transported the drugs and settled scores. Operacion Fuensanta, named after the area in Coín where the two shootings took place last November, came to a head on February 13th, when searches carried out in Malaga, Mijas and Fuengirola provided vital information for cracking the case. Two-and-a-half kilos of high-purity cocaine, two pistols and ammunition, together with several vehicles and cash in both euros and dollars were also recovered. Three people have been sent to jail without bail, and another three have been released on bail with charges against them.

black cocaine is being smuggled to Spain

Increasing amounts of black cocaine are being smuggled to Spain, with police discovering couriers of the drug which is undetectable to sniffer dogs and regular tests, the daily El Mundo reported on Tuesday.Police detained two Romanian women whose bags had inner linings made with the rubber-like substance, press reports said.Flying in from Brazil, the women made a stopover in Portugal, deliberately left their bags at Lisbon airport, and then requested them to be brought to a Madrid hotel, in an attempt to mislead police.
Police seized 16 kilos of the drug. The haul, which was destined for the Dutch market, was estimated to be worth a million euros.Black cocaine is a combination of regular cocaine and various chemicals, making it very difficult to detect.

Three armed men waved pistols as they attacked a Jewelery Store 'Boutique Tourbillón'in upmarket Puerto Banus

Three armed men waved pistols as they attacked a Jewelery Store 'Boutique Tourbillón'in upmarket Puerto Banus close to Marbella. the home of the superrich. The armed robbers overpowered the security gaurd in a well planned Hiest.They stripped the fitting of jewellery and no one has yet managed to put a figure on the theft1.5 million € worth of top name watches have been stolen from a jewellers in Puerto Banús, Marbella, according to police sources. Three or four people, thought to be from Eastern Europe, took part in the attack after smashing the windows of the establishment with large hammers. The National Police in Marbella are now investigating the robbery and are waiting to see the recordings from security cameras in operation in the area.It happened around noon yesterday and the thieves were armed with pistols which may have been fake. They wore hats and large sunglasses and managed to overpower the security guard at the Boutique Tourbillon in Muelle Ribera before he could react. He was unhurt in the attack.
It all took a few minutes and the men escaped in a large car on the A7 motorway direction Málaga.