Barcelona jeweller dies after shop stabbing

Barcelona jeweller dies after shop stabbing: "owner of a jewellery shop on the Rambla Guipúscoa in the Sant Martí district of Barcelona has perished hospitalised today as a result of stab wounds he received during a robbery.
The Mossos d'Esquadra (Catalunya's regional police force) are working on the hypothesis that he was stabbed after resisting an attempt to steal jewellery from his shop.
The police have not released the identity of the victim or the premises where The attack took place.
An eye-witness claimed to see two men escaping on a motorbike shortly after The attack and police officers are following up leads."

13 Brits held in Spanish drugs bust - mirror.co.uk

13 Brits held in Spanish drugs bust - mirror.co.uk: "Thirteen Brits suspected of running a drug ring have been arrested in Spain, police announced yesterday.
Nine men and four women were held as part of a probe into the drug trade on the Costa Blanca and Ibiza.
Police seized 53,000 ecstasy pills, 100 cannabis plants, cocaine, vehicles, mobile phones and cash.
One man was arrested as he tried to smuggle thousands of ecstasy pills from the port of Denia to suppliers in Ibiza hidden in the doors of a car, police said."

- RBA's credibility questioned as police raid subsidiary 07/10/2010

The World Today - RBA's credibility questioned as police raid subsidiary 07/10/2010: "Australian Federal Police raided six houses in Melbourne - and there were also raids in Spain and the UK - over allegations that a subsidiary of the Reserve Bank bribed overseas officials.

No one from the Reserve Bank is commenting and nor is anyone from its currency subsidiary, Securency International.

But here's Simon Lauder with the latest.

SIMON LAUDER: It's illegal for an Australian company to bribe overseas officials and the penalties can be 10 years in jail or fines of $66,000 for each breach.

It's exactly the crime which is alleged to have been perpetrated by Securency International - the Melbourne based company which was set up by the Reserve bank to sell its polymer banknote technology to the world."

dramatic rise in violent attacks on small town mayors

Sardinia's mayors attacked as recession-hit citizens vent their anger | World news | The Guardian: "dramatic rise in violent attacks on small town mayors in Sardinia has been linked to soaring job losses due to factory closures and the slump in sheep farming on the island.
Mayor Gian Paolo Marras of Ottana, in central Sardinia, has resigned after a social services office was bombed and a shotgun fired at his home, narrowly missing his newborn son. Days later, the car belonging to a council official in the town of Siniscola was burned out and a horse belonging to the mayor of nearby Illorai was found shot dead with its ears and tongue cut off."

'Shotguns, Bally's (balaclavas) we're all ready to play, Sicko Armed Robbers, it's Giro Day

The fugitive ex of Wayne Rooney's hooker was nicked in Spain. | News Of The World: "'Shotguns, Bally's (balaclavas) we're all ready to play, Sicko Armed Robbers, it's Giro Day.' Another went: 'Everyone stand up, walk slowly to the door, Hit 'em boys, three of them fell dead to the floor.'
The thugs used a variety of weapons to threaten their victims, including axes, hammers, metal bars and monkey wrenches.
Smith has a previous conviction for manslaughter following the beating of a Manchester doorman. The villains were caught in Spain after the Serious Organised Crime Agency, Spanish authorities and Greater Manchester Police worked together for four months.
Both were wanted on European Arrest Warrants. Jones is wanted in connection with arson and driving while disqualified, Smith for conspiracy to commit arson and escape from lawful custody.
The pair will be brought back to the UK to face justice once they have faced charges in Spain."

arrested as he tried to traffic 53,000 pills, believed to be ecstasy, from the port of Denia, on the Costa Blanca to Ibiza

Liverpool Echo - News - Liverpool Local News - Liverpool drug dealing gang “dismantled” in Spain: "thirteenth member of the group had been previously arrested as he tried to traffic 53,000 pills, believed to be ecstasy, from the port of Denia, on the Costa Blanca to Ibiza, stashed in the doors of a blacked out Audi saloon.
The gang were detained as part of Operation Zumo in the Torrevieja area of the Costa Blanca.
Around 100 cannabis plants, growing equipment and quantities of cocaine and cannabis were all taken by the Guardia Civil as evidence.
SOCA said the gang’s network had now been “dismantled”, and warned international dealers the hunt to get them was on."

Liverpool Echo - News - Liverpool Local News - Liverpool drug dealing gang “dismantled” in Spain

Liverpool Echo - News - Liverpool Local News - Liverpool drug dealing gang “dismantled” in Spain: "Merseysiders have been arrested in Spain suspected of flooding the tourist meccas of Ibiza and the Costa Blanca with clubbing drugs.
The eight men and four women, aged between 22 and 74, were senior players in the production, supply and distribution of “designer drugs” like ecstasy and Meow Meow, as well as cocaine and cannabis.
They were arrested by officers from the Guardia Civil – Spain’s military police – who also want to investigate the gang’s alleged money laundering and fraud activities.
The UK’s Serious Organised Crime Agency, who provided intelligence and support to the Spanish authorities, told the ECHO the group were a major supplier of several other drug distribution groups operating between the UK and popular Spanish holiday destinations."

‘Drug’ Brits in Costa bust | The Sun |News

‘Drug’ Brits in Costa bust | The Sun |News: "nine men and four women, all originally from the Liverpool area, are alleged to have sold ecstasy and cannabis on the Costa Blanca and on party island Ibiza.
Britain's Serious Organised Crime Agency linked up with Spanish cops as 12 of the gang were nicked in Costa Blanca's Torrevieja area.
Another was arrested in an earlier raid when more than 50,000 ecstasy tablets were seized. Cops also recovered cocaine, cannabis, cash, four vehicles, and a boat."

BBC News - Man who escaped police van is arrested in Spain

BBC News - Man who escaped police van is arrested in Spain: "man who escaped from the back of a police van when it was ambushed on the way to court in Greater Manchester has been arrested in Spain.
Richard Smith, 29, was charged with conspiracy to commit arson.
He fled after two men held up the van behind Salford Magistrates' Court at 0745 BST on 13 May.
A Foreign and Commonwealth Office spokeswoman confirmed they were aware Mr Smith, of Salford, had been arrested in the Valencia region on Wednesday."

'Two-way merchant' Traynor was working both sides - National News, Frontpage - Independent.ie

'Two-way merchant' Traynor was working both sides - National News, Frontpage - Independent.ie: "detective team who investigated Veronica Guerin's murder in June 1996 tried very hard to find evidence supporting their belief that John Traynor had set the journalist up for assassination. He knew she was to appear in Naas District Court on the morning she was murdered and the detectives believed he had supplied the information to Gilligan and his gang. But there was no evidence on Traynor, now 62, and claiming to be in ill health.
He had ensured he was out of contact with the gang and there was no mobile phone traffic to link him to the plot and its execution. Traynor had overturned the car he was racing around Mondello Park and was in an ambulance on his way to Naas Hospital when the murder was committed.
Gardai were well aware of Traynor long before the murder. He had come to garda attention on many occasions in respect of cheque and other forms of fraud. He had been a known money launderer for 'The General' Martin Cahill's gang before he swapped allegiances to John Gilligan's mob.
While working for Gilligan, he became involved in buying and selling cars, a common way of laundering drugs money. The people who worked with him in the business had no idea where the cash was coming from.
The detective team were also aware that Traynor had been an informant for a number of other detectives in Dublin. His information was often suspect and always self- serving -- he grassed only on criminals with whom he had no financial involvement and who were, effectively, rivals of whoever he was working for."

Nigel and Margaret ‘Mags’ Andrews on the run.

Nigel and Margaret ‘Mags’ Andrews are said to have disappeared without trace from their base in Marbella, where they were promoting a now-defunct Turkish property scheme.
Police have been called in to investigate the Scottish couple, who had been marketing the Royal Resorts Turkey project from an office at the Guadalpin Hotel until a fortnight ago.
Investors of the 190-apartment scheme in Kusadasi, Turkey, got a shock to discover that the office has now closed and the couple are no longer answering emails or phone calls. Their Facebook account has also been closed.
The couple vanished after a number of investors put down a series of large deposits, one reportedly more than 200,000 euros.
It has since emerged that the supposed developer did not own the land, nor have planning permission for the seven blocks of apartments, which are unlikely to ever be built.
“I am gutted,” one investor Tony May, 69, told the Olive Press, last night.
He and his wife Andrea, 41, paid 70,000 euros as a deposit on an apartment in the complex in September last year.
The ex-pats, who live in Malaga, met the Andrews’ after Tony was making internet enquiries about land in Brazil for a friend. His details were picked up by a company called Investing Overseas and, eventually, Robin Lewiston from Royal Resorts.
They explained that the deal involved a guarantee to rent out the apartment for five years.
“We would than have the chance to sell it for 50 per cent more than we had paid,” explained May, who has now reported the couple to police in Marbella.
Alarm bells started to ring, when it emerged that their deposit had been paid into an account in Gibraltar, which was not in the name of Royal Resorts Turkey.
They then discovered that Nigel Andrews had fled to Spain from Aberdeen in 2003 with 700,000 euros of debt from a failed nightclub venture with brother Lionel.
They believe the couple may now be hiding out in Bulgaria as Andrews apparently held a Bulgarian passport and owned a Bulgarian-registered black BMW.
Ex-pilot May added: “This investment was for my nine year old son Ralph and my wife when I am no longer around. We are very upset.
“The last email we got was from Margaret in March saying everything was underway. She even sent photos of the supposed development as some kind of proof.
“As it turns out, this is not the development at all. Then after I failed to get through to them by phone or email, I went down to the office in person to discover it was shut.
“A receptionist at the hotel said they had been there one afternoon and gone the next.
“Alarmingly, she added that I was not the first person to ask and quite a lot of people had been looking for them.”
Tony managed to contact a former salesman for the company, Robin Lewiston, who insisted that the Royal Resorts Turkey scheme was not a scam.
In an email disclosed to The Olive Press, he said: “It all fell apart due to the people in Turkey. I don’t know what the position is now with the company as it all happened so quickly.
“I’ve not seen Nigel for some time and don’t know where he is.”
The paper was unable to contact the couple.
The case is being investigated by Turkish police, according to reports in Scotland, and lawyers based in Istanbul are trying to recoup some of the missing deposits.
It has emerged that the Dutch architect who drew up the defunct scheme has also not been paid.

Gassed in their beds by Riviera robbers: Terrifying ordeal of the British tourists falling victim to Mediterranean gang crimewave - Capitalbay News

Gassed in their beds by Riviera robbers: Terrifying ordeal of the British tourists falling victim to Mediterranean gang crimewave - Capitalbay News: "Britons on the French Riviera are being drugged and robbed by thieves who gas them as they sleep.
The gangs quietly break in or slip inside patio doors left open because of the heat.
They then crouch down and release the gas into air conditioning units or under the victims' bedroom doors."

Spanish police are still searching for the gunman, but believe they have identified the killer, who is thought to be from Liverpool.

John O’Neill (40) from Coolock died from gunshot wounds shortly after an argument broke out in Coco’s Bar in Benalmadena.

A British man believed to have been involved in the row left the bar and returned with a .38-calibre revolver. He fired at least five shots. “He was in the wrong place,” his aunt Peig Dowdall said. “John was in the way of the gunfire, as a result he is dead,” she added.

Ms Dowdall described him as a “gentle giant” and said he was not the sort of man to get involved in a row. “He is not that type of guy, he was just gorgeous big soft guy, always a smile on his face. One way we always remember him is this lovely big smiley face,” she said.

Mr O’Neill was in Spain for a friend’s wedding and was enjoying a family holiday with his partner Maxine, his three-year-old boy Jake and nine-month-old baby girl Yasmine.

He loved his children and couldn’t believe he had them and adored his partner, Ms Dowdall told RTÉ’s Six One News .

Mr O’Neill’s partner was with him in the bar along with some 30 members of the wedding party at the time the fight broke out.

The argument is believed to have started in the pub’s toilets when a British man began banging on the door of a locked cubicle.

Spanish police are still searching for the gunman, but believe they have identified the killer, who is thought to be from Liverpool.

Mr O’Neill was killed by a shot to the back as he left the bar and died by a bus stop 45 metres from the bar.

His body was taken to the Institute of Legal Medicine in Malaga where an autopsy was due to be carried out. His family is upset that it may take some months to get his body home.

7DAYS - Crime boss is held for kidnap

7DAYS - Crime boss is held for kidnap: "gangster who was extradited from Dubai in 2006 has been remanded in custody by a Spanish court.
Police detained Zahar Kalashov in Marbella, five days after another court convicted him of money laundering and sentenced him to seven and a half years in jail.
Kalashov was not locked up as he qualified for parole because of the time he had spent in detention awaiting trial. However, he was re-arrested in response to an extradition request from Georgia where he is wanted for kidnapping."

BBC News - Man from Ireland held after Essex man murdered in Spain

BBC News - Man from Ireland held after Essex man murdered in Spain: "man has been arrested in connection with the shooting of an Essex man on the Costa del Sol in Spain.
Dan Smith, 24, a former builder from Billericay, was shot dead at a bar in Mijas over the weekend.
Mr Smith had been wanted by Essex Police in connection with the attempted murder of Douglas Turner on 7 July 2007 at Stock, near Chelmsford.
Police in Spain said a 27-year-old man from Ireland had been arrested in connection with Mr Smith's death.
Mr Smith was shot outside a bar in the province of Malaga late on Saturday and bullets hit the walls where the shooting happened.
The Foreign Office said Mr Smith died on Sunday.
A spokesman added it was providing consular assistance to his family.
He said it could not comment further due to the police investigation"

Italian police arrest 46 suspected mafia members | www.english.rfi.fr

Italian police arrest 46 suspected mafia members | www.english.rfi.fr: "Forty-six alleged members of the 'Ndrangheta crime network were arrested for running a cement racket and for several decades-old murders, Italian police said Tuesday."

Daniel Smith, from Billericay, Essex, was sitting with friends at a terrace table when he was shot three times in the face

26-year-old British man wanted for an attempted gang-land murder has been shot dead at a bar on the Costa del Sol.
Daniel Smith, from Billericay, Essex, was sitting with friends at a terrace table when he was shot three times in the face by a gunman on a motorbike.
Police believe Mr Smith, who has been on the run from detectives in Britain for three years, was the victim of a contract killing.
Drinkers at the Lounge Bar, a British-run drinking spot, watched in horror as he was gunned down in Mijas, near Malaga, in southern Spain on Saturday night.
According to reports, the killer was on the back of a motorbike driven by another man and fired six shots in total.
Mr Smith was shot three times in the face, and the gunman fired three other rounds which missed him.
A regular told The Sun: 'He kept firing at Dan even though he was on the ground. It was horrible.'
Police in Britain had been seeking Mr Smith over a shooting in 2007 of an Essex businessman, who survived but lost three fingers.
Mr Smith was the third Briton to be murdered on the Costa del Sol in the last six weeks in what was thought to be a struggle between British gangs for control of the drug trade, according to The Times.
Spain’s Civil Guard said the murder 'had all the hallmarks' of a contract killing. No arrests have been made.
A Civil Guard spokesman told The Times: 'We received a number of calls at 10.10pm reporting gunshots.
'Emergency services attended the scene but they were unable to save the man’s life. He died from gunshot wounds.'
He added: 'The gunman and his accomplice escaped on a motorbike. It had the hallmarks of a gangland settling of scores.'

Briton slain in ‘drive by’ | Olive Press Newspaper

Briton slain in ‘drive by’ | Olive Press Newspaper: "26-year-old was shot at six times after a row in a popular local pub The Lounge Bar, in Riviera del Sol, Mijas.
The killer, allegedly a friend, returned on a motorbike at 10pm on Saturday night.
He fired six shots at Smith who was drinking on the terrace. Two of them missed him and entered the bar, one getting lodged in a table.
An ambulance was on the scene within minutes, but he was declared dead before 11pm.
According to an Olive Press source, the builder had been shot just minutes after getting into an argument."

MAJOR-COCAINE-CATCH-IN-GAMBIA

Welcome to Freedom Newspaper Online: "Gambia is gradually becoming a safe-haven for drug cartel networks—notably drug dealers from South America, Guinea Bissau, and the country’s indigenous local citizens who used the West African country to traffic cocaine and other dangerous drugs, the Freedom Newspaper can report. A massive joint security operation Friday, June 4th led to the confiscation of a huge consignment of cocaine—that was hidden at Muktharr Trading Store—situated between Bonto village and Pirang in the Kombo East District, West Region of the Gambia, intelligence sources said.
Muktharr Trading, is engaged in timber sale in The Gambia. The company is owned by a Lebanese born business tycoon Mr. Muktharr. Mr. Muktaharr is a close associate of President Yahya Jammeh. His company is partly responsible for the country’s dwindling flora and fauna.
The raiding team which consist of Military, police, NIA and officials of the National Drug Enforcement Agency—known as (NDEA) received a tip off that a large consignment of cocaine were hidden at the Muktaharr timber factory. This led to the confiscation of the drugs. Although, no one has claimed ownership of the confiscated cocaine, investigators said.
The owner of the timber factory is helping police with their investigators. He has denied having knowledge about the said cocaine even though it was found in his business property, police said."

drinkers dived for cover amid the hail of bullets in Mijas, near Malaga , British man killed in drive-by shooting on Costa del Sol | Mail Online

British man killed in drive-by shooting on Costa del Sol | Mail Online: "The assassin, who was on the back of a bike driven by another man, fired at least six shots as other drinkers dived for cover amid the hail of bullets in Mijas, near Malaga in southern Spain.At least three bullets are thought to have hit their target.Sources said the murder had ‘all the hallmarks’ of a contract killing and detectives were last night investigating claims the victim was a fugitive wanted for attempted murder in England.Horrified locals called police as the drama unfolded outside The Lounge Bar on an estate called Riviera del Sol at around 10.10pm on Saturday.A spokesman for Spain’s emergency services said: “A 26-year-old man was killed in a shooting in Mijas on Saturday night.'We received a number of calls at 10.10pm reporting gunshots.'Local police, the Civil Guard and two ambulances attended the scene, but they were unable to save the man’s life. He died at the scene from gunshot wounds and was not taken to hospital."

six shots were fired in total, and that three of them hit the victim.

British-run Lounge Bar, Terraza de Miraflores, in the Riviera del Sol Urbanisation, an area popular with drinkers. Reports say that at least six shots were fired in total, and that three of them hit the victim.

Health workers could do nothing to save the life of the victim who died at the scene from gunshot wounds to the head.
The judicial police of the Guardia Civil have opened a full investigation, with the first hypothesis considering the killing was part of a settling of scores.

This latest Costa del Sol killing comes just over a week after the so-called Irish Mafia , led by Christopher Kinahan, was broken up. His organisation was allegedly involved in drug and firearms trafficking and money laundering. Possible links to this new killing are being investigated.

Read more: http://www.typicallyspanish.com/news/publish/article_26314.shtml#ixzz0q4h9pU4o

cage-fighter has been jailed in Morocco for his part in the UK's biggest cash raid

cage-fighter has been jailed in Morocco for his part in the UK's biggest cash raid at a Securitas depot.Lee Murray, 30, from south London, was named during the trial of other gang members as the "mastermind" of the £53m raid in Kent in February 2006.Kent Police said Murray must serve 10 years in jail in Morocco for his involvement.
A spokesman for the force said Murray was deemed to be Moroccan and could not be extradited to the UK.Det Supt Mick Judge said the Kent force had worked with the Moroccan authorities to ensure Murray was prosecuted.He said: "I'm pleased Murray will now begin serving a significant prison sentence for his part in the Tonbridge robbery."More than 13 people were charged with offences in connection with the robbery. Six people were convicted.Depot manager Colin Dixon and family were kidnapped at gunpoint by men posing as police officers to allow the gang to gain entry.Det Supt Judge added: "We must not forget the traumatic experience the Dixons and the Securitas employees went through that night in 2006 - held at gunpoint and fearing for their lives."He said Murray played a key role in the conspiracy to kidnap the Dixons and rob the depot.Last June, the Moroccan authorities refused to extradite Murray, after establishing his Moroccan nationality.

Detention will disrupt flow of drugs into State, gardaí believe - The Irish Times - Mon, May 31, 2010

Detention will disrupt flow of drugs into State, gardaí believe - The Irish Times - Mon, May 31, 2010: "Kinahan has been based on the Costa del Sol since late 2001, when he was released from a prison term in Ireland for handling stolen travellers’ cheques. He immediately established contacts with major international drug cartels in Spain, sourcing vast quantities of mostly cocaine and cannabis from them.
The drugs were then shipped to Ireland hidden in trucks, owned by “front” food export companies controlled by Kinahan, that travelled from the continent to Ireland and the UK by car ferry. The drugs were then sold on to local gangs.
The operation came crashing down last Tuesday when 700 police officers in Ireland, Spain and the UK arrested 32 suspects during co-ordinated raids. Property, valued at at least €650 million, has now been identified in Brazil, Spain, the UK, Dubai, South Africa, Belgium, Ireland and the UK.
The properties in Brazil include six significant leisure complexes valued at €500 million.
Some 60 properties linked to the Kinahan gang have already been frozen in Spain. Gardaí believe Kinahan controlled a network of 30 front companies through which he transported and distributed drugs across Ireland and the UK and then laundered the proceeds by buying property."

Ring of armed officers surrounds Spanish court for gang hearings - The Irish Times - Sat, May 29, 2010

Ring of armed officers surrounds Spanish court for gang hearings - The Irish Times - Sat, May 29, 2010: "Heavily armed officers imposed a ring of security around the building in Estepona as judge Maria Carmen Gutierrez Henares questioned some of the 22 suspects arrested in the police raids.
It was not made known last night when exactly Kinahan himself would be questioned by the judge in the proceedings which could go on over the weekend.
A statement released yesterday morning by Andalusia’s higher court of justice said: “The court of the first instance and instruction number 3 in Estepona took statements on Thursday from eight people in relation to the operation against the Irish mafia.
“Six of them were released on bail with the obligation to appear on the first and 15th day of each month.
“They are being formally investigated for money-laundering, drug trafficking and falsifying documents, along with other alleged offences.”
A lawyer acting for one suspect said: “The suspects were brought to court three by three because there are only two cells in the building, one holding two people and the other holding one.
“The judge takes statements from them individually.”"

Documents regarding the disappearance of missing teenager Amy Fitzpatrick have been seized.

Documents regarding the disappearance of missing teenager Amy Fitzpatrick have been seized.
The one-million euro home of Spanish lawyer Juan de la Fuente in Benalmadena was burgled as thieves made off with vital paperwork and cash.
Bizarrely, the crooks however left behind some 30,000 euros in valuables, including expensive paintings and a plasma-screen television.
Recently, Amy’s mum Audrey and stepdad Dave Mahon had handed over a number
of files related to the hunt for the Irish youth.
La Fuente, 32, explained that the burglars broke in via a garden gate.
“It makes no sense that they took documents which financially are worthless, and left behind all my expensive valuables like TVs, computers and music equipment.”
“The stolen documents included confidential police reports about Amy’s disappearance,” he said.
“It makes no sense that they took documents which financially are worthless, and left behind all my expensive valuables like TVs, computers and music equipment.”
And Mahon added: “We had handed over a number of important documents following our trip to Ireland.
“They were stolen, as well as some civil guard documents relating to the case.
“What is strange is that they left behind some very expensive valuables and a wallet which was left open on the side.”
In 2008, Mahon and Fitzpatrick’s home in Riviera del Sol was also broken into, with thieves making off with a laptop and Amy’s old mobile phone.

Irish mafia on the Costa del Sol linked to 20 murders across Europe. Surinenglish.com

Irish mafia on the Costa del Sol linked to 20 murders across Europe. Surinenglish.com: "arrest of 31 members of an Irish mafia organisation, 17 of whom were detained in Estepona, Marbella, Fuengirola and Mijas. In total, searches were carried out in 122 houses, lawyers' offices and other private establishments. 500 police officers participated in the raid that was carried out simultaneously in Spain, Ireland and the United Kingdom, coordinated by Europol.
This group, whose connections extend to at least 20 countries worldwide, is considered one of the largest criminal organisations on an international scale, although predominantly in the British Isles. According to Europol, the group is suspected of being involved in more than 20 murders committed in various different countries. It was the investigation of one of these murders that gave birth to 'Operation Shovel', as the raid has been named. In February 2008 Paddy Doyle, a 28-year-old Irish citizen, who was known to the police for his involvement in organised crime, died from numerous gunshot wounds in an ambush attack in a housing estate in Estepona.
The murder was immediately thought to be a revenge killing between gangs of drug dealers. The investigation led the police to certain members of this mafia group, and eventually linked them with several murders committed in Spain, more precisely on the Costa del Sol, as well as Holland and Ireland, the Ministry of the Interior revealed yesterday."

Major operation against European network |Crime Scene Spain

Major operation against European network |Crime Scene Spain: "THIRTY-TWO people were arrested throughout Europe in a coordinated sting against a European drug and arms trafficking network operating in Malaga, London and Dublin.
The Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) informed that the ringleader is 53-year-old Cristopher Kinahan, was arrested on the Costa del Sol by National Police who also took in his two sons, several British and Irish citizens and four Spanish lawyers.
On the Costa del Sol, the operation was led by an Estepona court and 17 people were arrested in Marbella, Estepona, Fuengirola and Mijas. More than 122 properties have been searched.
The investigation began in 2008. In February 2008, 28-year-old Irishman Paddy Doyle was shot down in Estepona. It was first thought that it was a settling of scores between rival gangs but the police investigation led to something much bigger.
The gang may also be involved in the deaths of 39-year-old Peter M, who was shot in Nueva Andalucia in August 2008, and Richard K., aged 30, shot in Benalmadena in February 2009. The same year, the charred body of a missing Irish citizen was found in a pipe in La Cala de Mijas."

Low-profile kingpin amassed €100m fortune - The Irish Times - Wed, May 26, 2010

Low-profile kingpin amassed €100m fortune - The Irish Times - Wed, May 26, 2010: "MAN at the centre of the Irish-led international drug trafficking and money-laundering network targeted yesterday has drug and money laundering convictions in Ireland, the Netherlands and Belgium.
Christy Kinahan (53), has had Irish addresses at York Street and St Teresa’s Gardens in Dublin’s inner city, as well as at Cabra, Phibsboro and Fairview, all on the north side of the city. He is not a household name, but is well known in media and policing circles and has been regarded for some time as perhaps the biggest wholesaler of illicit drugs for Irish crime gangs.
He has amassed a personal fortune of well over €100 million in the last decade through drug-dealing and investing and laundering the proceeds of his crimes.
Regarded as one of the cleverest Irish criminals involved in the international drugs trade, he speaks several foreign languages, including Dutch and Spanish. During a prison term in the 1990s he studied for a degree course in French and refused temporary release so he could complete it.
In March 1987 he was jailed for six years after pleading guilty to possessing heroin valued at £117,000. He told the court he was a heroin addict and was trying to turn his life around by studying in prison. In March 1998 he was jailed for four years after he was found in possession of £16,000 in stolen travellers’ cheques.
Kinahan, a separated father of three, also has convictions for forgery and for possession of cannabis. He served at least one of his sentences in the State’s maximum security prison in Portlaoise. He was released from his last prison sentence in 2001 and is believed to have left for Spain within months"

Several Spanish lawyers were arrested on suspicion of their part in the money-laundering side of the gang's business.

Kinahan is thought to have been behind a bet-to-lose horse-racing scam in the UK in 2004, in which top jockey Kieren Fallon and others were eventually acquitted when an Old Bailey trial collapsed.

His sons Christy Junior and Daniel were also arrested in an operation involving armed police.

The crime gang is suspected of major drug trafficking into the UK and the rest of Europe, gun supply to inner city gangs in Britain and several underworld murders.

The network is also accused of offering rival villains a money-laundering service to disguise their crime profits, much of it ploughed into building projects.

Several Spanish lawyers were arrested on suspicion of their part in the money-laundering side of the gang's business.

Another man arrested was Irishman John Cunningham, considered to be Kinahan's right-hand man.

Cunningham has a previous conviction for the kidnap in 1986 of heiress Jennifer Guinness in Ireland.

The principals are thought to have been under surveillance for a year or more, during which time they were overheard talking in code.

They allegedly used "computers" for guns, "waiters" for weapons, "cars" for ecstasy and "leaves" for banknotes.

If charged they are expected to stand trial in Spain and those arrested in the UK and Ireland could be extradited here.

Soca's Trevor Pearce said: "The scale of this joint operation by law enforcement agencies from so many countries is an indication of how prolific we think this network was.

"Today's arrests will have dealt a major blow to an organised criminal business suspected of supplying drugs and guns to gangs in cities across the UK and Europe.

"It highlights Soca's role in co-ordinating complex investigations into organised crime, which always has an international dimension."

Ex-Mexican Mafia general tells how 2 snitches were killed

Ex-Mexican Mafia general tells how 2 snitches were killed: "Texas Mexican Mafia nearly obliterated the criminal organization's San Antonio leadership in 2004, it created a power vacuum that led to Joe “Pancho” Pena's ascendancy to “general.”
One of Pena's first acts as leader of local operations was to organize the slayings of two informants who had made the roundup of 28 mafia members possible, the leader-turned-witness told a federal jury Friday.
“Is there any way someone can be a member of the mafia and not be squeamish about killing?” U.S. Attorney Joey Contreras asked Pena.
“No,” he responded matter-of-factly, explaining the gang's constitution has only one resolution for those who betray the organization. “The green light: death.”
Pena is so far the highest-ranking former mafia member to testify in the racketeering trial of three men who have been described as the new leadership that emerged following the 2004 roundup."

Hells Angel Proves There's Bike After Death

Hells Angel Proves There's Bike After Death: "Hells Angel who was shot dead in a gunfight has gone for one last ride on his beloved Honda - his destination beyond the grave.Friends helped Puerto Rican David Morales Colon, from San Juan, fulfil his last wish - to be buried with his bike - after the 22-year-old lost his life in a shootout last week.
Funeral directors embalmed the body, dressed him in jeans, shoes, a jacket and a hat and put sunglasses on him to cover his eyes.
They then used hidden supports to put the corpse on the bike for the wake - with his hand gunning the throttle and body crouched over the fuel tank, to mimic his stance when riding at speed.
Meat Loaf's Bat Out of Hell album was played at the funeral."

Double shooting might be gang-related - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

Double shooting might be gang-related - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation): "Adelaide police are investigating possible gang involvement in a double shooting in the inner northern suburbs.
Two men were shot in the back in the attack near a Blair Athol sports club.
Police are treating the shootings as attempted murder.
A man, 26, from Enfield man and a Modbury man, 20, were drinking and playing cards with friends when two armed men approached at about 8:30pm ACST.
There was an altercation and the men fired six shots"

Litter bug sees bank account embargoed

Litter bug sees bank account embargoed: "34 year old Murcia man, Daniel Hidalgo, has won a case against Murcia City Hall, after his bank account was embargoed when he dropped a tetra-brick chocolate drink on the ground.
Daniel told 20minutos.es that he does not remember whether he threw the container to the ground, or if it just fell from his hands, but as it happened he was stopped by two policemen who said ‘You are a swine’, and fined him 30 €.
This was back in 2002 and he said that he told the police that because he had been insulted by them he was not going to pay the fine. He thought that was the end of it, but six years later when he went to get some money from the bank, he discovered the City Hall had embargoed his account.
He then complained that six years on the fine would have expired in any case, and although the City Hall then agreed, they still removed 1,000 € from his account for making the challenge. He then took on a legal aid lawyer to get the money returned and warned others that it was a fraud. ‘Who is going to spend 1,000 € to get back 30’, he said, although the council paid him back 45 € - the original fine plus interest"

Police crack down on foreigners' crime on the Costa del Sol

Police crack down on foreigners' crime on the Costa del Sol: "206 foreign criminals have been arrested over the past year in Málaga province. In total the UDYCO specialist crime unit made 407 arrests last year, 104 more than in 2008.It’s a 34% jump in the number of detentions and police say that is thanks to a new strategy which has seen a more selective control on international criminal networks that have looked to lie low on the Costa del Sol."

Sean Connery has been ordered to appear before a Spanish magistrate investigating alleged financial irregularities on the Costa del Sol.

Sean Connery has been ordered to appear before a Spanish magistrate investigating alleged financial irregularities on the Costa del SolSean Connery has been ordered to appear before a Spanish magistrate investigating alleged financial irregularities on the Costa del Sol.
The James Bond star, 79, and his wife Micheline Roquebrune, are being investigated by a court in the millionaires' playground of Marbella.
Five lawyers have also been ordered to appear before the court after police raided their offices on Wednesday in an operation named Goldfinger.
Connery and his wife, Michelle, a French painter, lived in Marbella from the early 1970s to the late 1990s in a beachside mansion called Malibu.
They entertained stars including Richard Burton, Michael Caine, Omar Sharif and George best in the magnificent whitewashed villa.
Connery sold the property for a reported $9million in the late 90s, and 72 luxury flats were later built on the land.
A two-bedroom apartment there is now worth around £2million.
Magistrate Ricardo Puyol is reportedly investigating the sale of the house and allegations of tax evasion and money-laundering.
The actor and his wife are expected to appear before the magistrate at Marbella's Court of Instruction number 1 on May 27, 28 or 29.
They will be questioned in detail, behind closed doors, before the magistrate decides if any further action should be taken.
Neither Connery or his wife have been arrested or charged with any offence.
On Wednesday officers from the National Police accompanied by tax officials raided the officers of law firm Diaz-Bastien & Truan in Marbella and Madrid.
Operating on the orders of the magistrate, the officers reportedly seized 30,000 documents.
The magistrate has placed a secrecy order on the case which bans any officials from speaking about the investigation.
National newspaper El Mundo said the magistrate is investigating a number of property deals made during the tenure of controversial Marbella mayor Jesus Gil y Gil, the former owner of Atletico Madrid football club.
It said the magistrate was investigating possible tax evasion, embezzlement, perversion of justice and money-laundering.