Graham Hall, was held with six others following the discovery of the drugs destined for the UK

Guardia Civil have arrested a Tyneside man in a £9.2m cocaine bust on the Costa del Sol.Graham Hall, 41, of Wallsend, was held with six others following the discovery of the drugs destined for the UK.Hall was detained hours after Dublin drugs baron Paddy Doyle was shot dead in Estepona near Marbella.Northumbria Police said they haven’t had any communications with the Spanish authorities over Hall’s arrest but are making further inquiries.Murder squad detectives are working with Irish officers and are trying to establish links between the drugs haul and Doyle’s death last Monday.Officers from Spain’s Drugs and Organised Crime Unit approached a group of men loading furniture on to a van in the town on Tuesday.And discovered the 140 kilos of cocaine in secret compartments inside the furniture.Seven men, six British and one Irish, were arrested. Hall was one of those arrested along with Edward Thompson, 49, from Liverpool.Spanish police have been working in collaboration with the Irish Garda following the assassination of Dublin gang member Doyle.A man wanted for a gangland killing on Tyneside two years ago was named last month among 10 suspected criminals hiding in the “Costa del Crime”.Police believe Allan Foster flew from his Spanish hideaway to assassinate David ‘Noddy’ Rice in South Shields in May 2006 with a silenced semi-automatic gun.It is thought he flew out of the country the day after the killing, at a seaside car park near Marsden Grotto, and has remained a fugitive since.Foster, 31, was named among 10 suspects by Crimestoppers on a most-wanted website targeting the Costa del Sol.Mr Rice, 42, was shot nine times by two masked men on the seafront at South Tyneside after being lured to the meeting by Steven Bevens, 39.Bevens worked for Foster, who police believe fired the fatal shots. Last year Bevens was sentenced to life with a minimum of 26 years behind bars for murder, while getaway driver Derek Blackburn, 51, of Humberside, who turned informer on the duo, was given four years for assisting an offender, later cut to two and a half years.A Foreign Office spokeswoman said this afternoon: "A British National was detained on February 5, however he was later released without charge."

Country's biggest ever investigation into internet fraud

Spanish police arrested 76 people nationwide on Sunday in what is being touted as the country's biggest ever investigation into internet fraud.Investigators reckon some of the suspects made more than €3bn through auction fraud. They would apparently offer expensive goods such as plasma TVs and cars for sale online, scarpering once the deals were made without handing over the goods, according to local reports. Others allegedly used stolen banking credentials to transfer money into their accounts, possibly as a part of a wider phishing scam.
More than half of those arrested and detained are Spaniards. Five Ukrainians, four Romanians, two Russians, two Moroccans and five people from Guniea were also hauled in for questioning in the same investigation, AFP adds.
Spanish police are urging consumers to be careful when buying goods online. They have complained that a lack of resources and weak judicial penalties against convicted fraudsters is hampering police efforts to stamp out the problem

Icelandic male in his 30s arrested last week after almost one kilo of a substance

The Spanish police arrested an Icelandic male in his 30s last week after almost one kilo of a substance, allegedly amphetamine, was discovered in the vehicle he was driving in San Fulgencio near Torreviaja in the province of Alicante.
According to local police, they found the man suspicious because he drove back and forth within the town limits and therefore stopped the car. The driver was alone in the vehicle and likely a tourist, Fréttabladid reports.
The Icelander is currently in custody and waiting to appear before the court in Guardamar del Segura.

€130,000 jewellery theft from an hotel in Torremolinos in November 2007, a €350,000 jewellery heist in Jérez de la Frontera, also in November 2007, an

The Guardia Civil have arrested six people, all Italian nationals, after an investigation into a series of jewellery thefts throughout Andalucía
‘Operación Duelo’ began in October last year after information was received from the Portuguese authorities relating to the possible involvement of an individual in a number of crimes in that country. An investigation led to the establishment of a connection between this individual and a gang of jewel thieves operating on the Costa del Sol.
The gang would carefully plan their robberies, gathering details about peoples movements and routines before actually making their move. However, if something went wrong, the gang were not averse to using extreme violence.
The arrests were made in Torremolinos, San Pedro de Alcántara, Málaga, Alhaurín de la Torre and Algorrobo. One of those detained is also sought by the French police under an international arrest warrant for various crimes carrying a penalty of 24 years in prison. The six men have been charged with robbery with violence and intimidation, robbery with force, crimes against the public health and conspiracy.
The gang are thought to have been responsible for at least 16 crimes, including a €130,000 jewellery theft from an hotel in Torremolinos in November 2007, a €350,000 jewellery heist in Jérez de la Frontera, also in November 2007, and a €300,000 robbery carried out at an hotel in Granada.

Nigerians trying to smuggle cocaine into Barcelona from Casablanca

Spanish press reported Guardia Civil’s heavily armed organised crime unit yesterday mounted a anti-drugs operation in Palma.
A series of raids were mounted simultaneously with a number of drugs swoops carried out across Spain as part of a nationwide operation.
armed officers wearing ski masks and with air support from a Guardia Civil helicopter stormed at least two properties in the Son Gotleu neighbourhood of the capital.
The operation was still ongoing but at least 13 people had been arrested.
Police sources also confirmed that over eight kilos of various drugs have been seized over the past two weeks since the operation was first given the all clear by police chiefs.
It was also revealed last night that further arrests may be made today.
Police are not ruling out another wave of raids on suspect properties in Palma.
The Guardia Civil had mounted a series of house raids in Palma and made a number of arrests as part of a simultaneous operation carried out in various parts of the country. international drug smuggling network operating in Palma, Madrid and Barcelona.
Guardia Civil chiefs debriefed the media on the exact results of Operation Lagos which has resulted in the break up of an international gang smuggling cocaine into Palma and other parts of Spain from Holland.
A total of 14 people have been arrested, one is being treated in hospital after he tried to escape by leaping from a second floor balcony in Palma, and nearly ten kilos of cocaine seized.
Guardia chiefs said yesterday that, since the gang began operating in Spain, it has smuggled between 50 and 60 kilos of cocaine in to the country.
The operation began in 2006 when the Guardia Civil caught a couple of Nigerians trying to smuggle cocaine into Barcelona from Casablanca. The subsequent investigation led police to Palma where the alleged brains behind the smuggling operation was based and since then, the organised crime squad has been monitoring the activities of a number of mules used to smuggle the drugs. Apparently, each would smuggle around a kilo of cocaine out of the Republic of Guinea, to Casablanca and then onto Amsterdam before the final stretch of the journey to Palma via Madrid and Barcelona.
The Guardia Civil explained yesterday that the tickets for the smuggling drug mules were booked in Spain and paid via international money transfer offices.
The mules were also given basic travel allowance of 500 euros, the minimum figure certain countries demand a tourist is carrying in order to enter the country.
The gang also covered hotel bills in cities such as Madrid, Barcelona and Amsterdam and also provided guarantees of financial aid should any of the smugglers get arrested and that funds would be paid to partners and family should the suspect end up in prison.
The Madrid and Barcelona operations were responsible for “retrieving” the drugs which were swallowed and smuggled inside the body as well as hiring new mules for future drug runs from West Africa to Palma.
The gang was described as being extremely well organised.
Key members used a special code the few times they used the telephone, for example.
The operation was yesterday hailed as a major success for Palma’s Guardia Civil organised crime unit which was only set up at the end of last year and for the war against drugs and organised crime in Spain.

Terrorist threat in Southern Spain

"That these people were ready to go into action as terrorists in Spain - that came as a surprise," said Judge Baltasar Garzon, Spain's highest antiterrorism magistrate. "In my opinion, the jihadi threat from Pakistan is the biggest emerging threat we are facing in Europe. Pakistan is an ideological and training hotbed for jihadists, and they are being exported here."
Officials say the Barcelona case points to a more serious dynamic: Pakistanis with no apparent previous links to Europe who appear to have been sent there on a terrorist mission.
"We had 20 terrorists show up in Spain that had been trained in Pakistan that were going to be suicide bombers, fanning out over Europe," Mike McConnell, director of US national intelligence, told the House Intelligence Committee on Thursday.
Although some of the suspects had been living in Spain, McConnell's remarks underscored statements by the Spanish authorities that in addition to the 14 suspects who had been arrested, others had eluded capture.
In late 2004, the police arrested 11 Pakistani men on suspicion of plotting to attack two landmark buildings in Barcelona, financing terrorism, and drug trafficking, although only six were convicted, two for document forgery.

Mari Luz Cortesa :Police have detained a man who attempted to take a seven year old close to Mari Luz family home.

Spanish press are announcing that a man has been detained in El Torrejón close to the disappearance of Mari Luz on suspicion of attempting to take a young girl from the street. The seven year old was leaving her grandmother house when the attempt was made an aunt rushed to help the child. The police were called and a man was detained.large crowds have gathered outside the National police station

Overseas Property Investments PLC shut down.

Nightmare holiday home company Overseas Property Investments PLC has been shut down.
Five investors took the firm to court after paying almost £1million for homes in Cyprus that never materialised.
The company, run by John, Rhodri and Daniel Foote, of Swansea, was put into compulsory liquidation after the High Court heard that furious investors had "completely lost faith" in it.

Pinares de Mijas is located in one of the best areas on the Costa del Sol. It is situated between the new racecourse of Mijas and within walking distance to the beach at El Chaparral.


Golf Girona These high quality golf resort villas are designed to the highest quality and overlook the excellent golf course and nearby mountains. The whole panoramic view is breathtaking. Costa Brava.Peralada The Golf Peralada resort is truly exclusive and peaceful, everything you would expect from this idyllic setting. The villas are built to the highest quality in true Catalonian style. Two of the many developments advertised in spain by Overseas Property Investments PLC .Overseas Property Investments (OPI) is the exclusive choice for the sophisticated property investor seeking high returns with a reduced element of risk.
With over £50m in asset end-values, and controlling around £100 million in project value, this dynamic, profit focused company is a pioneer in overseas land and property investments, specialising in the funding of fast-track property developments in Croatia, Cyprus, Spain and France. OPI are constantly searching the globe for outstanding opportunities and are currently evaluating possible ventures in Bulgaria, Dubai, Canada, Florida, Turkey and the Caribbean.
From our roots as a successful UK Property company, OPI has achieved remarkable success by perfecting our project funding model. Whenever possible we take full ownership of the development and negotiate the best possible payment terms, or, alternatively we buy the whole development on an "Off-Plan basis".
Whichever funding strategy we implement, we always seek to limit the initial deposit and look to the local banks and financial institutions to carry the rest of the financing.
This strategic approach substantially reduces the risks traditionally associated with Off-Plan developments and gives OPI's dedicated property sales division sufficient time to sell the projects onwards for substantial profit.
OPI’s capital base has come by way of investment from the public purchasing shares in our UK Plc. By combining our resources we are able to negotiate the purchase of either whole developments or large parts thereof, which allows us to secure the best discounts, unavailable to the individual investor.
OPI’s sister company Property in Britain Plc, was formed 5 years ago, has 195 private investors, and enjoying significant growth in its U.K. and overseas projects. Property in Britain has several large developments in the UK with projects end values of £6 million.
OPI was formed to emulate Property in Britain in the overseas market, utilising our investment modules, knowledge and expertise.
The company has successfully used this initial capitalisation on medium term deals, but is now looking to fund shorter term investments through other vehicles. Hence the launch of Fifty : Fifty Gold & Fifty :Fifty Silver.
Given our prominence in the market, we are constantly offered opportunities from various sources. On every potential deal we carry out our due diligence and if it does not reach our benchmark parameters the deal is rejected.

British child drowned in a swimming pool

An eighteen month old baby girl has been found drowned in a swimming pool on the outskirts of Órgiva, after she went missing on Sunday afternoon. The child, reported as British, was discovered in a pool in a neighbouring property five minutes after a family friend contacted the 112 emergency centre to report her missing, EFE reports.
The news agency said it happened in the Malcandruna area of Órgiva, and names the child as M.M.C.

Paddy Doyle shot by Russian Mafia theory ?

According to the Irish press ,Paddy Doyle picked a fight with the son of a Russian mafia boss based on the Costa. Doyle came out best in the fight but paid later with his life. He was cornered and shot close to Estepona. Doyle was in Spain to evade the bloody feud between the Drimnagh-based gangs in Dublin and, gardai believe, to establish a new drugs base there. Doyle was named in connection with at least three murders in the feud and had been in Spain since 2006 after he was suspected of involvement in the shooting dead of gang rival Noel Roche in Clontarf, Dublin in November 2005.
Doyle's associate, 'Fat Freddie' Thompson, is believed to have been spending most of his time in Spain to avoid assassination by his rivals in Dublin. His whereabouts were unknown but he is believed to have been in Doyle's company shortly before Doyle and Gary Hutch were ambushed in Estepona.
Paddy Doyle, it seems, was not smart enough to live by the rules that have kept the older and wiser criminals rich and at liberty in the sun. According to gardai, Doyle picked a fight with the son of a Russian mafia boss based on the Costa. Doyle came out best in the fight but paid later with his life. He was cornered and peppered with shots, possibly fired from an assault shotgun, on Tuesday night in the town.
The killing was a professional hit. The Russians normally keep a low profile,living in gated developments.The Russians are a force on the Costa del Sol and don't take insults lightly. After Doyle crossed them, his end was swift and savage. The assassination bore all the hallmarks of the Spetsnaz, the Russian special forces, many former members of which now work for the crime bosses on the Costa del Sol.Doyle was one of a generation of young Irishmen who have taken their chances in southern Spain. His death is a tragedy for his family, which has been active in the anti-drugs movement in central Dublin for years. Past events, however, show that Doyle’s murder was no surprise.
Doyle joins an infamous list of expatriate Dublin criminals who left the capital, in the expectation that they could apply the same tactics they did here - terror and physical violence - but who found that the rules of engagement were different when dealing with gangs from former Russian and eastern European states.
The nature of Doyle’s murder is perhaps the only surprise, in a region where organised crime gang ‘hits’ are more frequently preceded by kidnapping, torture and the disposal of remains in an undisclosed location.

Spanish press reports the attempted abduction of british child

Spanish press reports the attempted abduction of british child on the Costa del Sol. The mother-of-two revealed how the 11-year-old stepped in when an African man tried to lure the two-year-old British holidaymaker into his van with the help of a cat.
The housewife, who lives in Marbella, told how after taking photographs from his van, the man in his 30s held the animal out to be stroked.
But just as the toddler started to pet the cat, her son Ben pulled him away.
“He is pretty clued up and realised what was going on,” she revealed.
“He grabbed the little boy’s hand and said ‘no, no, no’ before running back to us.
“You can say he has became a bit of a hero.”
While police have not been able to identify the culprit, a Nigerian man was charged last week with the attempted snatch of a Spanish two-year-old in Málaga a fortnight ago.
In the terrifying incident in the Rosaleda shopping centre, the 32-year-old man, whose name was given as Oduwa O, tried to grab the toddler out of his grandmother’s arms.
Incredibly, there have already been 22 reported abduction attempts of children across Spain so far this year, with Amy Fitzpatrick in Mijas and Mari luz in Huelva still missing.
“It is terrifying that there are people out there operating on the Costa del Sol,” said the British housewife, who has asked not to be named.
“My daughter is so pretty with blonde waist-length hair. I am now obviously very careful to never let them out of my sight.”
She and her husband, who commutes back to the UK to work, had been dining with friends on the terrace of Rosmarino restaurant in June, 2007.
While they ate, their son, 11, and daughter, 8, ran around playing in the square with half a dozen other British children.
It was about 10pm and still light, when a man had driven up in a white locksmith’s van and parked just out of sight of the square and fellow diners.
“This man, an African in his 30s had a camera and started taking photographs of the children, and in particular tried to get this two-year-old to come over to the van,” said the mother-of-two from London.
“He was using a cat to get the kids to come closer.

House burglaries arrests in the Alicante region

The Guardia Civil have arrested a group of seven people in connection with a spate of house burglaries in the Alicante region. The arrests are linked to some 20 thefts carried out in the province, the receipt of stolen property, and the trafficking of firearms.
It comes as the last stage of earlier action by the security forces carried out last year which saw a previous 28 people arrested, most of them from Algeria and specialists in violent robberies from the inside of private homes.
The use of stolen credit cards was the link the police needed to make the new arrests which were made in Torrevieja and Elche. Those now held are aged between 25 and 55, four of them are Moroccan and the remaining three are from Holland, Romania and Spain. They were found to be in the possession of false British and French driving licences, as well as ten mobile phones and several tools of the trade.

International network which trafficked in stolen luxury cars between Spain and Italy

The Interior Ministry said in a statement that top range cars were stolen in Italy and were sold on in Spain once the Vehicle Identification Numbers had been altered. The first of the ten cars so far traced – altogether valued at 1 million € - was a Porsche tracked to a car dealer in Almería province using GPS technology, and was found to have been sold by two men from Elche in Alicante.
Police have uncovered an international network which trafficked in stolen luxury cars between Spain and Italy, and have made five arrests in connection with fraud, falsifying documents, and vehicle theft. The suspects are three Spaniards and two Italians.
The Ministry said another two vehicles stolen in Italy last December proved to have been bought from the Alicante vendors via companies set up by the network. The Ministry said police are now trying to locate other vehicles which the network put up for sale in Valencia, Alicante, Seville, Cuenca, Murcia, La Rioja and Navarra

Large haul of Hash siezed on Marbella beach

Large haul of Hash siezed on Marbella beach by the Guardia Civil 55 bales of Hashish were siezed plus three cars, mobile phones.GPS satellite navigation equipement. The new SIVA radar which operates on the coast has been instrumental in another large drug siezure.

Audrey Fitzpatrick, was questioned by police.

Audrey Fitzpatrick, was questioned by police on Wednesday over an alleged assault last Friday. A neighbour is understood to have reported Audrey Fitzpatrick to police, and the Irish Independent said it relates to a row over loud music, during which the neighbour was allegedly struck by Mrs Fitzpatrick, who they say told the person who complained that the song was one of her daughter’s favourites. Franco Rey confirmed that Audrey has been to the police station to answer the complaint and that she has made an official statement.

Hash catch by Spanish Trawler

A trawler fishing off the coast of Mazarrón has brought up almost a ton of cannabis resin in its nets, while trawling at a depth of 70 metres off Cabo Tiñoso on Wednesday.
The crew immediately informed the Civil Guard of their find and handed the drugs over to the custody of officers waiting to receive it once the vessel docked in port. EFE said it was found to weigh 960.7 kilos

Julian Muñoz four years in prison sofar.

ex Mayor of Marbella, Julian Muñoz. He was sentenced to prison for a year at the start of this month for granting a building licence for a ten story building in a green zone, and on Wednesday he was sentenced in Penal Court 7 in Málaga to another year in prison for giving the go-ahead to the construction of 108 homes on land which should have been used for sports facilities. The latest sentence is the fifth against the ex Mayor and takes his total prison sentences so far to four years.

Amy Fitzpatrick who has been missing since New Years Day, turns 16 tomorrow and her brother Dean (17) has helped to organise a party for her friends

There have been no positive sightings of the teenager since she went missing. There had been reported sightings of Amy in Wexford but these have been ruled out by Irish Police.
THE family of missing Amy Fitzpatrick are holding a 16th birthday party in her honour tomorrow, Amy Fitzpatrick who has been missing since New Years Day, turns 16 tomorrow and her brother Dean (17) has helped to organise a party for her friends.
Last night, her stepdfather Dave Mahon said they are holding the get-together in a local bar at 7pm tomorrow evening.
Balloons featuring Amy's face will be released outside the bar.
"There have been no new leads at all," said Dave.
"It's getting harder as the days go by. It's been a month and several days now since she was last seen."
The teenager vanished after leaving her friend's house near Fuengirola in Spain at 10pm on New Years Day. She set out on the 20 minute walk to her own house but has not been seen since.

Ann Wills Kayiwa, has been sentenced to 28 years imprisonment

A Ugandan woman, Ann Wills Kayiwa, has been sentenced to 28 years imprisonment after a Mauritian court here found her guilty of importing 625 grammes of heroin, Port-Louis, Mauritius judicial sources told PANA Tuesday.
Ms Kayiwa was arrested 1 March 2003, at Plaisance airport, south of the island, with the drug concealed in her genitals.
The drug was discovered after she was taken to hospital by the police for an X-ray.

American national was arrested Tuesday by Moroccan Customs

An American national was arrested Tuesday by Moroccan cu stoms officers at the port of Tanger (north) with 26 kilogrammes of cannabis, th e government press agency, MAP, reported.
Erik B., 29, was arrested after customs officers discovered the drug concealed i n his car's chassis, MAP noted, adding that he was about to board a ferry bound for Algesiras, south of Spain.
Charged with "drug trafficking at international level," Eric will be prosecuted Wednesday and may face a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison if found guilty.

Mari Luz white ballon demonstration

White balloons were released into the sky in the Plaza de los Niños Bosnios in Huelva on Tuesday, for the safe return of five year old Mari Luz, who went missing in the city on 13th January. Her parents, Juan José Cortés and Irene Suárez, were at the head of a demonstration which marched from their home in the district of El Torrejón to La Orden, supported by the hundred people who accompanied them on the march.Hundreds more were waiting in the square in La Orden, where a manifesto from local associations was read out, calling for Mari Luz to be set free. A minute’s silence was held before the balloons were released.

Clifford Hobbs Tracked down on Spain's "Costa del Crime" sentenced to life

Clifford Hobbs, 47, escaped from a prison van on his way to a court appearance and cost the taxpayer millions while detectives spent the next four years tracking him down to Spain. Hobbs, from Bermondsey, had only stood to serve two or three years in prison for the original crime after getting caught red-handed trying to steal £1million from a cash-intransit van. But the villain, dubbed "arrogant" by the judge, would not do the time and plotted a "sophisticated" escape in which a security guard was shot on June 10, 2003.
The court heard how Hobbs and fellow escapee Noel Cunningham, 43, banged on the door of the van while it was travelling from Brixton prison to Inner London Crown Court. The lags were signalling to a team of hijackers who tracked the van to the court then sprang a violent attack on driver Neil Chetty.
Hobbs was convicted of having a firearm with intent to escape from lawful custody.
The jury failed to reach a verdict on a second charge of wounding with intent and were discharged.
Hobbs had already admitted conspiracy to steal and escape from lawful custody. Cunningham remains on the run.

The search for Amy Fitzpatrick is broadened to Tangier

Dave Mahon, the partner of Amy’s mother, Audrey, has travelled to Tangiers with a friend to hand out posters and photos of the teenager. It’s reported that the family has no leads that Amy might be there, but it is easily accessible from the Costa del Sol, just a short ferry ride across the Strait of Gibraltar from Algeciras, across the border in Cádiz province.

Patrick Doyle shot twice in the head in Estepona

27-year-old Patrick Doyle from Portland Row in Dublin was shot twice in the head, after the car in which he was a passenger came under fire.convicted Dublin drug dealer has been shot dead on the Costa del Sol in Spain.
The 4x4 BMW came under fire from another vehicle in the village of Cancelada, near Estepona.A second man is reported to have been injured in the attack.A third man escaped unharmed
The shooting took place just before 2pm Spanish time.

Dublin drug dealer shot dead in Estapona

Patrick Doyle from Portland Row in Dublin s died in a shooting incident in Estepona today. It happened at 2pm in Calle Mejorana in the Bel Air urbanisation in Cancelada, and National Police are still at the scene. first there were unconfirmed reports in the press in Spain that a man who was shot dead in Estepona on Monday afternoon was British. It happened on the Bel Air Urbanisation in the Cancelada area shortly before 2 pm, when he was travelling in the front passenger seat of a BMW car driven by a friend, also from the UK.
A witness who saw what happened told Europa Press that the occupants of a car of the same make opened fire as they drove past. At least five shots were fired, four hitting the front windshield and another through the passenger door.
Both men then tried to escape on foot when the car crashed into a lamppost on Calle Mejorana, but the passenger was shot twice in the head when he got out of the car.
It’s understood the driver has been questioned by police, but there are no reports of any arrests as yet. The order to remove the body was granted at 3,20pm, and police found a four wheel drive vehicle at the scene with five gunshots, four in the windscreen and one in the front passenger door.
The victim, aged 25-30 was travelling in the passenger seat according to a witness at the scene who said the four wheel drive was fired at by another car. The driver lost control of the vehicle and crashed into a lamppost. When the passenger got out of the four wheel drive, he was shot twice in the head.
There have been no arrests in the case as yet.

Audrey Fitzpatrick led a candlelit vigil

Audrey Fitzpatrick led a candlelit vigil to mark more than a month since the 15-year-old's disappearance. An emotional Audrey Fitzpatrick (39) was supported by her partner Dave Mahon (36) and a crowd of over 100 ex-pats and locals. Too overcome to speak, she broke down in tears, leaving Mr Mahon to thank everyone for their prayers on her behalf.

Ex-Polaris World partner faces corruption charges

The Sunday edition of El País newspaper has revealed some of the content of the part of the case summary now lifted from secrecy in investigations in Murcia into the Town Halls of Torre Pacheco and Fuente Álamo. It concerns telephone conversations recorded by court order, where the constructor, Facundo Armero, is heard saying to the Mayor of Torre Pacheco, Daniel García, ‘I want the Torre Pacheco zoning plans approved now.’
Armero is one of the 14 suspects who have been questioned by Judge Arantxa Moreno so far in the case. They also include the Partido Popular Mayors of the two towns, Daniel García, and from Fuente Álamo, María Antonio Conesa. The investigation follows a complaint from the prosecutor’s office at the Murcia High Court of Justice into alleged administrative irregularities, with a long list of alleged crimes: misappropriation of funds, influence peddling, bribery, perversion of the justice, revealing secret information, fraud, and activities prohibited to public servants. Municipal planning documents were seized from both local corporations last summer in police swoops on the Town Hall buildings.
Facundo Armero is under suspicion as the main man behind the corruption, and was previously a partner in Polaris World before he sold off his share for 300 million €.
El País said Daniel García worked as a lawyer for Armero’s companies before his election as Mayor of Torre Pacheco.

Brazil to the Costa del Sol Brothels

Spanish police have arrested 14 people suspected of running a prostitution ring and human trafficking, authorities said Saturday.
The group recruited hundreds of women coming mainly from Brazil. Gang members arranged passports and air tickets to Spain, where the women were persuaded and forced to work illegally as prostitutes in clubs in the southern regions of Andalusia and Extremadura and then to hand over their earnings, a police statement said.
The arrested include eleven Spaniards and three Brazilians, the statement added. Some 54 women were also turned to immigration officials and are awaiting deportation.
The suspects are also accused of extortion and abduction.

Spanish police have broken up a Romanian gang

Spanish police have broken up a gang of Romanian human traffickers who were faking identity documents and credit cards. Twenty-two people have been arrested, the majority of them Romanians, between Valencia and Alicante in southeast Spain. In the past month, police have broken a similar gang involved in prostituting Eastern European women who were brought to Spain on false pretences. The investigation began in 2003, after a Romanian girl claimed a gang had forced her into prostitution. The gang specialized in bringing Romanian women, often under-age girls, to Spain to force them into prostitution, using fake documents. Police seized false passports, identity papers, credit cards, scanners, computers, printers and one firearm and one fake gun.

Bulgarian human trafficking ring "sex slaves."

Bulgarian human trafficking ring that allegedly operated a large prostitution network on Spain's Canary Islands has been dismantled by Spanish and Bulgarian police, the Interior Ministry said Tuesday.
Spanish authorities have arrested and charged 33 suspects, including 15 Bulgarians, the country's top police officer, Valentin Petrov, told a news conference.
The ring — allegedly led by 35-year-old Bulgarian, who was not identified by name — is suspected of organizing the smuggling of more than 500 women from eastern European countries into Spain, where police said the victims were treated as "sex slaves."
"The women's freedom of movement was restricted, and they were often subjected to violence," Petrov said, adding that they were forced to work as prostitutes.
Spanish police have been investigating the group for two years in a joint operation with Bulgarian colleagues, Petrov said.

Human-trafficking ring on the Costas

Spanish police arrested seven people in a crackdown on a human-trafficking ring that allegedly forced Eastern European women into prostitution, officials said Saturday.
Police said the gang, led by a 41-year-old Albanian suspect arrested in Calonge, held around 40 women as virtual sex slaves.
Other members of the gang include three Russians, a native of Kosovo and an Armenian citizen.
The arrests took place in the northeastern Mediterranean coastal region of Costa Brava, where the gang allegedly smuggled in women, mostly from Russia, forcing them to work streetwalking or in roadside brothels, police said.
Police said the group employed two people based in St. Petersburg, Russia, who targeted women by offering jobs in Spain in exchange for Ð2,000 (US$2,675).
Police said the suspects, whose ages ranged from 20 to 41, had been taken to court in Figueres where they were expected to be charged with coercion, crimes related to prostitution, human-trafficking with a view to prostitution, forgery and belonging to an illegal organization.
According to the Russian Interior Ministry, human trafficking from Russia has increased in recent years.
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights reported last year that more than 500,000 women have been smuggled out of Russia illegally since the fall of the Soviet Union in early 1990s.

Yvonne O'Brien

Wealthy expat Yvonne O'Brien, 44, was killed in a horrific attack at a flat she rented on the island.The 1999 murder of a British woman Yvonne O'Brien in Majorca are to reopen the case and quiz a new suspect.
She had been stripped, hanged and stabbed more than 40 times.
A British man in his 50s - believed to come from Keighley, West Yorks, where Yvonne grew up - is to be questioned after being named by a private investigator hired by Yvonne's family.
In another development, police in Bournemouth are to investigate possible links to the murder of Heather Barnett, 48, at her home in the town in 2002.

Oneil Abrahams

Oneil Abrahams, 35, of Norristown,
Detectives had been closing in on an operation that had pumped at least $750,000 worth of pot into the region, Ferman said. In November, Marlon Abrahams, 33, known as "Kirk," was taken into custody, enabling police to locate his brother, Oneil "Pony" Abrahams, in California, where he was apprehended.
Ferman said the pair led a group of eight mules or drug couriers, six of whom are also in custody. She said the significance of the arrests exceeds the financial worth of the operation.
"These drug traffickers thought they were untouchable," Ferman said, adding that knowledge of their illegal activity dates back to 2001.
Ferman said the marijuana, which came from various locations, including California and Arizona, was placed in large, white plastic paint buckets. Those containers were then sealed in cardboard boxes and shipped through UPS, FedEx and DHL. The marijuana itself was encased in plastic lined with an oily residue to conceal the smell, Ferman said.
The profits were used to purchase a residence in East Norriton Township, Ferman said, which police have seized under drug forfeiture laws. Improvements to the home, which were paid in cash, included an in-ground swimming pool and top-of-the-line furnishings, she said.
In addition to the brothers, the following Norristown residents were charged with participating in the drug operation:
Rasheen Sakoo Jones, 33; Minnie McKay, 34; Danelle Lynn Jackson, 28; Omar Ross, 33; Tia Baker, 32; and Marjorie S. Dean, 29. Lakysha Bellamy, 22, of Conway, S.C., and Milan J. Dean, 25, of Norristown are at lar

Panic selling of shares predicts a deep recession starting on the Spanish Costas.

"Spain is going to face the very direst of economic circumstances: a cycle of recession, deflation and widespread private sector default - a depression in fact. This stock market slide is not just a 'correction'. It has a very, very, long way to go."

Panic selling of shares in Spain's big five real estate companies has seen their value tumble over the past seven days. Meanwhile, after a decade in which prices rose by 270%, house prices in Spain have been sluggish since the end of 2007, with reports that developers are cutting prices in popular coastal areas.
General Electric has withdrawn its interest, for the time being, in the take over of the second largest real estate business in Spain, Colonial. Latest reports indicate that another offer for Colonial could come from the United Arab Emirates following reports that the Colonial books have been opened to an investment arm of the Dubai Government, the ICD, the Investment Corporation of Dubai.
Trading on Colonial was suspended in Madrid for a time, and the shares fell slightly when trading resumed just before noon.
It seems that General Electric dropped out of the take over race when they could not agree on the terms of a confidentiality agreement with Colonial ahead of inspecting its books. GE say they are keeping the door open to a ‘possible future interest’.
The President of the Junta de Andalucía, Manuel Chaves, has today revealed conversations on the possible merger of the Andalucian Savings Banks. ‘A grand Andalucian Savings Bank is on the way’ he said, confirming multilateral conversations intended to merge all the savings banks which are based in the region. Chaves gave the news as part of his election manifesto for re-election at the poll which will be held on the same day as the General Election on March 9. Chaves said that the important thing was that an Andalucian Savings Bank be competitive both inside and outside the region.
La Caixa savings bank has announced profits down 17.8% in 2007 at 2.488 billion. President of the company, Isidro Fainé, admitted that such a ‘tragic correction’ had not been seen for several years.
The fall in profits comes though after the exceptional year in 2006 when the bank sold off its interests in Colonial real estate.Spain could now find itself facing a monetary squeeze just as the economy swings from boom to bust, more or less the fate suffered by Britain in the ERM debacle of 1992, except that Spain has no way out.
Bernard Connolly, global strategist for Banque AIG and former head of economic research for the European Commission, said the country will face a brutal adjustment over the next two years - if it can remain in the euro a

Drug siezure thanks to new radar, ton of hashish in La Línea

The SIVE electronic surveillance system that operates along the Málaga and Cádiz coastlines has been credited with helping the Guardia Civil make three major hashish seizures in recent days. The network traces both the movements of drug and human traffickers and guides the authorities to the beaches where the narcotics or immigrants are landing.
The latest saw officers intercept over a ton of hashish in La Línea bringing the total haul from drug busts in the Guadiaro and Tarifa areas to over four tonnes.
In the latest capture three smugglers were arrested as they unloaded 40 bales of cannabis resin from a fast launch on a beach near La Atunara. They are aged between 20 and 31 years and are all from La Línea.

Armed robbery at Lidl supermarket

Armed robbery at Lidl supermarket in the Saladillo area of Algeciras . The lone robber held up the four staff at 22.00 as they closed up on Saturday night. He wore a mask, gloves and managed to evade the security cameras. He made off with the supermarket's takings from the day safe which are said to be around 10,000 euros.

Gibraltar ciggy smuggler captured

The Guardia Civil in La Línea seized 2000 packets of Chesterfield cigarettes as they were landed at La Atunara. Officers monitored a launch as it approached the coastline in the early hours of Wednesday. The boat escaped out to sea but two men were arrested at the scene, one from Gibraltar the other from La Línea and their car plus the cigarettes were seized.

530 kilos of hashish stashed

Officers from the Guardia Civil's Maritime Service detained a man from Cádiz on Wednesday morning after finding 530 kilos of hashish stashed away in a hidden compartment in his yacht. The boat, which was in Barbate port, has been confiscated.

Paul Raymond Burt :Briton living in Gibraltar

Paul Raymond Burt admitted starting a fire that caused extensive damage to two boats undergoing repairs at Coaling Island last August when he was 18. He also admitted escaping from Moorish Castle prison while on remand. He will be sentenced on February 12.A teenage Briton living in Gibraltar has pleaded guilty to arson and escaping from prison

Nightclub on the N340 near Torre del Mar was raided

Member of Vélez-Málaga’s local police force has been suspended after being arrested by National Police investigating offences against the rights of workers and involving prostitution. In a simultaneous operation, a nightclub on the N340 near Torre del Mar was raided and seven other people detained. The officer has denied any connection with the club except enjoying a friendship with its owners

Antonio Banderas: Appeal rejected

An appeal by Banderas to have the demolition order overturned by the court has been rejected. The part of the house that has been condemned sits on land classified in the 1986 PGOU as public property for sanitation use. The licence for the illegal works was issued in 1995 by the Marbella administration headed by the late Jesús Gil. Antonio Banderas. Málaga-born Banderas has a home on the beach at Los Monteros, and residents of the luxury urbanisation are furious that the town hall has not enforced a 2003 Regional Supreme Court (TSJA) order for part of the house to be demolished.
Marbella’s mayor, Ángeles Muñoz, stated last week that the town hall was asking the TSJA to hold off on the demolition order until the new local development plan (PGOU) has been approved. She stated that this was the same condition being sought for all illegal properties in the municipalities. But this argument has been angrily rejected by the residents of Los Monteros, who have pointed out that even when the new PGOU becomes law, the affected building on the Banderas property will still be illegal. The residents say that if the town hall will not enforce the teardown order, they will take the matter up directly with the court.

British couple attacked more than 100 robberies have been reported

Alhaurín el Grande town hall stated that more than 100 robberies had been reported in the region in the last three months.
British couple attacked during a robbery at their rural Alhaurín de la Torre home. The thief made off with just a small amount of cash – around 100 euros – but beat the victims with the hilt of a knife, causing head injuries that left the husband in hospital for days.
The late-night robbery took place two Sundays ago in the Cortijo de Mestanza zone of Alhaurín, a small, usually quiet district on the outskirts of town along the Cártama road. It is understood that the masked intruder, armed with an air gun as well as the knife, may have entered the home through a door left partially open.

Finestrat restaurant ,La Nucía.Robbery

The owner of a Finestrat restaurant Sr Vallejo woke to the sounds of intruders in his home on Puerta de Hierro urbanisation in La Nucía.
Sukier Vallejo went to investigate and found an open door and that two bags were missing. One of the bags contained a camera and the other personal documents and cash.
Sr Vallejo gave chase to the burglars but was unable to catch them. After alerting the police and the Guardia Civil who carried out a search of the zone Sr Vallejo was resigned to having lost his belongings, however the next day a neighbour called to ask him what his bags were doing on his patio.
After explaining the situation it appears the burglars dumped the bags during the chase.
Despite losing the cash and some jewellery Sr Vallejo recovered the rest of his belongings.

House Jackings on the Costa Blanca

expat resident of La Nucía was kidnapped from outside his home at gunpoint on Friday morning by three masked men and driven to a forest where his life was threatened if he didn’t reveal the whereabouts of a sum of money his attackers believed he had.
The victim, who has asked to remain unidentified, contacted the Costa Blanca News on Monday to relate his horrific ordeal.
He said that as he left his home at 09.30 on Friday morning to go to work at an auction house in Villajoyosa, three masked men pounced on him and bundled him into a car. They partially blindfolded him with tape then proceeded to beat him while they sped of.
During the ride one of the assailants placed a gun to the terrified victim’s head and demanded he told them where the money was.
After repeatedly telling his attackers that he didn’t have any money he was taken to wood near Polop de la Marina where the gang continued to beat him before he was made to kneel down and the gun placed against his head again in a gangland execution style.
At this point one of the gang told him it was his last chance to reveal where the money was or he would die.
In a last bid to save his life he again told the men that he had no money and that if they were going to kill him would they do it quickly. At this point the three men got into their car and drove off.
After managing to remove part of the blindfold the victim made his way to the Benidorm-Guadalest road where a passing motorist gave him help and called the police.
During the whole ordeal the victim had no idea what money his assailants were talking about and police believe they may have heard a rumour about the sale of a business and acted on it without checking first.
After receiving hospital treatment for serious wound to his head, the victim returned home to find that the gang had stolen his car

Infant school teacher was arrested

Infant school teacher was arrested on Wednesday last week after two sets of parents accused him of abusing their children. The man had been working at the school in San Pedro Alcántara for three months to cover the leave of another teacher. According to sources the two families went to the National Police station together and filed a joint report in which they accused the teacher of touching the children, one a girl and the other a boy aged between three and four. The parents of the girl in question had allegedly taken her to a hospital although the medical staff found no evidence that she had been sexually abused.
The teacher was charged and released without bail after spending 48 hours in police custody. “He was a good teacher. There had been no cause for suspicion”, said a representative from the municipal culture and education department. Meanwhile the Provincial section of the Education authority has suspended the supply teacher from his post and will not send him to another school until the case has been resolved.
While the lawyer representing the families has demanded an “exhaustive” psychological analysis of the children, the parents have complained of the lack of support received from the school.

Amy Fitzpatrick ,Mari Luz .

The search is still on for five-year-old Mari Luz who disappeared apparently without trace on January 13th in the city of Huelva. As yet while many leads have been followed up no firm evidence as to her whereabouts or to who might have abducted her has been found.
Meanwhile there is still no news regarding the disappearance of 15-year-old Irish girl Amy Fitzpatrick who was last seen in Mijas Costa on New Year’s Day. Detectives are searching for a white Ford Fiesta car with the British registration C955 SLK, which the teenager may have used to run away.
In an attempt to keep hopes of finding Amy alive, a candlelit demonstration has been organised for this Sunday February 3rd in the Bulevar de La Cala, starting at 7 p.m. As well as by members of the Fitzpatrick family, the demonstration will be attended by representatives of the Catholic, Evangelical and Baptist Churches, among others.

Clifford Hobbs country's "premier league" gangsters

Clifford Hobbs, 47, had been on the run for almost five years after escaping from a Securicor prison van in June 2003 by armed men who had posed as postmen who ambushed it as it waited for the court gates to open.
He had been due to attend court after the theft of 1.5 million pounds from another Securicor van earlier that year.
Hobbs, described by news media as one of the country's "premier league" gangsters, had fled to Spain's Costa del Sol.
The area, along the country's southern coast, has long attracted Britons seeking sun and sand alongside British-style pubs and fish and chip shops -- including those fleeing justice.
Britain's Serious Organised Crime Agency and Spanish authorities have recently tried to crack down on British criminals living there, publishing details of the most wanted, including their prominent scars and tattoos.
Hobbs, described by London police headquarters as one of the country's most wanted, now faces up to 18 years in jail for possessing a firearm, his escape and conspiracy to steal.
"For years Hobbs has tried to run from us but today's outcome demonstrates that you can't run forever," Scotland Yard's Flying Squad head, Detective Superintendent Bob Cummings, said. He also thanked his Spanish counterparts.
The van driver was shot in the knee during the breakout and the prisoner escort pistol-whipped, police said.
Two other men also escaped -- Hobbs's alleged accomplice Noel Cunningham and a third unconnected prisoner who later gave himself up.
"As the court has heard, Hobbs is a violent and dangerous offender who was intrinsically part of the plot for his escape," Cummings said. "Extreme violence was dispensed to the prison driver and escort and I'm pleased that the court has recognised the seriousness of his crimes."
The original Securicor van robbery was observed by undercover Flying Squad officers. After a high-speed chase, Hobbs gave himself up to armed police.
"It's been a bad day," Hobbs said after police read him his rights. Cunningham remains on the run, while the two men who ambushed the prison van were never identified or traced.

Darli Velazquez-Armas: Spanish police have arrested a suspected cocaine trafficker

Spanish police have arrested a suspected cocaine trafficker who was wanted in the United States and had undergone facial surgery to avoid detection, nabbing him after a foot chase through a cemetery, officials said Monday.
Darli Velazquez-Armas, a 33-year-old Cuban citizen, was arrested last week in the Canary Islands in a raid coordinated with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, the Interior Ministry said.
According to U.S. court documents, Velazquez-Armas was arrested on Jan. 30 in a DEA sting operation involving 130 kilos (290 pounds) of cocaine shipped to Miami from Ecuador.
A U.S. grand jury indicted him on drug trafficking charges. He pleaded not guilty and posted a $1 million (€700,000) bond Feb. 20, and was required to surrender his travel documents. His trial was scheduled to begin April 16. Velazquez-Armas failed to appear at a March court hearing, and was declared a fugitive on May 14.
Spanish authorities caught up with him in June in a Madrid suburb, but he escaped a dragnet after ramming his car into a police car.
Velazquez-Armas was later spotted in the town of Vecindario on Gran Canaria, one of Spain's Canary Islands, where he had continued to engage in drug trafficking, and officials put him under surveillance, the Spanish ministry said.
Last Friday, police chased him from Vecindario to the capital city Las Palmas. At one point the suspect got out of his car and fled on foot through a cemetery. He later attempted two carjackings before police finally arrested him in an industrial area, and even then he tried to grab an officer's gun, the ministry said.

Drug trafficker suspect skipped out on a $1 million Federal bond

When a drug trafficking suspect skipped out on a $1 million Federal bond, the bail bonds company traced him to Spain by going through his garbage for clues.
Just weeks after posting a $1 million bond, Darli Velazquez-Armas skipped bail. On March 10th, 2007 Federal authorities were alerted that something was wrong when Velazquez’s electronic monitoring bracelet sent a failure signal that the defendant had failed to report home. The huge bond was posted in the U.S. Southern District Federal Court in Miami, Florida. The $1,000,000.00 Federal bond was underwritten by a California bail bond insurance company.
Within days of jumping bond investigators for Bail Yes Bonding, a Miami based Nationwide bail bond company discovered that Velazquez had fled on a private plane to the Dominican Republic out of Kendall-Tamiami Executive Airport located in Southwest Miami-Dade County, where from there the case went cold. Veteran bounty hunter Rolando Betancourt was hired by the bail bond company to track down and capture the fugitive. Betancourt went to work in Miami on several leads focusing mainly on the defendant’s parents and ex-wife, all of which had signed as indemnitors on Velazquez's bond. Betancourt directed teams of investigators across several states, coordinating all aspects of the investigation. "We really pulled-out all the stops on this case” said Betancourt, pooling our resources and working closely with government agencies as is typical today for high-risk fugitive recovery operations. Betancourt went as far as renting a garbage truck to make un-scheduled garbage runs at the defendant’s Miami home. One day, fearing they had been spotted, they were forced to pick up the neighbor's garbage down whole length of the street, “It was a real smelly mess”, recalled Betancourt, “but it had to be done”. The early morning garbage runs paid off, amongst the bags of debris were shredded documents that investigators were able to reconstruct yielding a cache of information including used calling cards, bank records, and pages from a First Class in-flight magazine belonging to a European Airline, leading the investigators to believe the defendant was somewhere in Europe, quite possibly the Country of Spain.

Punta Umbría six Bulgarians arrested Seized 2370 kg of hashish

Bulgaria’s Chief Directorate for Combating Organised Crime (CDCOC) in co-operation with police in Spain seized 2370 kg of hashish and arrested six Bulgarians in a police operation at the Spanish coast near Punta Umbría in the province of Huelva on January 7 2008.
The detained were aged between 25 and 34, CDCOC director Kiril Georgiev said at a news conference. Of the six, three did not have previous criminal record in Bulgaria, while one had been sentenced 11 years ago for illegally crossing the border. Police was still to identify the other two detained.