Civil Guard officer was arrested with 100 kilos of cannabis hidden in his car

Civil Guard officer was arrested by colleagues in Melilla this week as he tried to board the Almería ferry with more than 100 kilos of cannabis hidden in his car. Officers found 128 kilos of cannabis pollen hidden in the rear door panels of the vehicle and he now faces a public health charge.The officer is based in Melilla and although still officially on active duty is reported by Europa Press not to have worked for some time.

Headless body of a man found floating in the Regajo reservoir UPDATED

Following the discovery of a decpitated body by youths in a swamp on Sunday, the partner of the victims girlfriend has come forward and admitted the crime. The man presented himself to the Guardia Civil, accompanied by his lawyer, after seeing reports that the body had been found, and feared for his future. He decided that giving himself up was the best option, as he claims to have commited the crime to protect the daughter of the victim. He claims to have killed his his victim with a blow to the head. he then decapitated him and cut of his hands to hinder identification. The body was then tipped into a swamp, bound with ropes, chains and weighted down, which is where the body was later found. The head and hands were buried in a different location. The suspect claims that the victim had been a lot term abbuser of his daughter (the suspects partner), and this was his way of stopping the torture. The female has given a statement confirming the history of abuse. The crime occurred in the victim’s house in Torrent. Apparently, following a violent argument
Guardia Civil recovered the headless body of a man floating in the Regajo reservoir, in Jérica, Castellón on Sunday. The body was found by some youngsters who were canoeing on the water, and have been tied down to a block of bricks. First indications were the body had been in the water for several days and the investigation remains open.

gang ferried large consignments of hashish from Morocco.

Spain’s Guardia Civil and Agencia Tributaria claimed that four Gibraltar-registered companies were allegedly used to provide logistical support to a gang of drug smugglers based in the Campo de Gibraltar and the Costa del Sol.as they revealed details of a major investigation that led to 12 arrests and 16 tonnes of hashish being seized.Operation Leasing began over a year ago when the two agencies suspected that the gang was relying on legitimate companies to provide backup for their clandestine business.They used a series of legitimate companies in the marine business as fronts to provide vessels for their smuggling operations.
Several boats seized during drug operations were later claimed back by these companies on the false pretence that they had been stolen, or had been leased out.
In this way the smugglers recovered the vessels and further blurred the paper trail.
The companies operated a legal front too and were involved in money laundering, according to a joint statement by the Guardia Civil and the Agencia Tributaria.

The person believed to be the head of the gang – identified only as H.H.G.V - relied on five companies.

One was a law firm in Algeciras, while the other four were allegedly registered in Gibraltar.The Gibraltar companies were not named and were described only businesses involved as in the sale, purchase and leasing of pleasure vessels.“This corporate web provided the appearance of legality to his illicit activities in the Campo de Gibraltar,” the statement said.
The gang ferried large consignments of hashish from Morocco.Over the past year, Spanish law enforcement agencies have seized 16 tonnes of drugs linked to the group.They have also confiscated 10 vessels linked to the companies, as well as numerous mobile and satellite phones and six computers. Properties have been searched in Algeciras and La Linea and several bank accounts have been frozen.
The operation remains ongoing.

Jimmie Willis, was described as “cold and calculating” by forensic psychologists, has been found guilty of Deborah Hatto murder.

Deborah Hatto, from Crawley, was stabbed to death as she slept in her apartment in Coin, near Malaga, Spain, last June.The mother's blood-soaked body was found in bed by her 10-year-old daughter after she was stabbed as she slept. Her German boyfriend Jimmie Willis, who was described as “cold and calculating” by forensic psychologists, has been found guilty of her murder. Ms Hatto's daughter, who was just ten at the time, told a Costa Del Sol court via video link how she discovered her mother's lifeless body on the eve of her 42nd birthday. Forensic scientists, who examined her body, said there was no sign of a struggle and Ms Hatto was most likely asleep in bed when she received the single fatal stab wound. The murder weapon was discovered next to the mother’s body. Officers from Spain's Guardia Civil said Willis, 60, originally from Frankfurt, had claimed he struck because "he couldn't take it any more." They also said they found traces of her blood on his neck, behind his ear. The Scientific Police of Madrid stated that the wound inflicted on the victim coincided with the knife found at the side of the bed. But in court, Willis said the biological father of Ms Hatto's daughter was responsible for the killing - a claim that was rejected by the court. Willis' lawyers also tried to persuade the jury of five women and four men that he should be charged with unlawful killing with extenuating circumstances. A public prosecutor called for him to receive a 15 year sentence for unlawful killing, but the jury agreed with Javier Florido Martin, representing Ms Hatto's family who said the charge should be murder. Mr Martin said: “I maintained from the outset that this was a matter of murder and not unlawful killing. “The forensic psychiatrists stated that Jimmie Willis was in a perfect mental state, that he was not clinically insane and that he knew perfectly well what he was doing. “The forensic psychologist - in response to questions asked by the prosecution – described Jimmie Willis as 'cold and calculating', 'insensitive' and 'with no remorse whatsoever'. “The jury reached a verdict and declared the accused guilty of murder with no extenuating circumstances. They were 100% in agreement with the family.” Keen traveller Ms Hatto, grew up in Horsham and moved from Crawley to Spain with her daughter three years before she was brutally killed. Willis is due to be sentenced next week.

Dutchman is accused of fatally stabbing his girlfriend in Malgrat de Mar near Barcelona on Sunday.

26 year old Dutchman, named as Ratko H. is accused of fatally stabbing his girlfriend in Malgrat de Mar near Barcelona on Sunday.The attack took place in the street just before 2pm with the victim dying shortly afterwards, and then the aggressor injured himself. He is now in a serious condition in hospital.
Reporting restrictions have been put on the case which is being investigated by the regional police, Los Mossos d’Esquadra.

Spanish lawyer forced to move from his Marbella office to a new base in the UK capital owing to pressure from the Civil Guard investigation.

One of the five lawyers arrested last week in connection with a new money laundering case on the Costa del Sol with connections in Gibraltar and London has now paid the 60,000 € bail set by the judge. He is named by EFE as J.J.G.C. and is the only suspect in the case to have been set bail. He is understood to have spent a night in prison before coming up with the money.The remaining suspects were released with charges, but no bail was required in their cases. Their initials are given as M.T.C.M., M.T.M., S.R., and M.G. Their nationalities have yet to be confirmed, but Diario Sur reports a Spanish lawyer based in London to be the alleged head of the network. The paper says he was forced to move from his Marbella office to a new base in the UK capital owing to pressure from the Civil Guard investigation.It began in 2006, and is understood to have included a search of his Marbella offices, although no arrest was made at that time.Two lawyers’ offices in Málaga province were searched in this latest phase, plus one in Gibraltar and another in London. The organisation is said to have set up companies in Gibraltar and the Virgin Islands to deal with money from the sale and purchase of property on the Costa del Sol, and large quantities of money are alleged to have been defrauded from the tax man in that way.All five suspects must report to court once a month as part of their release conditions

lynched to death on the Avenida del Pacífico in Málaga on Wednesday night.

man who police believe had moments before attempted to rob a games arcade in the city was lynched to death on the Avenida del Pacífico in Málaga on Wednesday night. It happened a hundred metres from the arcade on Calle La Hoz, El Mundo reports, where witnesses say they saw a mob savagely attacking the man at around 11 pm that night.The weapons used are believed to be a hammer and broken paving stones. The victim was already dead when police arrived at the scene, and is identified by El País as M.B.R., a 37 year old Spaniard.Latest reports indicate that police have arrested two men in connection with the attack.

24 year old British man has been arrested in connection with the death of his 20 year old girlfriend.

The crime, described by police as brutal, took place Friday lunchtime in a room of an aparthotel in the Playa Marina urbanisation in Orihuela Costa.The man was arrested shortly after in Oliva after a car chase which ended with his British plated Opel crashing in an orchard, and is accused of stabbing the victim several times, once in the jugular, which caused her death. Her body was found in a pool of blood at 2,30pm by her mother and Samur health professionals could only certify her death on their arrival at the scene. The parents of the victim run a local pub and local residents have described the aggressor as being very violent and having a problem with alcohol. El País reports that some allege that previous threats had been made by him against the victim. Her family has been living there for two years.

Two British men have been arrested by the Guardia Civil in Zurgena on the Costa Almeria for smuggling drugs through the post

Two British men have been arrested by the Guardia Civil in Zurgena on the Costa Almeria for smuggling drugs through the post .The police became aware that the postal service was being used for cocaine smuggling and began investigations to find the culprits .Last week they targeted a package which had been sent from Argentina to a property in Zurgena .The house had no occupants .The house was then watched until someone came to collect the package , with false identity papers .They arrested two expats , a 30 year old and a 27 year old who live in Roquetas de Mar.
The package was a gift wine case and in the base of the package was enough cocaine to make at least 1500 units for sale at local leisure spots along the coast .
It appears that this could be a common way for drug traffickers to acquire their drugs .

International cemetery in Benelmadena arrest of a Cuban who is practitioner of religion Santeria he has stolen bones and skulls

International cemetery in Benelmadena on the Costa del Sol has been subject to a series of break-ins into several niches .Investigations have resulted in the arrest of a man who is practitioner of the African based religion Santeria .The suspect is Cuban and it is believed that he has stolen bones and skulls for use in voodoo activities .He is a local man .The missing bones have not yet been recovered .
The National Police were called in when the person who cares for the cemetery discovered that some of the niches , six in all , had been tampered with .Three were untouched but the other three had had bones removed .None of the bodies had been interred recently .This religion was carried to the Caribbean by black slaves from Africa .The religion has changed since it was first introduced , mainly to disguise it from Christian religions , particularly catholicism .

Civil Guard maritime unit has discovered almost two tons of cannabis hidden on scrub land on the Punta La Polacra in Níjar

Civil Guard maritime unit has discovered almost two tons of cannabis hidden on scrub land on the Punta La Polacra in Níjar. Ideal newspaper reports that a team from the Almería Civil Guard were inspecting the coastline from offshore last Friday, and decided a closer inspection from land was needed of the area of Carnaje Beach.
They found sixty one packages of the drug, amounting to 1,800 kilos of cannabis. Instruction Court No. 1 in Almería has been assigned to the investigation.

Mijas Diamond and Jewellery Centre raided

Three jewellery thieves have made off with a haul estimated to be between 8,000 € and 20,000 € from a shop in Mijas pueblo, the Mijas Diamond and Jewellery Centre. The owner of the store was inside when the hooded thieves attacked carrying hammers.
Dee Iglesias, co-owner of the store told Diario Sur that her husband had tried to detain one of the theives without success; he was thrown to the floor. Police say it was a professional operation with the thieves dressing as road workers and previously placing a no-entry sign in the Avenida de Méjico to ensure their getaway. A fourth member of the gang drove the getaway car which had been previously stolen and which was found shortly after the robbery.

Couple thought to have been dealing ecstasy on the Costa del Sol have been arrested

Couple thought to have been dealing ecstasy on the Costa del Sol have been arrested and police have seized a kilo of the drug.According to the National Police, the woman, 26, was caught with this haul in the bus station in Málaga this week.
Later investigations led to the arrest of a man aged 33 in Alcobendas (Madrid).
He is believed to have been supplying MDMA to the woman for resale.A raid on his flat revealed a further 84 grams of ecstasy plus other chemicals, a 40-centimetre machete and tools for creating the drugs.

Pat McCadden to face Spanish court.

Pat McCadden walked free after being accused of shooting a police officer in Spain may still stand trial.Convicted drug dealer Pat McCadden, 42, was last week told by Judge Gonzalo Divar he would not face court.But a lawyer for the unnamed 36-year-old officer - shot in Marbella in 2003 - has appealed.
Three years ago McCadden was arrested and picked out of an identity parade by the officer, shot by two men who also shot British shop owner Luke Miller.Alleged getaway driver Paul Lesbirel - also picked out by the cop - was cleared last week.
A police source said: "An appeal has been lodged. The officer intends taking it as far as he can." Gangster McCadden claimed to be a businessman importing Italian shoes into Glasgow. He was jailed for 10 years in 1985 for smuggling more than £600,000 of heroin.His lawyer Javier Muriel said: "Pat wasn't the gunman, wasn't at the scene and he's maintained his innocence all along."

Bulgarian gangster Hristo Vasilev has been shot dead in public

Bulgarian gangster Hristo Vasilev has been shot dead in public in the town of Sant Joan Despi, Barcelona province, in Catalonia, Spain.The news has been reported by the Bulgarian 24 Chasa Daily, which cites the local newspaper El Periodico.
According to the reports, Vasilev was part of a gang of Eastern Europeans who committed robberies and luxury car thefts in Spain and France.The gang had committed a number of daring crimes including one occasion in the French city of Orleans where they held a whole family at gunpoint for several hours until the family opened a save.The gang was eventually busted by the Spanish police but Vasilev managed to get away. According to El Periodico, however, he was shot dead over drugs as he repeatedly stole drug shipments of competing Barcelona gangs.The murder was committed in public by a motorcyclist who chased Vasilev for several blocks.
Hristo Vasilev had been living in Spain for years, and even had Spanish citizenship. He had arrested a number of times for various crimes.At the time he was shot, Vasilev had no ID and was identified through a DNA analysis.

Pat the Rat, was arrested three years after the officer was gunned down in the Costa del Sol resort of Marbella.

Convicted drugs dealer Pat McCadden, 52, was celebrating yesterday after being told he will not face trial.The former shoe importer, nicknamed Pat the Rat, was arrested three years after the officer was gunned down in the Costa del Sol resort of Marbella.He spent nearly seven months on remand in jail before being released on bail while a judicial probe continued.A judge has now dismissed the case against the Glaswegian after witnesses failed to identify him and he was told DNA found in a getaway car used by the gunman did not match the Scot's.Judge Gonzalo Divar made the decision after a request to stay proceedings against McCadden by his lawyer Javier Muriel.Muriel said yesterday : "Pat is very pleased with the news."It's been a very long and painful process, with all the problems associated with being publicly identified in relation to such an unpleasant matter as this.

34 year old Salahidin E.N. from Holland shot to death in Pechina

Man found shot to death on a road in Pechina has been identified in the press as 34 year old Salahidin E.N. from Holland. Sources at central government offices in Almería told Europa Press he was shot once in the chest and was found by a routine Civil Guard patrol on the road to neighbouring Viator on Monday afternoon.Further information from EFE indicates he may have been shot from a moving vehicle. He is said to have had a criminal record from 2004 in Algeciras.

Police investigations revealed that the gang of smugglers were planning to bring the drugs onto the Málaga coast from Morocco

Eleven people are in custody after a police swoop on a property just off the A-7 motorway near Cajíz where almost a ton of cannabis was seized.Police investigations revealed that the gang of smugglers were planning to bring the drugs onto the Málaga coast from Morocco, and surveillance of the group discovered Almayate to be the point of entry. National Police in Málaga said in a press release on Wednesday that officers were waiting at the finca in Cajíz when the suspects arrived to unload the drugs. They had been brought over from Morocco in a boat which had set sail the day before.Together with the 900 kilos of cannabis, police seized a number of vehicles, some cash

Alicante ‘Lops Capito’ gangman died and another was seriously injured in a shooting

Man died and another was seriously injured in a shooting in the Juan XXIII district of Alicante city on Saturday afternoon.Police are investigating the motive for the attacks but they think it was related to drug trafficking.On their arrival at the scene SAMU medics could do no more than to declare a man in his 40’s, named with the initials L.I.P. as dead, while another aged 44 and identified as J.G.A.R. was taken to the General Hospital in the city after being shot it the throat and arm.Police say they are searching for a third person who could possibly have been the shooter and is a member of the ‘Lops Capito’ gang. The search has been opened up to other provinces across the country.Local residents have complained about the lack of security in the area, and noted that nobody came forward as a witness to what they may have seen.

Man wanted for an armed robbery in Barcelona province has been captured in El Ejido

Man wanted for an armed robbery in Barcelona province has been captured in a National Police operation in El Ejido which also took three members of his family into custody. The two women and another man are said to be his wife, mother and brother. They’re charged with selling cocaine and marijuana from their home and it’s understood that police found a large quantity of drugs and cash in a search of the property.The suspect in question was wanted in connection with an assault in Barcelona province, where four armed men stole the drugs being handed over in a deal in Gavá. They got away with two kilos of cocaine after a shootout in which no-one was injured.He’s reported to face three counts of attempted murder and one of illegal possession of weapons, along with a public health crime.

Raffaele Amato was detained in a joint operation by Italian and Spanish police in Marbella

Raffaele Amato was detained in a joint operation by Italian and Spanish police in the city of Marbella on Saturday. leader of the powerful Neapolitan-based mafia, the Camorra, has been arrested in southern Spain, Italian prosecutors have said.
Amato is accused of eight murders between 1991 and 1993, and of being "the principal, or one of the principal importers of cocaine into Italy". He had been living under a false name on the Costa del Sol, police said. The 44-year-old had been a fugitive from Italian justice since 2006, when a Naples court issued a warrant for his arrest for murder. Police said Amato had once been a key lieutenant of the alleged mafia godfather, Paolo Di Lauro, who was sentenced to 30 years in prison in 2006 for Mafia association, extortion and drug trafficking. However, about five years ago he led a successful breakaway from Di Lauro and took control of the narcotics market in Naples, they added.Raffaele Amato, considered to be one of the chiefs of the Napolitano Camorra Mafia, was arrested in Marbella on Saturday. EFE reports that the arrest took place in a joint Spanish and Italian police operation while the 44 year old man was dining with two members of his family in a restaurant.
Amato has been on the run from justice in Italy since 2006 and is accused of carrying out eight murders between 1991 and 1993.

Amy Fitzpatrick Mayor of Mijas should erect posters and billboards with Amy's photograph and details

Audrey Fitzpatrick said she was glad to have the opportunity to ask Ambassador Mercedes Rico in Dublin to assist in getting more action from the Spanish authorities. Amy was 15 when she disappeared in Spain on the night of January 1 last year. She left a friend's house to walk about one kilometre to her own home in Calahonda on the Costa De Sol but failed to arrive. The Dublin teenager had lived in Spain with her mother, brother and her mother's partner for some years since moving there from Ireland. A search by Spanish police, including the use of helicopters and tracker dogs, failed to find any trace of her. Audrey told the Herald she would ask the ambassador today to do what she could to persuade the local authorities in the Costa del Sol to erect posters and billboards with Amy's photograph and details in the hope it might lead to a breakthrough. "The local mayor said no when we asked him to put up billboards but we think they would be a great help. I got the idea when I saw billboards in Gran Canaria put up by the local council seeking information on a missing seven-year-old boy. "Our own mayor of Mijas should do the same for Amy," she said. The Dublin mother is also seeking help from the ambassador in her quest to have a meeting with the Spanish prime minister to appeal personally for more resources to be put into the investigation. She said both Bertie Ahern and Brian Cowen had met with her personally while taoiseach and she believed a personal meeting with the Spanish leader could help the search. Audrey and her partner Dave Mahon were scheduled to fly back to their home in Spain after today's meeting.

Mijas Costa 25 year old man had his throat cut on the Sitio de Calahonda development

25 year old man died in the early hours of this morning as a result of being injured in the throat with a knife in Mijas Costa according to the 061 emergency services.
Emergency service personnel were called to the Sitio de Calahonda development after being called by Civil Guards around 3 a.m. where they tried in vain to resuscitate the victim.The judge ordered that the body be removed and Civil Guards are now investigating the crime.

Estepona British couple attacked and man was stabbed twice in the back, piercing his kidney

National Police are investigating the brutal attack of a 50-year-old British tourist who was stabbed twice and hit over the head with a bottle by a gang of youths in Estepona on May 10.The attack took place when at approximately 4am the victim and a British woman were sitting by the seaside in an area which is frequented by young people who drink and socialise there at the weekends. For unknown reasons the victim was attacked by a group of North African youths who were only a few metres away. One of the youths approached the man and hit him over the head with a bottle. A second youth then stabbed him twice in the back, piercing his kidney.
The gang ran off while the woman managed to help the victim to Avenida España where they found a Local Police patrol.The victim was rushed to the Costa del Sol Hospital where he remains under observation. The police have now launched an investigation to try to identify and capture the group of violent attackers.This is the third case involving a knife attack in less than a week after a young man was stabbed in the Torrequebrada area of Benalmadena while he was stood in the front porch of his house.
In an isolated attack a few days earlier, a man was arrested for allegedly attacking his sister with a knife in Torremolinos. She sustained cuts to her hand.

National Police has broken up a network of 22 shops which sold manipulated and counterfeit games consoles across the country.

National Police has broken up a network of 22 shops which sold manipulated and counterfeit games consoles across the country. In the first operation of its type in Spain the police moved against the franchises which sold manipulated chips, compatible games cartridges and the counterfeit consoles in the provinces of Madrid, Sevilla, Valladolid, Málaga, Salamanca, Zamora, León, Gerona and Santiago de Compostela.Eight people have been arrested, including the man who set up the franchise system and more than 30,000 chips and other electronic material valued at 922,000 € has been impounded.

Alan McGregor Heron, 56, lives on the Costa del Sol,his Ferrari California was clocked in a radar trap travelling at 168mph in a 75mph zone

Alan McGregor Heron, 56, lives on the Costa del Sol,his Ferrari California was clocked in a radar trap travelling at 168mph in a 75mph zone on the A-92N motorway, police said adding that it was the highest speed ever recorded in the province.
Policeman clocked him at 159mph .A patrol car was dispatched and intercepted the Briton as he approached the town of Baza to the north east of Granada in the Sierra Nevada shortly after."It is rare to catch anyone driving at more than 200 kmph (124mph)," said a police spokesman. "But to reach the speed of this driver is completely unheard of."It is thought the car was brand new and was being driven with temporary plates issued in Spain.The expatriate, who police said keeps several expensive high cylinder cars at his home in Marbella, was fined 3,600 euros (£3,168) and had his driving licence confiscated.

Sarah Hunt,finally been jailed after more than four years hiding in Spain.

fraudster who siphoned off thousands of pounds in cash from two restaurants where she worked has finally been jailed after more than four years hiding in Spain.Sarah Hunt, who was also known as Sarah Hopkins, was thought to have fled to the Costa del Sol while awaiting trial for theft and false accounting charges in 2004.
But she was finally tracked down to the holiday resort of Malaga after police circulated her pictures on Crimestoppers UK Most Wanted site.She was jailed for 14 months at Birmingham Crown Court this week.Hunt, aged 34, from Tamworth, stole about £20,000 in takings from two restaurants in Star City, Nechells, and also at the Touchwood shopping centre, Solihull.

Eight Britons have been arrested for drug trafficking in Magaluf

Eight Britons have been arrested for drug trafficking in Magaluf.
The Guardia Civil in Palmanova on Mallorca say that those arrested acquired adulterated drugs, and then cut them some more before reselling them on in the clubs of Magaluf.The arrests were made in the early hours of Sunday, and a home was raided where quantities of cocaine, MDMA ecstasy and hashish was recovered along with some cash.The eight will appear in court shortly.

52 year old British neighbour,hurt as neighbour attempts suicide by Butane Gas

Woman who was injured in a gas explosion at her home on the N340 coast road in Almayate Bajo in the early hours of Tuesday has reportedly admitted that she purposely caused the blast in an attempt to commit suicide. She is said to have opened the valve on a butano gas bottle and then lit a cigarette.It came after an incident at her home in the early hours of Monday, where local police arrested her partner’s brother, 42 year old J.A.M.G. The woman, named by EFE as 37 year old N.E.R.P., told officers she had been sexually assaulted.Sheremains under treatment in the Carlos Haya Hospital in Málaga with superficial burns to 33 % of her body. Her 52 year old British neighbour, named by EFE as M.T.S., was also injured, but has already been discharged from hospital. His wife and two children escaped the explosion unhurt.Five other neighbours were evacuated as a precautionary measure while experts assess the damage caused to their houses. It’s understood that the house where the blast took place suffered considerable damage, and that a wall between that house and the British neighbour’s was destroyed.

Shooting in Rincón de la Victoria two arrested

The two men in custody are both Spaniards, and were picked up in the early hours of Tuesday, near the scene of the crime, EFE reports. A friend who saw what happened told the news agency that the motive was some sort of personal disagreement, and that the two accused, armed with a shotgun, had turned up at the same square on Saturday night but left when they were unable to find the person they were looking for.
Two men, both aged 21, have been arrested for a shooting in Rincón de la Victoria on Monday night where the victims, a man and a woman, were shot at as they were sitting in a square near the Casa de Cultura in La Cala del Moral. The weapon used is reported to be a shotgun.19 year old S.N.R. was injured in the abdomen and one of her arms, while her friend, 21 year old A.N.R., received injuries to his hands. Both are in the Carlos Haya Hospital in Málaga.