Juan Antonio Roca innocent, that some of the charges against him were "full of irregularities," and vowed to begin setting about preparing his defence

Juan Antonio Roca, the man accused of masterminding widespread urbanisation-related corruption within Marbella Town Hall, was released from Albolote jail in Granada yesterday after spending the last two years behind bars. It took Roca's representatives 22 days to raise the one million euro bail payment demanded by the court. On his release from jail, Roca told journalists that he was innocent, that some of the charges against him were "full of irregularities," and vowed to begin setting about preparing his defence.
Roca is charged, among other things, with embezzlement, tax-fraud, money-laundering, forgery, illegal firearm possession, influence-trafficking and prevarication

"Martin the Bag"Lance arrested suspected Coke boss of Marbella

Spanish police have arrested a British man suspected by French authorities of being the head of a cocaine trafficking network, the interior ministry said Monday.It identified the man as Martin Lance N., 40, also known as "Martin the Bag", born in the central English town of Oadby near Leicester and a resident of the southern Spanish resort of Marbella.It said he was detained in the northeastern city of Barcelona.He is the object of an international arrest warrant issued by French authorities."He is suspected of being the head of a group involved in importing, manufacturing, producing, providing or acquiring narcotics, specifically cocaine," an interior ministry statement said.In particular, French police believe he was involved in smuggling 144 kilogrammes (317 pounds) of cocaine hidden in four mattresses that were found in Paris in June 2006.

Six specialist prosecutors to fight against drug trafficking on the Costa del Sol

Málaga province is to get six specialist prosecutors to fight against drug trafficking on the Costa del Sol. It will make the Málaga anti-drug unit the most important one in the country when it comes into operation next month. Diario Sur reports that the prosecutors to run the service are expected to be named later today, in what is a pilot program which will focus attention on Marbella, Torremolinos and possibly Vélez-Málaga.

four drug traffickers arrested in Orihuela

600 doses of cocaine and 500 of hashish were recovered in the operation. Three of those arrested are Spaniards local to Orihula while the fourth is Romanian.The man thought to be head of the gang has a previous record of 18 arrests and had created what police describe as a ‘real fort’ complete with cameras and guards in the street, against any possible raid by the police. 6000 € and other drug related equipment were also found. National Police in Orihuela have arrested four drug traffickers and cleaned up a point of sale near the Santo Domingo College.

Ger Dundon returns to Estepona on the Costa del Sol

Ger Dundon, the 21-year-old Limerick gang figure,is believed to have travelled to Spain last week. Dundon was stopped in one of the armour-clad cars, a BMW 3 series, for speeding in January. The other is a 4X4. Both cars, which are less than two years old, have now been seized by the Criminal Assets Bureau. The vehicles are built to order by specialist companies in Germany. Most of their sales are to Russia and eastern European countries with high crime rates and the two vehicles seized by CAB are the first to have come here.Gardai believe that Dundon left Limerick in the company of another young man and woman and went to Spain last week. He has been a regular visitor to the resort of Estepona on the Costa del Sol where he was known to keep company with Dublin gang figure, Paddy Doyle, who was shot dead in the resort in January. Ger Dundon received a suspended sentence for possessing drugs for supply three years ago and has no known legitimate means of income. Doyle was one of the two feuding Dublin gangs originally based in Drimnagh and was suspected of carrying out three murders in November 2005.Last month, when Ger Dundon appeared at Limerick District Court on traffic offences, he pulled up outside the courthouse in the armoured 4X4 and summoned associates, all wearing body armour, via an external PA system built into the front grille of the car. They gathered around the car door and shielded him as he made his way to the entrance.
Gardai also believe the recent upsurge of violent attacks in the city was directed from prison by Dundon's brother, the notorious gang leader Wayne Dundon. The McCarthy-Dundon gang have been building up supplies of weapons and other equipment and were said in court last year to have been behind the attempt to buy 20 automatic assault rifles, RPG rockets and handguns from people they believed to be arms dealers. It was, in fact, a sting organised by gardai and British police. Two associates of the gang were imprisoned in December for their part in the plot.
According to sources in Limerick, the McCarthy Dundons became the dominant gang force in the city last year after outgunning their deadly rivals, the Keane-Collopys. Tensions in Limerick had been rising in recent months before the latest round of murders. There have been at least a dozen shootings in the city related to the feuding. The worst, before last weekend, was the incident on March 25 when a gunman armed with an assault rifle fired shots into six houses in St Mary's Park. No one was injured but one bullet narrowly missed the head of an elderly woman sitting in her front living room watching television.
At least half of the shooting incidents in the past two months have taken place in the tiny Island enclave of St Mary's Park, St Ita's Street and St Munchin's Street, directed at members of the Keane-Collopy family.Intelligence had already led gardai to strengthen their presence in the city by sending the Emergency Response Unit (ERU) from Dublin. The "less-than-lethal" Taser weapon was put at the disposal of the ERU two months ago after a recommendation by the Garda Inspector, former Boston police commissioner, Kathleen O'Toole.
After last weekend, the head of the National Bureau of Criminal Investigation, Detective Chief Superintendent Noel White, effectively moved his headquarters from Harcourt Square in Dublin to Limerick to direct investigations.
The first murder attempt was on an 18-year-old in the city centre on January 14. A female relative of Noel Campion from Moyross, who was assassinated two years ago, was fired on two weeks later. At the end of March there were a succession of attacks on homes in the Island area where members of the Keane-Collopy clan live.
The first incident last weekend appears to be retaliation for the attacks in the Island. Gardai believe that the gangs decided to take advantage of the fact that Munster was playing Gloucester last Saturday in the Heineken European rugby cup and that many gardai would be taking the day off to enjoy the match.

Spain is the major port of entry for South American cocaine, but large quantities also transport through Portugal.

According to the United Nations, Europe is the second largest illicit market in the world after the United States. Spain is the major port of entry for South American cocaine, but large quantities also transport through Portugal. US drugs official expressed concern Friday about growing quantities of cocaine being trafficked through Africa to Europe, as amounts of the stimulant reaching the United States tapers off."We are concerned because of the movement," US drug policy control director John Walters told reporters in Brussels.
He said that trafficking in 2007 had "shifted to cocaine coming out of Colombia, through Venezuela in increasing amounts, and by both maritime routes and by air, coming toward Europe."US figures showed that some 58,000 kilogrammes (128,000 pounds) of cocaine arrived in Europe from Venezuela last year -- compared to almost 29,000 (64,000 pounds) in 2000 -- while 3,600 kilogrammes (8,000 pounds) came from Colombia, well down from over 64,000 (141,000 pounds) eight years ago.
Walters, in the Belgian capital for talks with EU officials, was at a loss to explain exactly why Europe was becoming the destination of choice.
"There hasn't been a clear indication in 2007 of what may have happened with regard to flow," he said. "We need to understand this to figure out what's happening."
He acknowledged that a strong euro and higher street prices in Europe could have contributed to the change, but above all, he said, it was important to establish whether the shift was a temporary or more permanent phenomenon.
"Our goal, working with European nations, is not just to move the cocaine from the United States to Europe, our goal is to reduce the cocaine, so it is important to us what exactly is happening here," he said.
Walters said it may be necessary to re-focus the fight against cocaine trafficking slightly to Africa, to help its law enforcement bodies there better combat the drug while it is on the move.
"A movement through West Africa that destabilised the nations of West Africa further than they are already weakened state is not good for anybody," he said. "That is a critical issue."
"The question is: can we continue to accelerate efforts to reduce it at the source ... or do we also need to more extensively shift to building infrastructure in Africa to strengthen law enforcement and governance."

Sex crimes against minors has tripled between 2002 and 2007, now counting an average 1,400 cases per year.

According to figures released by the Portuguese prosecutors’ office (PGR), the number of cases relating to sex crimes against minors has tripled between 2002 and 2007, now counting an average 1,400 cases per year.These figures were established through a report by the Institutionalized Child’s Abuse and Sexual Commerce Protection Group, based on data supplied by the PJ police information unit.
It further states “the total number of crimes involving children and minors has risen between 2003 and 2007 by 628”.In 2007 alone, 561 cases of child abuse were instigated in the region of Lisbon, 23 more than in 2006, and 27 more than 2005.
The group has described this trend as being “very worrying”, given the “accentuated fall in victims’ ages, which in some cases reported as being less than one year old”.
Around 34.86 percent of cases involve some form of family relation between aggressor and victim, whilst the scene of crime in 46.14 percent of cases is the place of residence.Another major concern is the distribution of child pornography on the internet.In Lisbon, in 2007, 67 cases were investigated relating to child pornography, and nine missing children’s cases caused by online contact were successfully resolved.

Gardai have smashed a link between a Dublin drug-trafficking gang and their suppliers in Spain.

Gardai have smashed a link between a Dublin drug-trafficking gang and their suppliers in Spain.An operation resulted in the seizure of eight kilos of cocaine with a potential street value of up to €2.3m.
The cocaine was seized in a holdall bag after members of the Garda national drugs unit stopped and searched a car at Pearse Square, off Pearse Street, shortly before 10am yesterday.Two Dublin men, from Cabra and the north inner city, were arrested along with two men from the English midlands.Last night they were being held for questioning at Pearse Street Garda station under the Drug Trafficking Act.
The four, aged 23, 25, 44 and 47, can be detained without charge for up to seven days.Gardai believe the drugs shipment had been recently smuggled into the country and was being moved across the city to be prepared for distribution to a network of street dealers.The seizure was described by officers last night as "very significant" as it represented a major financial and operational blow to a trafficking gang, which had been at the centre of a lengthy investigation by the garda unit.Yesterday's seizure, which was led by the recently appointed head of the unit, Det Chief Supt Tony Quilter, was the result of a detailed intelligence gathering operation involving a number of national squads.Detectives are satisfied that all of the shipment was destined for distribution.The two Dublin-based suspects were already known to gardai and last night further inquiries were being carried out across the channel into the background of the English men.Gardai said the cocaine consignment had not been concealed in the car and the occupants had been taken totally by surprise. Further searches were carried out throughout the day. Initial examination of the cocaine suggested it had a high purity, which would push up its street value, after it had been mixed and watered down before distribution, to well over €2m.This was the latest in a series of substantial drug seizures so far this year and last night gardai were particularly pleased that they had struck a blow against the north city gang, which had been the focus of their attention for months.Gardai have been working closely with officers from several English police forces in an effort to break the links between Irish trafficking gangs and their network of suppliers in Britain.Similar exchanges have been taking place with police in Spain, where the Irish gangs are also known to have bases.

Dead Burglar in funeral parlor makes amazing recovery

A burglar who broke into a funeral parlor tried to fool police by playing dead, but the criminal’s acting skills left something to be desired. Police said they had no idea what a 23-year-old Spanish man was hoping to steal on March 17 when he broke into the Crespo Funeral Home in Burjassot, a small town outside Valencia. Neighbors alerted police when they heard the front door of the business being forced open in the middle of the night. Police arrived with the owner and eventually located the suspect lying on a table in a glassed-in chamber used for the viewing of deceased people during wakes. “The custom here is for dead people to be dressed in suits, in nice clothes that look presentable. This guy was in everyday clothes that were wrinkled and dirty,” said a local police official. “He was trying to fake being dead, but he was breathing,” the officer added. The unnamed suspect has served previous jail terms for robbery.

Car theft costa more than 40% of car thefts in Europe occur on the Costa del Sol

More than 40% of car thefts in Europe occur on the Costa del Sol according to a recent meeting of the National Police in Fuengirola. Spain is known as the gateway for trafficking of stolen cars into Africa and is considered one of the most important car showrooms in the world.It is planned that in a couple of years, all cars will be computerised and there will be a databank of information enabling all stolen cars to be located, worldwide and then returned to its rightful owner. The scheme will not however include Morocco, for they have a law that states that if a vehicle is brought into the country with illegal paperwork then it cannot be granted an exit visa. The only way that this could be rectified would be by an amendment to the Moroccan custom laws, which may never happen.
In Spain it is often international crime rings that organise the vehicle trafficking as the profit to be made is so huge. The most sought-after models include 4 wheel drives such as Mitsubishi, Mercedez, Range Rover and Jeeps which are most useful in countries where there is a lot of snow or desert. The route for stolen vehicles is usually via the ports of Almeria, Algeciras or Cadiz.With the abolition of European borders, the problem is getting out of hand.

Convicted paedophile who has a search and capture order out against him in Spain after declaring guilty to abusing an adolescent girl

Convicted paedophile who has a search and capture order out against him in Spain after declaring guilty to abusing an adolescent girl in Palma de Mallorca has said ‘It’s not fair that you compare me to the man who killed Mari Luz’, referring to the death of the five year old from Huelva, Mari Luz Cortés, allegedly at the hands of Santiago del Valle, a convicted sexual abuser who had not been sent to prison because of a judicial error.The man is named by the Diario de Mallorca newspaper today with the initials A.L.Y. and was sentenced to two years in prison for his crime and then released early. He is wanted again for breaking a distancing order imposed by the judge. He tells the paper ‘I’m no terrorist or killer. In my case there was no judicial error.The man, who is of Colombian origin, says he fears that should he hand himself in to the authorities he could be expelled from the country.

Allan Foster,aka Sean Wilkinson murder suspect has £70,000 siezed by U.K. police

Allan Foster was named among 10 suspects posted by Crimestoppers on a most-wanted website for the Costa del Sol. Foster, the prime suspect in the murder of David “Noddy” Rice, has been on the run for two years.The 31-year-old is one of the Englands most wanted criminals after his alleged involvement in the gangland hit.Police believe Foster flew from his Spanish hideaway to assassinate Mr Rice in South Shields.It is thought he flew back after the killing, at a seaside car park near Marsden Grotto, South Tyneside, and has remained a fugitive since.Although he has never been caught, a police probe found more than £70,000 he had made from selling drugs at the home of the woman he used to share a house with, Shareena McAuley, and her mother Marilyn McAuley.
Now Shareena McAuley, 27, of Mozart Street, South Shields, has admitted conspiring with Foster and others to hide the cash. Mr Rice, 42, was shot by two masked men on the seafront after being lured to the meeting by Steven Bevens, 39. Bevens worked for Foster, who police believe fired the fatal shots. Last year Bevens, formerly of Wheatsheaf Court, Sunderland, was sentenced to life for murder, while driver Derek Blackburn, 51, of Humberside, was given four years for assisting an offender, later cut to two-and-a-half years.Caroline Goodwin, prosecuting at Newcastle Crown Court, said: “This arose out of a disturbing incident on May 25, 2006, when David Rice was murdered.“It led to an investigation into Allan Foster. Police were able to recover a great deal of money, which was said to be the proceeds of crime from the drug dealing of Allan Foster.”
A total of £70,440 was found during searches at the McAuleys’ house and now a judge has made a confiscation order, which means the money will stay in the hands of police. Judge Esmond Faulks said: “The money that was taken will be kept by the police. I’m not giving you any promises about the sentence, the maximum sentence is many years of imprisonment.”Shareena McAuley pleaded guilty to conspiracy to conceal the proceeds of criminal property between June 1, 2006, and September 30, 2006. Marilyn McAuley, 56, also of Mozart Street, pleaded guilty to possession of criminal property, knowing or suspecting it was from the proceeds of crime.

Bar Manolín in Algeciras Port has been robbed of 6,000 euros

Owner of the popular Bar Manolín in Algeciras Port has been robbed of 6,000 euros. After he locked up at 11pm and went home, he found an unpleasant surprise on his doorstep. A thief was lurking, and once inside attacked him with his fists whilst wielding a knife. He then ransacked the home looking for money and other valuables before making his escape.

Man arrested on rape charges

National Police in Ronda have arrested a man on rape charges. Officers will not say where the sexual assault took place but it is understood that the victim and the attacker are from two different villages in the Serranía de Ronda. Police acted after the woman, accompanied by family, made an official complaint.

Johanner Grobelanghorst murdered two men have been detained

Two men have been detained following the murder of a 77-year-old German in Torre del Mar in February. Johanner Grobelanghorst was attacked with a blow to his head outside his home in one of several similar incidents in which the assailants then robbed their semi-conscious victim. Police say one of the detainees, an Algerian, has a long record of violent crime.

National Police officer shot in Benidorm

Police in Benidorm continue to search for a gunman that shot an officer during an operation on Saturday morning in the town’s notorious Armanello zone.
A police spokesman said that the 54-year-old officer was shot during a search of an abandoned restaurant in the zone. He added that squatters were using the property, which is in an area where drug dealing and other illegal activities take place and where there are more than 20 other abandoned properties.After launching a major manhunt for the gunman, government delegate in Alicante, Encarna Llinares, announced on Tuesday that a 20-year-old Spanish man had been arrested in connection with the incident.A National Police spokesman said that although an arrest has been made it does not mean that they have the person who fired the weapon and the investigation is still ongoing.The injured officer is being cared for in the Marina Baja hospital in Villajoyosa and his condition is said to be stable.

Sax resident arrested in Bolivia

Sax resident arrested in Bolivia Police in Bolivia have arrested a 35-year-old Spaniard from Sax on charges of drug smuggling.The arrest was made at an airport moment s before the man was due to board a flight to Spain. A search of his baggage revealed six kilos of pure cocaine.Authorities in Spain say the man does not have a criminal record and may have been acting as a courier for a drug trafficking ring.
They say the man was arrested last week but notification of the arrest was delayed until now.

Cat killer of Mojacar

Hotel owner in Mojacar, named as Juan A.F. has been arrested after being accused of ‘decimating’ the local cat population using a 4.5mm airgun. Local residents had reported seeing an armed man hiding in the undergrowth and often hearing shots.The man now faces charges of acting against the flora and fauna of the area, after an investigation was opened following a compliant placed by a local animal protection organisation in the ‘Vista Los Angeles’ district. The accused is reported by 20minutos to have explained that the cats were causing a great deal of bother and unhealthy conditions.The accused was granted bail with charges by the judge in Instruction Court 1 in Vera.

43 year old British woman died from stab wounds to her neck and back

A 33 year old Cuban man has handed himself into the Guardia Civil in Torrevieja after the body of woman, thought to be British, was found in a home in the Lago Jardín urbanisation in the town, showing signs of violence.It’s thought the man stabbed the woman to death but reports say he has told the police that there was no romantic involvement between him and the victim, although both lived in the same urbanisation and were neighbours.Other neighbours say the couple used to argue frequently about the noise made by the Cuban.The victim has not yet been named, but is a 43 year old British woman, according to first reports which say she died from stab wounds to her neck and back in the home, just 500 metres from the Torrevieja hospital in the Los Balcones area of the town. Her husband is said to be away working in Afghanistan as part of his import/export business. She is thought to have lived in Torrevieja for about a year.
The Instruction Judge in court 2 in Torrevieja has ordered an autopsy to be carried out.

Santiago del Valle, has been transferred to the Granada prison for his own security

Santiago del Valle, has been transferred to Granada prison for his own security.
His sister Rosa has been transferred in prison with him to the Granada jail of Albolote. Both were imprisoned firstly in Huelva on the orders of the judge in Instruction Court One in Huelva on March 22. A prison spokesman commented that such a transfer was normal in such circumstances.
Santiago del Valle was ordered to prison without bail last weekend on charges of murder and against sexual freedom.
Meanwhile Santiago’s wife, Isabel García, was admitted into the Sevilla II prison last week on the orders of Penal Court 1 in the city. It is for her to serve a 15 month prison sentence handed down on here for consenting to the sexual abuse carried out by her husband on their five year old daughter. She also faces new charges for her implication in the Mari Luz case.
judge Rafael Tirado and the magistrate from the Sevilla Provincial Court, Javier González, have both justified the errors made in previous cases against the main suspect in the killing of Mari Luz Cortés, the Huelva 5 year old, Santiago del Valle, as being due to excessive workload. They both claim that they lack manpower and resources in the courts and that is why two earlier orders to send Santiago del Valle to prison were not followed through.

Judge Rafael Tirado has already been accused by the General Council for Judicial Power, the body which oversees the judiciary in Spain, of a ‘ very serious error’ and could find himself sacked from the profession by them in a decision which is expected to be announced on Monday. The two judges are accused of ‘passivity and a lack of control’ in the case.

It comes as both the Governing Socialists and the Partido Popular opposition have agreed on the need to renovate the Council for Judicial Power itself. A meeting was held in Congress on Friday, ahead of the investiture of José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero as Prime Minister this coming April 8, to discuss the matter.

Exchanged building land with worthless plots in a deal with the Polaris World company

El País reports that the mayor made a plot of land for building available to the Mar Menor Golf Resort, from the Polaris World company, in exchange for other plots of land described as ‘useless’. The difference in worth of the two plots is estimated by the prosecutor to be as much as five or six million €, but Polaris World was only called on to reimburse the public coffers by 455,331 €.Daniel García Madrid from the Partido Popular is reported to have exchanged building land with worthless plots in a deal with the Polaris World company José Luis Hernández, the President of the Polaris World group, one of the leading companies in residential tourism, is also charged in the case, as is a second businessman, named only with the initials J.M.F.F.More details on the latest corruption allegations in Torre Pacheco, where the PP Mayor, Daniel Garcia Madrid, has been ordered to prison without bail by instruction judge in San Javier, Salvador Calero. He has replaced the earlier judge in the case, Aránzazu Moreno, who is on maternity leave.The Mayor faces charges of perversion of the course of justice and the mis-use of public funds.The Partido Popular Mayor of Torre Pacheco, Daniel García Madrid, has been arrested this morning in connection with alleged real estate corruption in the town, and also in Fuente Álamo. The arrest follows that of the municipal architect, Ramon Cabrera, who was detained in the same case on March 31, and came at 8,30 this morning when the Mayor was on his way from his home to the Town Hall.He has now been taken to the courts in San Javier to go before the judge Salavador Calero. Reports indicate he faces charges of carrying out activities not compatible with a public servant, fraud, misuse of public funds, influence peddling, bribery, perversion of the course of justice and revealing secrets,Another person who is charged in the case is the businessman Facundo Armero, an ex shareholder in Polaris World, who is reported to have received favoured treatment from the Town Halls in Torre Pacheco and Fuente Álamo.Also facing charges in the case are the town planning councillor, Santiago Meroño, and the councillor for public works, Josefa Marín.

Expat drug gang drove super-charged luxury Jaguars, Audis and BMWs and had villas in the Spanish sun.

“Ian Moffatt was arrested by us on the Tarmac at Heathrow as he came back from one of numerous trips to Spain.”Drug gang that ran a multi-million pound drug racket in Scotland were today beginning jail sentences totalling more than 100 years.The 17-strong gang sent £40,000 worth of drugs to Glasgow every week for two years.The racket was run by husband and wife Christopher and Sharon Pimblett from their St Helens home.
The couple, who have since divorced, dispatched vans with heroin and cocaine hidden inside.The drivers would then return to St Helens with plastic bags stuffed full of cash.By raking in around £40,000 a week, the couple are estimated to have made more than £4m over two years.Yesterday, Christopher Pimblett was jailed for 12 years after Judge Brian Lewis ruled he was the “controlling mind” of the gang.
He organised couriers and shipments, and liaised with Glasgow-based Fergus Smith – who was in control of the Scottish side of the organisation.Smith was locked up for 10 years and Pimblett’s former wife Sharon jailed for four years.Judge Lewis said Sharon Pimblett, a former pharmacy worker who was tearful throughout the proceedings, had an “active” role in assisting her husband.He jailed the 17-strong gang, who were convicted of conspiracy to supply Class A, B and C drugs from January 1, 2005 to April 17, 2007, for a total of 108 years and two months.
He said: “This was a large-scale, relatively sophisticated operation which was active for a period of over two years.”He added: “Class A drugs are the greatest social problem of our time.”Judge Lewis said the scale of the racket was obvious from the seizures police made – more than 10kg of cocaine, 50kg of cannabis, 12,000 ecstasy tables and more than £400,000 cash.However, that did nothing to prevent the operation continuing.
When officers raided the homes of gang members they found wads of cash, drums full of cutting agents and drug paraphernalia including cocaine presses. The gang was making so much profit they invested in money-counting machines.Expensive cars were shared between the gang and some members were planning to buy property abroad.Now a drugs gang who lived the high-life are behind bars.
Kingpin Christopher Pimblett ran his sophisticated drug trafficking empire from his lavish St Helens home.But Pimblett and his now ex-wife Sharon earned their £40,000 a week income by running drugs to Scotland and getting dealers to sell them on the streets of St Helens.The couriers were paid a few hundred pounds a trip, but Pimblett and those closet to him amassed a mountain of cash.Around £400,000 was found by police in safes buried in the garden of Philip Brown, Pimblett’s step-father.Detective Inspector Andy Black, of Merseyside Police’s Matrix unit, said: “They all had nice houses, nice cars and enjoyed travelling and foreign holidays.“Around the time Pimblett was arrested, he was talking about buying a house abroad and we know others had already done so.Financial investigators are already a long way down the road to stripping the gang of their ill-gotten gains under the Proceeds of Crime Act.
Christopher Pimblett, 34, of Newmarket Gardens, St Helens, was the operation’s mastermind – 12 years.
Sharon Pimblett, 36, also of Newmarket Gardens – four years.
Pimblett’s step-father Philip Browne, 63, of Appleby Lawn, Netherley – four-and-a-half years.Pimblett’s “first lieutentant” Ian Moffatt, 37, of Falcondale, Warrington – nine years. His brother Carl Moffatt, 25, of Taylor Road, Haydock – six years.Darren Platt, 42, of Nutgrove Hall Drive, St Helens – six years. Thomas Green, 26, of Lilley Road, Kensington – six years.Qualified teacher Barry Brownbill, 35, of Constance Street, St Helens – four years. Peter Jones, 35, of Richard Grove, St Helens – five years.Christopher Kay, 23, of Snowberry Crescent, Warrington – nine years. John Johnson, 26, of Fairclough Road, St Helens – seven years, two months.
Kenneth Whitfield, 51, of Marina Avenue, Sutton, St Helens – three years. Michael Peel, 22, of Larkspur Road, Sankey Bridge – three-and-a-half years.
John Carr, 47, of Elephant Lane, Thatto Heath – five years.

Ray Nevitt aka The walking fraud Machine £3.25million is wanted on the Costa

Ray Nevitt was featured on TV alongside Damon Hill and Vic Reeves, taking part in the Gumball Rally, an international road-race across Europe, patronised by the rich and famous.Dripping in gold chains and medallions, Nevitt wrote-off his white Ferrari, registration number L1000NEY - after somersaulting through the air at 150mph and landing in a field in 2000 in Latvia.He walked away unscathed, had the car brought back to UK and threw a champagne reception for his friends with the wreck parked outside the bar.

Ray Nevitt was yesterday found guilty in his absence after an 11-week trial at Manchester Crown Court on five counts of fraudulent trading worth £3.25million. But he vanished two years ago after being freed on bail while awaiting sentencing for defrauding the taxpayer. An international arrest warrant has been issued for the playboy fraudster, who has a penchant for fast cars and rubbed shoulders with celebrities. Police believe Nevitt, from Manchester, may be in Puerto Banus or Marbella in Spain. He set up a firm called Ravelle in 1991, which sold second-hand computer parts to the PC maintenance industry. Slick, brash and forceful, he "had a problem understanding what was company money and what was his money", witnesses told the court. He enjoyed trips to Las Vegas, Monaco, Verbier and Singapore on company credit cards. Police began investigating the Ravelle Group of companies, including PC2GO Ltd and Just Printers Ltd in 2001. As his firms were going under they carried on trading - and Nevitt continued with his lavish lifestyle, despite knowingly having no prospect of being able to pay suppliers. He forged paperwork so firms would lend him money on the strength of bogus orders - known as "fresh air" invoicing.
Det Con Julian King, from Greater Manchester Police Commercial Fraud Unit said: "This was a complex and elaborate fraud that allowed Nevitt to live an opulent and lavish lifestyle." The firm's finance director Jeremy Greene, 48, a chartered accountant, was yesterday convicted of three counts of fraudulent trading.
Kay Boardman, 49, also a director, was convicted of one count of fraudulent trading.
They will be sentenced next month - along with Nevitt, if he is caught.

The Blue wig robber hits Malaga Banks

Malaga banks were hit in the space of five minutes by a man in a blue wig last week. Witnesses say an individual burst into a branch of Unicaja in Malaga on Tuesday morning, brandishing a shotgun. He was dressed in sunglasses, a green jacket and a blue wig according to the two customers and three members of staff in the bank at the time. Although the gun appeared to be fake, employees handed over the contents of the till to the intruder, who fled the scene. Just five minutes later police received a call from an office of Banesto on the Calle Frigilana. Two men, one of whom fitted the description of the robber in Unicaja, allegedly threatened staff with a sawn-off shotgun.But the second robbery did not go as planned. They escaped with a grand total of just under 40 euros before making a getaway on a motorbike. Witnesses say the robbers attacked a 30-year-old man who needed medical treatment as a result.

Allegedly set a taxi belonging to his ex father-in-law on fire

allegedly set a taxi belonging to his ex father-in-law on fire, a 33-year-old man was arrested by National Police. Another car which was parked next to the burning vehicle in the Cortijo de Torres area of Malaga was also affected by the flames.
According to police sources, the accused was sentenced to two years in jail in 2006 after he set on fire his ex-wife’s car. A witness claimed that a man - fitting the description of the suspect – was seen carrying a plastic bag and what looked like a gas cylinder in the area near to where the taxi was parked just minutes before the fire. National Police sources say the arrested man has a restraining order in force against him preventing him from contacting his ex-wife.

Pensionista robbed bank in Calle Martinez Maldonado

Prosecutors are asking for two and a half years in jail for a retired man accused of robbing a bank in Calle Martinez Maldonado, Malaga, when they refused to give him his pension in advance. He allegedly went up to a bank teller and pretended to be holding a gun under a folder. According to the employee, he then told her to give him all the money or he would shoot. He managed to escape with 4,065 euros, telling the employee that if she moved or called anyone he would kill her. The accused was arrested some time afterwards, but the money was not recovered. Prosecutors are also demanding that he pay the amount stolen back to the bank in compensation.

Amusement arcade punter is said to have faked a robbery at gunpoint

Amusement arcade punter is said to have faked a robbery at gunpoint, according Málaga police. If found guilty, he could face a fine of nearly three times the amount he lost gambling on the fruit machines.
The provincial prosecution service has just announced that an individual who claimed to have been mugged by an armed robber and relieved of 1,200 euros back in July 2007 could have invented the incident to hide a massive gambling loss.
After lengthy investigations into the robbery by the anti-violent crime squad, officers concluded that the story was false. Prosecutors have called for a fine up 3,240 euros for wasting police time.
Police say cases like this are not uncommon and are usually an attempt by the ‘victims’ to hide the fact that they have gambled away large sums of money, or to make a false claim on their household insurance.

Mark Thatcher does a runner to Puerto Banús

Mark Thatcher is reported to be enjoying what is described as a second honeymoon in Puerto Banús, Marbella, in what some see as an attempt to hide from justice in Equatorial Guinea. An ex friend of Mark Thatcher, Simon Mann, is reported by the Público newspaper to have implicated him from his jail cell in Malabo in a frustrated attempt to overthrow the President of the country, Teoforo Obiang.
Mark Thatcher is reported however to consider himself safe under the double jeopardy rule, having been arrested once before accused of financing the attempted coup which was to have been carried out by Simon Mann and some 70 mercenaries who were arrested in Zimbabwe on the way to Guinea in 2004.

Amy Fitzpatrick Police are reportedly looking for another car

The Police are reportedly looking for another car linked to the disappearance of the 15 year old Irish youngster Amy Fitzpatrick who vanished from Mijas Costa three months ago.The Police now consider that, given the time passed without any news, that it is no longer likely that Amy left of her own free will on January 1. Searches carried out locally, and also in the Sierra de las Nieves have found nothing despite a report of some clothes being seen in the area by a resident of the village of Tolox when out collecting mushrooms.Government Sub-delegate for the province of Málaga, Hilario López Luna, said the police were looking for another car, although there are no reports on possible car model of colour. Police continue to search for an earlier car, owned by a family friend, and missing since Amy vanished, which is a white Ford Fiesta, registration number C955 SLK.

Guadalmina arrest of Dutch national ‘dangerous, armed and violent,’

Police in Holland describe him as ‘dangerous, armed and violent,’ and he faces possible life imprisonment with at least 20 years inside if found guilty. The Interior Ministry said the suspect’s father has been taken into custody in the Netherlands in possession of 200,000 € in cash and two electric shock weapons.
A man wanted for attempted murder by the authorities in Holland has been arrested in Guadalmina, Málaga province, where a search of his home discovered a Smith and Wesson revolver and forged identity documents. He is named by the Interior Ministry as Wander V., aged 45, from Amsterdam, and was wanted for a shooting in the city in July last year, for which another man believed to have been involved was arrested shortly afterwards.