Tim O’Toole was arrested in Marbella as the gang prepared to transfer the shipment, originally from Venezuela, to speed boats off the coast of Spain

Timothy O’Toole was jailed for 15 years for trying to ship four tons of cocaine worth £225million. He was at the centre of Europe’s biggest drug trafficking organisation, operating in Britain and Spain. But undercover customs infiltrated the network so deeply they crewed the boat that made the massive drugs pickup. O’Toole was arrested in Marbella as the gang prepared to transfer the shipment, originally from Venezuela, to speed boats off the coast of Spain. The drugs were destined for all parts of Europe, with millions of pounds worth heading for Britain’s streets.
O’Toole – known as the Invisible Man – masterminded the huge transport operation.
Last night a British customs source said: “O’Toole was a major player as the sentence indicates. “This was Europe’s biggest cocaine smuggling network and it was the first of what were intended to be a series of large-scale shipments.
“Had this not been stopped, tons of the stuff could have ended up in Britain.”
Middle-aged O’Toole, from Ireland, had a luxury villa and fast cars in Marbella. He also spent time in London. He was arrested three years ago after a year-long inquiry codenamed Operation Tulle. It involved British Customs, the Met Police and cops in Spain and Portugal. O’Toole’s assets were seized when he appeared in court in Madrid. The gang’s Spanish godfather Daniel Baula Carballo was fined £290million and jailed for 17½ years. Third ringleader Gonzalo Ferreiro was jailed for 13½ years and fined £144million.

Russian sailors arrested near the city of Huelva

Fifteen Russian sailors have been arrested in the southwest of Spain on suspicion of being involved in drug trafficking, a Spanish Civil Guard official said on Friday.
"The Russian sailors were arrested near the city of Huelva two weeks ago during a large-scale police operation, along with 29 individuals suspected of drug trafficking," the official said, adding that other foreign nationals had also been arrested. The Civil Guard said four tons of marijuana smuggled into Spain in two vessels had been seized during the operation. "The extent of the Russians' involvement in the case will be established during the investigation," he said.
Another police officer said the Russian sailors were believed to have been hired by drug dealers to unload the vessels, for which they could face long prison terms.
Russia's embassy in Madrid said crew members from the fishing ship Yuozas Aleksonis, which belongs to the Russian Arkhangelsk trawler fleet, were among those arrested.
A fleet official said earlier on Friday the crew could have been set up to discredit the company involved in a long-running litigation over the ownership of several trawlers, including the Yuozas Aleksonis, now anchored in Spain. "In any event we will seek our sailors' return home," said Nina Zelenina, chief spokesperson for the fleet based in northern Russia. The Arkhangelsk fleet dispatched 60 sailors to Spain after a Spanish court upheld in December 2007 Russia's suit against a Mauritanian national who appropriated the vessels after leasing them in 2004. The sailors were supposed to carry out maintenance work on the fishing vessels to prepare them to be towed to a neighboring country for repairs. But the Mauritanian appealed the ruling, and the trawlers ended up stuck in Spain pending further court hearings.

Caja de Ahorros del Mediterráneo employee kidnapped

Caja de Ahorros del Mediterráneo employee belonging to one of the Orihuela costa offices, the one located at Cabo Roig, was kept kidnapped by some criminals for more than ten hours. The criminals accosted her as she was on her way to work, and she was taken into a van to San Javier surrounding area where she was hit and covered with a gun in order to get the code of the strongbox. The bank robbers forced her to call her boss to justify her absence from work by saying she was not feeling fine.
The employee was kept kidnapped from seven in the morning until six in the evening when, once free, she went to Los Arcos Hospital in San Javier where she was looked after from minor wounds and anxiety symptoms. Whilst the CAM employee was kept, other members of the gang went to the CAM branch office located at the shopping centre “Playa Marina 2” in Cabo Roig, and though they could not tape the key code to access to the strongbox due to having a time opening security system, they run away with a loot of around 15.000 to 20.000 euros from the cash dispenser.

Italian man with alleged links to the Calabrian Mafia, the 'Ndrangheta, was arrested in Spain

An Italian man with alleged links to the Calabrian Mafia, the 'Ndrangheta, was arrested in Spain on Thursday carrying four kilogrammes of cocaine worth an estimated 600,000 euros.Citing police sources, Spanish media reports said the man, identified only as Giuseppe F. was arrested by police in the city of Collado-Villalba, northwest of the capital, Madrid.During the arrest, authorities seized two cars and 35,000 euros in cash, hidden inside one of the vehicles.Police said the cocaine was being transported to Italy and it could have been broken down for 40,000 individual "fixes".Spanish police said the man belonged to a family from the southern Italian region of Calabria, with direct links to 'Ndrangheta.His partner, Gloria E.C.A. , a 47-year-old Colombian woman allegedly served as an intermediary and was in charge of making contacts in Colombia to bring the drugs to Spain
Both were caught with the cocaine, hidden in a plastic bag inside a car they were driving.Collado-Villalba, 29 May (AKI) - An Italian man with alleged links to the Calabrian Mafia, the 'Ndrangheta, was arrested in Spain on Thursday carrying four kilogrammes of cocaine worth an estimated 600,000 euros.Citing police sources, Spanish media reports said the man, identified only as Giuseppe F. was arrested by police in the city of Collado-Villalba, northwest of the capital, Madrid.
During the arrest, authorities seized two cars and 35,000 euros in cash, hidden inside one of the vehicles.
Police said the cocaine was being transported to Italy and it could have been broken down for 40,000 individual "fixes".
Spanish police said the man belonged to a family from the southern Italian region of Calabria, with direct links to 'Ndrangheta.
His partner, Gloria E.C.A. , a 47-year-old Colombian woman allegedly served as an intermediary and was in charge of making contacts in Colombia to bring the drugs to Spain.Both were caught with the cocaine, hidden in a plastic bag inside a car they were driving.
Giuseppe F. reportedly transported the drugs to Italy, using different vehicles with hidden compartments to hide the cocaine packages.
Italy's four main criminal organisations are the Sicilian Mafia, the Camorra in Naples and the surrounding Campania region, the 'Ndrangheta in the southern region of Calabria, and the Sacra Corona Unita in the southern Puglia region.Giuseppe F. reportedly transported the drugs to Italy, using different vehicles with hidden compartments to hide the cocaine packages.
Italy's four main criminal organisations are the Sicilian Mafia, the Camorra in Naples and the surrounding Campania region, the 'Ndrangheta in the southern region of Calabria, and the Sacra Corona Unita in the southern Puglia region.

Factory fire kills 55 in Morocco

fire roared through a mattress factory yesterday, killing 55 people and injuring a dozen others, the official news agency reported. Most of the deaths occurred on the building's third floor where women sew, according to a worker who escaped.
Rachida Darif, 29, said she saved herself by crawling through a space to the roof, then jumping down from a neighboring building that was under construction. She said she used a construction cord to lower herself part way and then jumped.
About 100 people were in the factory when the fire broke out about 10 a.m. and quickly spread through the four-story building, according to the news agency. Chemical products in the factory added to the fury of the flames. The cause of the blaze was not immediately known

Eastern European criminal gang recovered jewellery is to be placed on show in the Altea Civil Guard barracks

Civil Guard in Altea has broken up a criminal gang made up mostly of people from Eastern Europe which has been robbing homes in the provinces of Alicante and Albacete.Those arrested are six men and a woman, aged between 26 and 45 who were living in Altea, Alfaz del Pí and La Nucía. Their nationalities are Romanian, Russian, Moldavian, Lithuanian and Spanish.Two large vehicles were impounded by the authorities, together with a large amount of jewellery, fake documents, computers and mobile phones, a 7.65 calibre pistol and tools used for breaking and entering.
The recovered jewellery is to be placed on show in the Altea Civil Guard barracks so it can be recognised and claimed by its owners.

Le Chateau swingers club in Lorca no licences for the construction

Owners of a swingers club in Lorca, Le Chateau, have locked themselves inside the building after it was closed down by local police last Saturday for not having a licence.The local town planning councillor, Francisco García, told the press that owners had not complied with a previous order giving them four days to shut down, and that given that two men did not want to leave the premises, they were taped by the authorities with the people inside. There is a small side door which remains accessible if they do want to exit, he added.Le Chateau was to officially open as a couple swapping venue on May 30th, but the local town hall ordered a halt to building work on the 5th, given that there were no licences for the construction.

ex Chief of the local police in Marbella Del Pozo faces charges of carrying out continued bribery, failing to pursue crimes re-employed

ex Chief of the local police in Marbella, Rafael del Pozo, who is implicated in the Malaya corruption case in the town, has been re-admitted for the second time to Marbella Town Hall after making an application last April. He had earlier been off work for depression and also for surgery to his foot, but now returns as a traffic assessor in the local transport department in offices based in San Pedro de Alcántara.Municipal sources told El País that his appointment responds to the needs of the Town Hall. Del Pozo faces charges of carrying out continued bribery, failing to pursue crimes and others, as part of the Malaya case, and he is also implicated in the disappearance of traffic fines at the time when Marisol Yagüe was Mayor of the town.

Drug driver hits pedestrian

36 year old man who hit a 20 year old pedestrian from Ecuador on a zebra crossing in Málaga at 8am on Monday morning has been arrested after being found to have tested positive for four different drugs.The victim has suffered serious head injuries as well as a broken arm and leg and is now in the Carlos Haya hospital.Police noted that the driver of the van was having trouble standing and carried out an immediate blood test, which detected four different drugs including cocaine and cannabis. The driver will appear in court shortly after police have assembled witness statements.

Venezuelan woman, who had travelled via Malaga in Spain, was arrested after the discovery of cocaine worth €210,000 at Cork airport.

A 25-year-old woman and a 22-year-old man will appear before a special sitting of Cork District Court this evening following two separate seizures of drugs yesterday.
The 25-year-old Venezuelan woman, who had travelled via Malaga in Spain, was arrested after the discovery of cocaine worth €210,000 at Cork airport. Customs officers found the drug during a search of her luggage. The 22-year-old man was arrested after gardaí seized cannabis worth €600,000 in a separate raid on an apartment in Douglas on Cork city's southside. The man and woman were held at Togher Garda station last night. However, officers are satisfied that there is no connection between the two seizures. In Dublin, another man appeared in court yesterday after gardaí found cannabis worth some €180,000 in the vehicle he was driving. The man, in his 20s, was arrested following the vehicle search at Kilakee Road, Rathfarnham, at 1.50am.

Police have seized more than 35,000 ecstasy pills

Police have seized more than 35,000 ecstasy pills in the biggest drug bust in Spain against a Chinese mafia group.The drugs were found during raids on three apartments in Madrid, in which 14 Chinese citizens were arrested, including the alleged leader of the drug trafficking network. The pills, which were brought into Europe via Holland, were apparently intended for distribution across Spain, Portugal and Italy.

Spanish police have arrested five teenage computer hackers

Spanish police have arrested five teenage computer hackers who allegedly disabled internet pages run by government agencies in the United States, Latin America and Asia, police said. The group, who attacked some 21,000 pages over two years, were arrested last week in Barcelona, Burgos, Málaga and Valencia following an investigation that began in March after the web page of a Spanish political party was disabled.

Mallorca illegal high power motorbike road races on the Youtube website.

15 people have been arrested in Mallorca after they placed videos of their illegal high power motorbike road races on the Youtube website. The images shown were recorded on the same stretch or road between Caimari and Selva, where two youngsters, aged 16 and 17, died as a result of the races of the group, which called themselves ‘Pikas de motos’ last April 4. It was that accident which led to the start of investigations into the group.The judge in Instruction Court 8 in Palma took the statements from the 15 detained on Monday afternoon who are aged between 19 and 31. A total of 15 bikes were also impounded, some of them modified to give a break horse power of more than 200.The 15 were released with charges still standing, accused of a crime against traffic safety. They could face prison sentences of two years under the new penal code if they are found guilty of dangerous driving, and up to five years in prison if their behaviour at the wheel is considered to have been suicidal.

Half a ton of hashish has been thrown overboard from two boats off the Costa Blanca.

The chases started after air patrols spotted the semi-rigid boats moving, with four powerful outboard motors, rapidly towards the coast.
Half a ton of hashish has been thrown overboard from two boats off the Costa Blanca. The Agencia Tributaria has recovered about 500 kilos of the drugs off the coast at Torrevieja and Dénia, but they think that the drug runners may have dumped upto double the amount recovered.
A customs patrol boat with helicopter support found 18 bales of the drug, each one weighing 27 kilos off Dénia and 14 more off Torrevieja, and in both cases the drug was seen to be throw overboard when the smugglers were being chased by the authorities.

Paediatrician, who was arrested in Benalmádena on charges of possessing child pornography, has been ordered to prison without bail.

paediatrician, who was arrested in Benalmádena on charges of possessing child pornography, has been ordered to prison without bail
The man, named with the initials R.D.P.M., who works in the Municipal Health Centre in Benalmádena, is alleged to have had paedophile photos and videos on his home computer, and was ordered to prison by the judge in Instruction Court 1 in Málaga.
Apparently the images were in a file labelled for the learning how to play the guitar.He was arrested as part of a nationwide swoop which was started by the Guardia Civil in Ciudad Real, and now faces charges of the corruption of minors under article 189 of the penal code which punishes those who possess pornographic images of children aged under 13. A 57 year old man from Salamanca and a 33 year old man from Almeria have also been arrested as part of the same investigation, codenamed ‘Tambor’.

scams that dupe holidaymakers into buying club membership with the promise of cheaper holidays catch 400,000 UK victims each year.

Six European countries, including Britain, are to act together against bogus holiday clubs operating in Spain.The scams that dupe holidaymakers into buying club membership with the promise of cheaper holidays catch 400,000 UK victims each year.
Usually sales representatives use high-pressure tactics and misleading sales patter as part of the scam.The task force is to look at common ways of tackling the problem and increasing public awareness of these cons.It’s believed bogus holiday clubs cost UK consumers £1.17bn a year and put people off taking holidays in Spain.

Ricky Devine DJ for Costa Blanca radio station has been arrested by Spain's National Police at the resort of Orihuela Costa, south of Alicante.

A British national has been arrested in Spain in connection with rape offences committed in south east London.The man named by news sources as Ricky Devine is accused of raping the same victim over a number or years.He was arrested by Spain's National Police at the resort of Orihuela Costa, south of Alicante.The 49-year-old accused is being held at a maximum security prison outside Madrid after appearing before a judge at the National Criminal Court.A spokesman for Scotland Yard said that "Spanish police arrested a 49-year-old British man on suspicion of rape on May 9".The former DJ for Costa Blanca radio station Excite FM presented a show in the 8pm-10pm slot called 'Boogie Nites'.A spokesman for Excite FM said that the staff were "totally shocked"."Ricky was the sort of guy who'd do anything for anybody," he said.The accused could be escorted home within two weeks if he agrees to face British justice.He could face several months behind bars in Spain if he decides to fight extradition.The investigation was carried out with the help of the Serious and Organised Crime Agency in the UK.In 1999, DJ Richard Baker from Cornwall was convicted for a string of rapes in Sussex, Essex and north London. He worked in Spain as a DJ most summers.

Francis Smith, who now lives in Malaga, on the Costa del Sol, is charged with conspiring to distribute 1.234 tonnes of cannabis,

Francis Smith, who now lives in Malaga, on the Costa del Sol, is charged with conspiring to distribute 1.234 tonnes of cannabis, seized in a random stop on the A45 near Ryton-upon-Dunsmore.A British ex-pat living in Spain has been charged in connection with a £2.7 million drugs bust in Ryton.Stunned police found 5,000 blocks of cannabis resin when they pulled over a white Iveco van in February 2006.
Stockton man Roy Selby, 42, was jailed for two-and-a-half years in August 2006 after pleading guilty to possessing the cannabis with intent to supply it.It is alleged there is evidence linking Smith to the packages of cannabis seized from Selby's van. Selby had initially claimed he thought he had been carrying furniture.When he was jailed, Judge Marten Coates said he accepted the driver, who was to be paid £500 for making the delivery, was "at the bottom of the food chain".Smith, 56, appeared for a preliminary hearing at Warwick Crown Court where it was indicated he would deny ther charge.The case was adjourned until May and Smith remanded in custody.

Tangier Police seized a total of 272 kg of hashish that were concealed in a car registered in Spain.

The Customs and police services of the port of Tangier have seized, in four catches over the week-end, some 347 kg of cannabis products, and arrested 3 Moroccans and three foreigners as part of these operations, according to port authorities.
The most important catch was on Saturday when customs at the port of Tangier seized a total of 272 kg of hashish that were concealed in a car registered in Spain. The car's owner and the passenger, two Moroccan nationals, were arrested.
Later in the day, two other cars were intercepted with 18 kg of cannabis resin, locally known as chira, and 38 kg of hashish respectively. A female Moroccan expatriate and two Spaniards were arrested during these operations.
On Sunday night, customs and police services arrested a Portuguese national following the discovery of 19 kg of cannabis extract in his car’s truck.
Since the beginning of January, drug seizures at the port of Tangier are almost daily. The arrested traffickers of different nationalities are brought before court where they face sentences ranging from 5 to 10 years in prison and very heavy fines set according to the quantity of the drugs seized.

Colin 'Smigger' Smith resident of Puerto Banus on the Costa del Sol

Colin 'Smigger' Smith resident of Puerto Banus on the Costa del Sol kept a close eye on his cocaine empire, jetting in and out of Liverpool on cheap EasyJet flights. An underworld source said: "If there was a problem he'd always fly back. It was all done over a cup of tea and then he was off back to Spain." Smith was a fanatical Evertonian with a VIP box at the Goodison Park ground. He was friends with many of the players and had just flown back from a European game before he was killed.
When ex-Everton player Mark Ward fell on hard times Smith paid him to play for a semi-professional team. But Ward later got mixed up with drugs and in 2005 was jailed for eight years for possessing cocaine worth £650,000.
An underworld source said: "Smith was behind one of the biggest explosions of drug use in Britain. He made a lot crime families and gangs rich by making them high-level distributors on generous terms. He was well loved. A lot of people will want revenge."Colin "Smigger" Smith, Britain's Cocaine King with a personal fortune put at £200million, lay dead in a pool of blood as his killer walked quickly away.
A few hours later - and £100,000 richer - the hitman was flying out of Liverpool's John Lennon Airport, sparking off what could be the deadliest drugs war on Merseyside for years.

Colombian drug trafficking gang arrested in Valencia

international drug trafficking gang has been broken up by the National Police in Valencia. Fifteen arrests were made in the second phase of ‘Operation Antilla’, nine of them in Valencia, and 235 kilos of cocaine has been recovered in Madrid and Valencia.Those arrested are believed to have brought the drugs into Spain from Colombia. Police have impounded computers, precision scales and other items in a total of five searches carried out since the first stage of the operation which took place in Madrid last March.The head of the gang is considered to be a 44 year old Colombian who was arrested in Madrid on April 29.In the latest arrests there were three Colombian women, four Colombian men and a Spaniard.All those arrested will appear in court shortly.

Woman shot dead in the street in Málaga

A woman has died after being shot in the street in Málaga. It happened on Friday afternoon at 1,30pm in the conflictive ‘La Palma’ district of the city.
It’s thought that the woman in her 30’s was just passing when she was hit by a gun shot coming from elsewhere where it seems a violent argument was taking place.
Police had been called to Calle Deva with reports of a disturbance between two people, one armed with a knife and another with a gun.Police say a full investigation has been opened and no possibilities have as yet been ruled out, but for now they consider that the victim had nothing to do with the fight.

British man sentenced to 12 and a half years in prison for killing a friend of his fathers in Torremolinos

Provincial Court in Málaga has sentenced a British man to 12 and a half years in prison for killing a friend of his fathers with whom he lived in Torremolinos. The court found it proved that 41 year old C.B.C. killed the victim by hitting him over the head and stabbing him a total of 13 times, twice from the back and then 11 times face on. He then tried to hide the body in a room in the house for several days. It happened at the start of May 2006 when the man, who went under a false name, lived in the house in Los Álamos, rented by a friend of his father’s, after having come to Spain from Thailand. He claimed in court that he had hidden the body but not carried out the killing. The body was not discovered until the 24th of the month.The murderer was also ordered to pay 150,000 € compensation to the victim’s family.The unanimous sentence from the jury in the case came after they heard that the man had already been sentenced to life in prison in Britain for a homicide and arms trafficking.

British woman arrested by the National Police in Torrevieja for drug trafficking.

British woman is among a group of three people who have been arrested by the National Police in Torrevieja for drug trafficking. Three kilos of cocaine was recovered in the operation which saw the searching of a house and a restaurant on the ‘Ciudad Quesada’ urbanisation. Those arrested are thought to have been mixing the drug with caffeine, before distributing it locally. It’s thought they purchased the drug, which is of Colombian origin, here in Spain. They have been named as 38 year old Spaniard, C.A.C.Z, his 26 year old British wife, J.T.O., and a 48 year old Spaniard M.P.R.1630 € in cash, a starting pistol, precision balances and other drug related equipment was found.None of the three has a previous record, and the case is now in the hands of Instruction Court One in Torrevieja.

‘Sheriff of Coslada’, the local police chief in the Madrid town of Coslada, Ginés Jiménez Buendía,accused of extorting local businesses,

‘Sheriff of Coslada’, the local police chief in the Madrid town of Coslada, Ginés Jiménez Buendía, has told the judge instructing the allegations of widespread local police corruption that he is innocent. His lawyer, José Andrés Díaz Herrera, says the case is wrapped up in political fighting.13 of the 24 local police arrested last Thursday still remain in the judicial cells waiting for their turn to make a statement to the judge. Eight of them did make a statement to the
Instruction Judge 21 in Coslada, Eduardo Cruz Torres, yesterday.
Reports indicate that all those to declare have claimed to be innocent. They are accused of extorting local businesses, and of dealing in prostitution in the town.
Of the 25 arrested, 8 have been granted bail so far.

Man has been arrested by the local police in Alicante after allegedly stabbing his father

Man has been arrested by the local police in Alicante after allegedly stabbing his father during an argument on Saturday night. The difference of opinion emerged when the two were discussing the First Communion plans for a nephew and the victim was stabbed in the shoulder. He has now been allowed home after treatment in the Alicante General Hospital, while the aggressor has now been handed over to the National Police and is expected to appear in court shortly.

Lost pistol turns up in police station, other misplaced

INVESTIGATIONS are being carried out into the disappearance of two guns held by a policeman in La Vila Joiosa. A member of the Local Police is thought to have misplaced one handgun and lost the other.One of these later turned up in the safe at the police station.

Confiscated three firearms and various stolen goods in a known drug zone in Málaga

Confiscated three firearms and various stolen goods in a known drug zone in Málaga. Local Police officers, acting on repeated complaints from neighbours, uncovered the illegal activity on Monday after entering a property in the city’s Carlos Haya neighbourhood.Taking advantage of a ‘client’ leaving the building, officers went inside and discovered quantities of hashish, cocaine and marihuana in bags and empty tuna-tins. They seized the handguns and numerous items believed to have been stolen or taken in payment for drugs, including jewellery, computers, cameras, consoles, and mobile phones.

Father and son wanted for questioning about the murder of a traveller in the UK have been arrested in Marbella

father and son wanted for questioning about the murder of a traveller in the UK have been arrested in Marbella. The headless and handless body of John Finney, 42, was found dumped in Ickleford, Hertfordshire, on 14 March. 49 year old British man, named as N.J.J., and his 23 year old son, J.N.J., were arrested on Friday afternoon in Marbella in connection with the disappearance of a 42 year old man, John Finney Mr Finney is thought to have been abducted from his vehicle in Northaw, on 29 February. A third man, Mark Curran, 28, of Barnet, Hertfordshire, has been charged with his murder and has been remanded in custody. Mr Finney was identified partly by the tattoos on his body. His Mitsubishi Pajero was found abandoned in Park Farm, Northaw. A post-mortem examination was unable to establish the cause of Mr Finney's death. He and his family were well-known within the travelling community, police said. The investigation has been carried out by the Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Major Crime Unit.The arrests in Marbella were carried out on a European Arrest Warrent by Spanish National Police in collaboration with their British colleagues, who also arrested a third man in the U.K.Three cars, a replica firearm and a large amount of documents were impounded, together with a quantity of currency of some 30,000 €.

Spanish pedophile ring 17 faces charges of corruption of minors and possession of child pornography

Police in Spain have arrested 17 people across the country and seized computer equipment containing over one million images of a pedophile nature, the interior ministry said Friday.They are suspected of being part of a "wide-ranging and active network of people with residency in Spain who accessed and distributed these types of archives," it said in a statement.
The 17 faces charges of corruption of minors and possession of child pornography.
Over 60 police officers took part in the operation which involved searches of 18 homes.Spain has over last few years stepped up its fight against pedophilia with the use of a progam known as "Hispalis," which allows them to detect and provide names and addresses of Internet users as they are logging on to illicit websites