Town of San Miguel de Salinas are in a state of shock after its cemetery was vandalised, graves robbed and coffins removed from their niches.

Town of San Miguel de Salinas are in a state of shock after its cemetery was vandalised, graves robbed and coffins removed from their niches. This was the appalling scene of desecration that greeted the caretaker of the graveyard when he arrived to open the gates as usual at 8.30 in the morning. He discovered that one of the niches had been tampered with but had not been opened, while another one had been opened and the coffin removed. The coffin...

new police team is to be established in Spain which will pursue foreign criminals

new police team is to be established in Spain which will pursue foreign criminals. The decision to set up the new squad has been taken following what is described as the ‘social alarm’ which has been caused by several violent thefts and other actions carried out by foreign gangs across the country.Violent foreign criminals and re-offenders now face deportation to their countries of origin, as do those who take part in the ever increasing numbers...

Three men who were shot and wounded in Marbella in Spain

Irishman is among three men who were shot and wounded in Marbella in Spain, it has emerged.Police responded to reports of an assault with a firearm in the Avenida del Prado area at 11.40pm , the Spanish newspaper El Pais reported.The three, aged 39, 45 and 73, were taken to the Hospital Costa del Sol in Malaga, the paper said.One of the men, aged 45, has already been discharged and the older man was expected to leave hospital today.The third man,...

Police are reported to be investigating possible links between the shooting of a British man in Calle Ramón Areces in Puerto Banús on Wednesday night,

The victim in the Puerto Banús shooting has been confirmed to be British and is in hospital in a serious but stable condition after being shot five times. Police are reported to be investigating possible links between the shooting of a British man in Calle Ramón Areces in Puerto Banús on Wednesday night, with an earlier shooting incident at the Nikki Beach discotec.They think the British victim of the latest shooting, named with the initials M.H....

new whistleblowers' hotline to help catch benefit cheats living it up on the 'Costas' was launched today in Spain.

new whistleblowers' hotline to help catch benefit cheats living it up on the 'Costas' was launched today in Spain. In the first trial of its kind, ex-pats in Alicante who suspect benefit fraud will be able to report their concerns on a local number. Cases will be passed by the operator to investigators in the UK, who will also be able to draw on the team's on-the-ground intelligence. Anti-Benefit Fraud Minister, James Plaskitt said: "Most ex-pats...

As Ireland's gang war escalates, the coastal resorts of Spain have become home to dozens of Irish criminals who are on the run

As Ireland's gang war escalates, the coastal resorts of Spain have become home to dozens of Irish criminals who are on the run from Ireland for fear of their lives. Peter 'Fatso' Mitchell and John 'The Coach' Traynor are both living in Spain, and just last month Mitchell was shot outside a pub in what is believed to be a botched execution attempt. He was shot twice in the shoulder in the popular tourist resort of Puerto Banus. John 'The Mexican'...

Liverpool victim resident in Marbella for some years wounded in Banus Shooting.

Police and forensic experts inspect the scene of the shooting in Puerto Banús last night The victim was said by witnesses to be a man in his 30's from Liverpool who has been resident in Marbella for some years. A man in his 30’s, first reported to be Eastern European by some sources,...

Justice isn't the sentence. Justice is having our Gary home Steve and Lee Dunne want to get his body repatriated so they can hold a family funeral.

Gary Dunne, 22, from West Derby, was attacked with a machete near Torremolinos in March 2006. His killer, Victor Posse Navas, was jailed for nine years by a judge in Malaga earlier this month. Mr Dunne's parents Steve and Lee Dunne want to get his body repatriated so they can hold a family funeral. But Spanish authorities have said the body needs cremating for hygiene reasons before it can be transported. Mr and Mrs Dunne have already handed petitions...

Málaga man has been arrested by the police for growing marihuana plants on his terrace.

27 year old Málaga man has been arrested by the police for growing marihuana plants on his terrace. Police seized 40 kilos of the plants and say that they were being grown also in two rooms of the property where as many as 14 time switches controlled heaters, ventilators and automatic watering systems.The arrested man is reported to have been running a seed business and the raid came after an anonymous tip-off to the poli...

Torrevieja Guardia Civil has broken up an international gang which had been pirating British satellite television signals

The group had some 60,000 clients, most of them British, between Benidorm in Alicante and Vera in Almería. The Judicial Police from the Torrevieja Guardia Civil has broken up an international gang which had been pirating British satellite television signals and then distributing them to British clients resident in the provinces of Alicante, Murcia and Almería in an area between Benidorm and Vera.The group, based in an industrial estate at Algorfa,...

Liverpool man Marbella resident five shots were fired in the Peurto Banus hitting the man in the face

The victim was said by witnesses to be a man in his 30's from Liverpool who has been resident in Marbella for some years. A man in his 30’s, first reported to be Eastern European by some sources, but now considered to be British by most media, has been injured in a shooting incident...

Authorities in Fuengirola are to bring charges against the company responsible for carrying out roadworks on the access approach

Authorities in Fuengirola are to bring charges against the company responsible for carrying out roadworks on the access approach roundabout to the popular Miramar shopping centre. The action has been brought following an incident which occurred after two pipes from the drainage system burst open, allowing the outflowing water to mix with sewage material and carry waste and toxic substances into the Rio Fuengirola. This has resulted in the death of...

Two Chileans, about to board a flight to Spain, and one Immigrations inspector were arrested

Two Chileans, about to board a flight to Spain, and one Immigrations inspector were arrested on Friday evening. Yesterday morning, three more arrests were made of another inspector and one customer service officer, as well as an Argentine lawyer.Airport Security Police (PSA) trustee Marcelo Saín revealed at midday yesterday that the Immigrations customer service officer was the “ringleader” of the drug trafficing group.A separate PSA source revealed...

Possible compensation for the families of 130,000 people who disappeared in the Spanish Civil War edged closer

Possible compensation for the families of 130,000 people who disappeared in the Spanish Civil War edged closer yesterday as a judge was given the names of victims with the aim of starting a formal investigation. Court officials said 22 church and human rights groups handed to Judge Baltasar Garzon the names of 130,137 people contained in a dozen files, each the thickness of a telephone directory. Judge Garzon, who tried to exile former Chilean dictator...

Two British men have been arrested in Spain for alleged drugs offences, the Foreign Office has said.

Two British men have been arrested in Spain for alleged drugs offences, the Foreign Office has said. It confirmed Brian Deans - thought to be from Dundee - and Dean Hinton, from Northampton, were arrested in Alicante on 12 September. The Foreign Office said consular assistance was being provided. But it could not confirm reports that the arrests followed a seizure of more than 350kg of cannabis, a spokeswoman went on to s...

28 kilograms (61.6 pounds) of cocaine had been carefully tucked inside the frame rails of a 1947 Chevrolet Stylemaster sedan.

Had it not been for an anonymous tip, it's likely the bad guys in this latest real-life drama would have gotten away. The 28 kilograms (61.6 pounds) of cocaine had been carefully tucked inside the frame rails of a 1947 Chevrolet Stylemaster sedan. "Drug dogs couldn't detect anything" when passing by the vehicle, said Claude Catto, head of the interregional judicial police in Lyon, according to local news reports. Loaded into a large shipping container,...

"go-fasters " – drug-traffickers who zoom in almost ostentatious convoys of three or four cars from Spain to large French cities

"go-fasters " – drug-traffickers who zoom in almost ostentatious convoys of three or four cars from Spain to large French cities .The drivers, often young men from the troubled multiracial suburbs of French cities, can earn as much as €50,000 (£40,000) for one dash at speeds of up...

Amy Fitzpatrick,Police are now looking for a second car connected to the case, although no description has yet been released.

The 16-year-old vanished from Mijas Costa, in Spain, on January 1 after telling friends she was going to walk home. Amy had been at a friend’s home in the tourist resort of Riviera del Sol, on the Costa del Sol, when she went missing. Mum Audrey Fitzpatrick met with Mr Cowen last week and said the Irish ruler had promised to “do all within his power to help find Amy”. She said: "Basically he's the boss of the country. He has more contacts than us...

Parents of missing teen Amy Fitzpatrick are facing financial problems after being hit with a 10k mobile phone bill.

The parents of missing teen Amy Fitzpatrick are facing financial problems after being hit with a 10k mobile phone bill.Distraught mum Audrey Fitzpatrick and Stepdad Dave Mahon are being crippled by the cost of calls in Spain and Ireland but have vowed their search will go on.And...

Golf Río Real area of Marbella and the other in Linda Vista Alta in San Pedro to be demolished

Ángeles Muñoz, is about to order the first two empty illegal buildings to be pulled down. One is in the Golf Río Real area of Marbella and the other in Linda Vista Alta in San Pedro.The two demolition orders were approved by a local government commission presided over by Muñoz on Tuesday. Both involve unfinished buildings that did not comply with the 1986 development plan and have not been legalised within the new PGOU as they stand on land reserved...

Riviera Invest company five directors were trying to escape on a private jet to Morocco.

The five directors of a real estate company in Alicante, Riviera Invest, have been arrested in connection with an alleged fraud which is thought to have affected between 600 and 1,000 clients.The arrests were carried out by the Economic Crimes Unit of the Judicial Police on the orders of the National Court judge, Santiago Pedraz, and took place at Alicante airport when the five directors were trying to escape on a private jet to Morocco.Among those...

Villa Loma Five, Michael Owens new home ?£12million wonderland theme park on the Costa del Sol.

High stone walls totally surround the huge estate of 16,000 square metres, Mature Egyptian palm trees grace the grounds, which can be entered only through electronically controlled gates specially made of high-quality Arabic ironwork, lavishly adorned in gold leaf. A sentry will stand guard in a box outside the property night and day.Named Villa Loma Five, it is a mere five minutes from southern Spain’s biggest international horse-riding stables...

The Costa del Sol will be impacted by increased air taxes

Higher UK airport taxes from February to reduce carbon emissions could impact the prices of properties, according to an international estate agency.‘There has been more discussion and calls for action recently over the impact that air travel is having on the environment,’ they say, ‘And one of the most obvious ways to cut air travel is to raise the price of travelling through taxes. It’s a win-win situation for governments, more tax revenue and being...

Highly contagious sheep and goat plague has hit Morocco and could spread to southern Europe.

Highly contagious sheep and goat plague has hit Morocco and could spread to southern Europe.Agency spokeswoman Teresa Buerkle says the outbreak has reached 29 Moroccan provinces and has largely affected sheep.She says the viral disease is known by its French name peste des petits ruminants (small ruminants' plague), or PPR.The disease is closely related to cattle plague and is transmitted to goats, sheep and wild small ruminants through close contact...

Four youngsters have been hospitalised, two of them in a serious condition

Four youngsters have been hospitalised, with two of them in a serious condition, after they went out in Torremolinos for a night of drinking and drugs.The four, three men and a woman aged between 20 and 33, were found intoxicated on Sunday afternoon outside a well known venue in the Nogalera area of the town and now two of them remain in Intensive Care in the Carlos Haya hospital in Mála...

Body of a man found on the motorway in direction of Malaga

Body of a man, estimated to be 38 years old, has been found on the AP7 tool motorway according to the 112 emergency services.They say the man had suffered a blow to the head and was spotted by another driver on the ground in the middle of the road at the 219 km point on the direction Málaga side of the road at 10,30pm last night.When the Guardia Civil and ambulance crews arrived at the scene they could do no more than certify the victim as dead.There...

The Strait of Gibraltar Natural Park devasted by fire

fire raged across the southernmost tip of mainland Spain had burning more than 480 hectares of cork forest and scrubland by Thursday night in what environmentalists described as the worst ever disaster in the Strait of Gibraltar Natural Park. More than 1,000 people were evacuated as the blaze raged in a forested area between the city of Algeciras and the popular windsurfing resort of Tarifa. Andalusian regional Premier Manuel Chaves said the fire,...

22-year-old man originally from Colombia is fighting for his life after a dramatic chase down the A-31 that ended in Alicante city centre

22-year-old man originally from Colombia is fighting for his life after a dramatic chase down the A-31 that ended in Alicante city centre in a collision with a National Police patrol car. The drama began at around 9am yesterday morning when Guardia Civil officers in Villena spotted the man arguing violently with a woman, now believed to be his sister. When they tried to intervene, the man got in his car, speeding off down the twisty A-31 freeway...

Futura International Airways Mallorca-based charter firm BUST

Mallorca-based charter firm, Futura International Airways, suspended its flights yesterday and has filed for administration. Futura, which is one of Europe's biggest medium-haul charter flight companies, runs flights between Palma and a number of major British towns and cities, including Belfast, Manchester, Liverpool, Newcastle, Bournemouth and Glasgow. Like many of its competitors, it has been badly hit this year by rising fuel prices despite posting...

Body of 96-year-old Severino Basalo Cid, a convicted serial arsonist, was found by fire-fighters

Body of 96-year-old Severino Basalo Cid, a convicted serial arsonist, was found by fire-fighters at the point of origin of a forest fire that destroyed 0.01 hectares (0.025 acres) of chestnut tree woods near Viana do Bolo (Ourense) last Wednesday afternoon. It appears that Cid's fellow residents had prevented him from setting the fire after spotting him behaving suspiciously earlier in the day, but nobody noticed when he returned to the scene to...

Nearly 30% of Spain is in the process of becoming desert

Nearly 30% of Spain is in the process of becoming desert, according to a report by Adena, Spain's branch of the World Wildlife Fund."We have tried to raise the alarm, before everything goes to hell," said Oliveros, from the Toledo office of Ecologists in Action, Spain's largest consortium...

Iberian Peninsula is the main entry point for most drugs trafficked across Europe

According to a report issued by the United Nations, the Iberian Peninsula is the main entry point for most drugs trafficked across Europe. Spain is the most used of the two countries for cocaine smuggling, with authorities having seized 50 metric tonnes of the substance in 2006. With tonnage as follows: Holland (11), France (10) and Italy (5) are the countries with most drug apprehensions.The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), based...

Scrub fire in the Sierra de Mijas was finally brought under control on Friday after affecting some 75 hectares of scrub.

Scrub fire in the Sierra de Mijas was finally brought under control on Friday after affecting some 75 hectares of scrub. The regional Environment Department said that 70% of the land affected would recover naturally, while the Junta de Andalucía said that there were suspicions that the fire was started deliberately. The fire started at 7,10pm close to an urbanisation and that was quickly put out, but then two other centres of fire were seen, indicating...

Dismantled a crack and powder cocaine distribution ring operating in parks and neighborhoods in and around the Allapattah area of Miami

multi-agency Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation has successfully disrupted and dismantled a crack and powder cocaine distribution ring operating in parks and neighborhoods in and around the Allapattah area of Miami from August of 2007 until the present. The twenty-one individuals charged, were indicted on August 28, 2008. The indictment charged defendants Pablo Mendez-Trenches, a/k/a "Maka," Felipe Jesus Nunez, a/k/a...

Princes House purchase price includes curtains and furniture and a pink car.

Located in the hills above the New Golden Mile, only a 5 minutes drive away from San Pedro, surrounded by different golf courses and only 10 minutes away from Puerto Banus and a couple of minutes away from the beach with many beach restaurants. This most elegant high standard property,...

Prince to sell Marbella Villa

Prince home. 3 bedrooms ensuite, posibility to expand to 6 ensuite. Plot of almost 6.000 m2, surrounded by golf courses with sea and mountain view. Located in the hills above the New Golden Mile, only a 5 minutes drive away from San Pedro, surrounded by different golf courses and...

Acting on a tip from the DEA, police tracked Edgar Vallejo-Guarin to a luxury hotel in Madrid, police said Friday

Spanish police have arrested a suspected Colombian drug trafficker listed among the most wanted by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, the police force said in a statement Friday.Acting on a tip from the DEA, police tracked Edgar Vallejo-Guarin to a luxury hotel in Madrid,...

complex crime involving a rare and expensive Ferrari that was stolen in Marbella in 1993.

Connecticut police have helped unravel a complex crime involving a rare and expensive Ferrari that was stolen in Spain in 1993.Car smugglers falsified documents and records for the car, valued at between $4 million and $5 million, and sold it to a car enthusiast to Sharon, police...

Nikki Beach shooting Iranians have been arrested

Two Iranians have been arrested by the UDYCO Organised Crime Unit of the Marbella police, in connection with the shooting seen at Nikki Beach in Marbella last Saturday August 23. Judicial sources told La Opinión de Málaga that neither of the two men actually carried out the shooting. One of the two has now been released after making a statement to the police, while the other is still being held. It’s understood they took part in trouble between a...

22 hotels in Lanzarote declared illegal by the Supreme Court of the Canary Islands still face an uncertain future.

22 hotels in Lanzarote declared illegal by the Supreme Court of the Canary Islands still face an uncertain future. As the controversy over their fate continues. Some of Lanzarote´s best known hotels are in the firing line, such as the five star Gran Melia Volcan in Playa Blanca, the Natura Palace and the Gran Castillo. In total eight five star hotels, ten Apart-hotels and four new developments still in the planning stage have been decreed to have...

Half of the 165 passengers on an Air Europa flight from Tenerife to Salamanca Wednesday refused to travel in the Boeing 737-800 aircraft

Half of the 165 passengers on an Air Europa flight from Tenerife to Salamanca Wednesday refused to travel in the Boeing 737-800 aircraft after the pilot informed them about a fault in the antifreeze valve before takeoff. The Air Europa plane was preparing for takeoff when the captain informed the passengers of the fault. He said the plane would change its route and fly to Madrid, where passengers would board another flight to Salamanca. Eighty-seven...

Graeme Berry, 42, of Millerstone Rise, Kirkby Thore, Penrith, was arrested.

lorry driver has been charged with trying to smuggle drugs into the UK after about 420kg of cannabis resin was found at a British port.The drugs, with a street value of more than £880,000, was discovered by UK Border Agency (UKBA) officers in Plymouth among 20 pallets of foodstuffs.The seizure was made on Tuesday after the vehicle arrived from Santander, Spain.During a search of the vehicle, officers discovered hessian-wrapped drugs hidden among...

Raymond Nevitt, thought to be lying low in Spain, doesn't pay up he'll face nearly 14 years in jail - when police finally get their hands on him.

fraudster on the run since 2006 has been ordered to pay back £1.6m he made through crime.If Raymond Nevitt, thought to be lying low in Spain, doesn't pay up he'll face nearly 14 years in jail - when police finally get their hands on him.Nevitt, 43, from Whitefield, Bury, vanished...

forest fire in Mijas ,has seen the evacuation of 300 local residents from the Buenavista urbanisatio

Forest fire which broke out in Mijas yesterday evening at about 7,45pm, has seen the evacuation of 300 local residents from the Buenavista urbanisation in the town overnight. The local sports centre at Las Lagunas is being used as a reception centre for the people.10 fire-fighting units and a team of 70 people continued to work against the flames overnight, while the Mayor of Mijas, Antonio Sánchez, told the press that the fire had been started deliberately.A...

woman is in a serious condition after jumping from the interior balcony of her home in Las Chapas, Marbella

A woman is in a serious condition after jumping from the interior balcony of her home in Las Chapas, Marbella to avoid an attack from her 41 year old Colombian partner who was wielding a knife.Police say that the alleged attacked, named with the initials J.L.S.L. has no legal residence in Spain and was about to be deported last June.The 37 year old victim, also from Colombia, is now in the Costa del Sol Hospital in Marbella where she reported to...

Taoiseach Brian Cowen met the mother of missing Irish girl Amy Fitzpatrick.

Audrey Fitzpatrick, and her partner, Dave Mahon, met Mr Cowen at Government Buildings for half an hour during which they updated him on the investigationTaoiseach Brian Cowen met the mother of missing Irish girl Amy Fitzpatrick The 16-year-old disappeared after leaving a friend's...

Water shortages on the Costas in the coming winter

Raised levels of consumption of water during the summer months is a major factor contributing to the threat of water shortages in the coming winter. If the rate of consumption which a popular tourist area like Malaga province experiences in August were to continue, our water reserves would be sufficient for just six more months.In the hot, dry, tourist-filled summer months, even greater quantities of water are used to clean the streets, feed the...

Mijas authorities on the Costa del Sol have issued fines to 20 owners of what they deem to be illegal homes in the municipality

Mijas authorities on the Costa del Sol have issued fines to 20 owners of what they deem to be illegal homes in the municipality, after they repudiated demands to bulldoze their properties, according to Spanish Property Insight. The homeowners will now have to pay the fines, which are believed to be around 10% of the property value, or face having their assets frozen. “With help from friends you can cope with the first fine, but after that it gets...

Mother of missing Irish girl Amy Fitzpatrick met Taoiseach Brian Cowen

Taoiseach Brian Cowen met the mother of missing Irish girl Amy Fitzpatrick this afternoon.The 16-year-old disappeared after leaving a friend's house at about 10pm on January 1st to walk to her home on the Costa del Sol in Spain.Her mother, Audrey Fitzpatrick, and her partner, Dave...

Tambovskaya branch of the Mafia makes it's money from a network of criminals in Russia

The Spanish Anticorruption 'Bureau' has asked its counterpart in Portugal for collaboration in investigating the presence and actions of the Russian Mafia operating on Madeira, and suspected of stripping profits and / or laundering money in the 'Zona Franca', the tax protected business community. The Tambovskaya branch of the Mafia makes it's money from a network of criminals in Russia, and last June in Spain 20 members of the gang were arrested...

60 year old father and his 33 year old son have been arrested for drug trafficking in l’Alfàs del Pi

60 year old father and his 33 year old son have been arrested for drug trafficking in l’Alfàs del Pi, after marihuana plants were found in their garden in the El Patró area of the town.Police say they removed 22 of the plants which were between 1.5 and 2.5 metres tall. Two shotguns and a simulated pistol were also removed from the scene.The police were reportedly alerted to the case by neighbours and found a greenhouse covered by green fabric at...

Owners of a jewellery store have been robbed three times in the past year

Owners of a jewellery store located on a busy corner opposite the Mosque in Cordoba have installed so many anti-robbery devices that it now looks like a fortress. The store has been robbed three times in the past year, twice by having a car driven into the window. On the third occasion the thieves smashed the window with a drain grill. In addition to the usual burglar alarm and "thief-proof" locks, bullet-proof unbreakable glass was installed last...

Thirty robberies at chemists shops in Málaga province

Thirty robberies at chemists shops in Málaga province, and the authorities are so concerned about the situation that the police have drawn up a special plan to try to give better protection to the chemists and their staff. Working in conjunction with the College of Pharmacists, which is to provide the addresses and phone numbers of every one of the 600 shops, police all over the province will now change their patrol routes to include all the streets...

Police discovered 200 marijuana plants when they searched a rural property just outside Almayate recently

Police discovered 200 marijuana plants when they searched a rural property just outside Almayate recently, and as one plant can be sold for 3,000 euros on the black market, the total haul was probably worth 600,000 euros. Two men have been arrested, one of whom is Spanish. This was one of the largest plantations of marijuana to be found in Málaga province, but top place goes to the discovery last year of 400 plants in the basement of a luxury villa...

British man who is allegedly a member of an international drug trafficking network involved in a shooting incident in Ibiza

Officers from Fuengirola's Local Police force have arrested two people who they think were involved in a shooting incident in Ibiza in July last year. The men were travelling on a motorbike which was stopped during a routine check at the Torreblanca roundabout, and although the driver produced documentation in a different name, the police suspected that he is a British man who is allegedly a member of an international drug trafficking network, and...

“The drums of crisis have started to roll,” says the vice-chairman of the Alliance for Tourism Excellence, Jose Luis Zoreda. “The outlook is stormy."

Holidaymakers affected by the growing credit crunch have deserted Benidorm, as Spain’s traditionally strong and resilient tourist industry sees a downturn during the peak season.Visitor numbers to beach resorts along Spain’s Costa del Sol dropped by eight per cent in July, as the government makes a pledge of €500 million to upgrade facilities.This unprecedented decrease in foreign visitor numbers in July has meant deserted bars, empty sun loungers...