Drugs laboratory was broken in the suburb of Molinos Marfagones

In Puerto de Mazarrón, a major case involves the alleged smuggling of huge quantities of drugs coming in from North Africa. The criminal activities are said to have involved drugs being carried by large vessels sailing up the Mediterranean. The drugs were then dropped off onto fishing boats which brought them into Puerto de Mazarrón. The network is said to have been operated by a Spanish-Moroccan group. In Operation Toroyano a fishing boat carrying drugs was intercepted close to the shoreline. The boat sunk but suspects who dived in the water trying to escape were later arrested suffering from hypothermia. Navy divers have now succeeded in recovering 1,785 kilos of hashis from the sunken fishing boat to bring the total amount of drugs seized in the operation up to 2,600 kilos. Organised crime gangs that attack homes, petrol stations and businesses have been a particular target for Guardia Civil Action. This month a major operation, code named Centry, saw the Guardia break up a gang that had been attacking locations throughout the Costa del Sol. A total of 19 people were arrested and another six are being sought. The suspects are thought to be responsible for more than 300 crimes, including robberies with violence at domestic properties, document falsification, drug trafficking, crimes using stolen credit cards and conspiracy. The Guardia targeted the suspects by studying documentation seized in several raids. The gang was identified as being made up of 14 Algerians, six Spanish, Four Morrocans and one French person. The gang was divided into three cells directed by an Algerian head based in Malaga. In and around Cieza, in Murcia, the Guardia Civil carried out three operations which resulted in the recent arrest of five people thought to be involved in 21 robberies with violence at homes. A major operation took place in Cartagena recently when some 40 officers of the National Police swarmed the streets of the suburb of Lo Campana in an anti-drugs operation targeted at three families said to be drug traffickers in control of a large part of the illegal market. The three families are said to have cooperated closely and offered drugs on a menu system with fixed prices. Additionally, a drugs laboratory was broken in the suburb of Molinos Marfagones. In Muricia City it was the Guardia Civil that was in action again in a big crackdown on suspected drug traders that involved many agents and a helicopter. Again, a clan is suspected at being at the heart of the alleged network. As well as arresting suspects officers also took away a monkey that was being held illegally. Crime committed by gangs from Eastern Europe causes particular concern as their attacks are often very violent and ruthless. They attack homes, bars and businesses with great speed and efficiency, terrorizing the victims. This month National Police agents smashed one gang with the arrest of 15 people. Twelve are Romanian, Two Albanian and one Moroccan. The gang is accused of targeting homes and offices in the provinces of Alicante and Murcia. More than 20 robberies are said by police to have been committed by this gang in each province. A great deal of stolen property, including jewellery, watches, audiovisual equipment, industrial equipment and four vehicles has been recovered.

Málaga courts for The Malaya corruption case

The Málaga courts are preparing already for the case with the setting up of a new penal section and the employment of more civil servants. The hearing will take place at the new ‘Ciudad de la Justicia’ and so far has 86 accused, bringing with them 100 lawyers. Some 600 witnesses will be called during the duration of the case, which is expected to last for more than a year. The Malaya corruption case is set to see the main hearing open in the Málaga Provincial Court in the spring of next year. The rest of this year will be taken up with the closing of the instruction stage of the case, and magistrates say that any appeals resulting from that should be resolved in six months. Some magistrates have said the case should be heard in the Málaga Congress Hall, given the size of the proceedings, but the Junta de Andalucía has said that the new Justice City currently has 800 square metres not in use, which could see a new large court built in time.

Pascuale Ferrato, an Italian kitchen cabinet installer, took his own life after killing his 45-year-old Belgian-born wife

49-year-old man died Friday after apparently throwing himself off the second-storey balcony of his apartment in Los Olivos de Adeje in Tenerife where police later discovered the blood-soaked bodies of his wife and two children, authorities said at the weekend.Investigators suspect that Pascuale Ferrato, an Italian kitchen cabinet installer, took his own life after killing his 45-year-old Belgian-born wife, his seven-year-old son and his four-year-old daughter. All three were found stabbed to death in the apartment.

Roman Stanislaw Szalachowski, a 40-year-old Polish man, to six years in prison for killing one of his five housemates

On Tuesday, a judge in Alcalá de Henares, northeast of Madrid, sentenced Roman Stanislaw Szalachowski, a 40-year-old Polish man, to six years in prison for killing one of his five housemates, the Ukranian Mykola Stelmakh, on April 10, 2004, and hiding the body for almost two weeks before disposing of it.
An argument about who was going to do the household chores ended in murder and the subsequent quartering of a housemate's body for convenient disposal.
According to testimony during the trial, an argument broke out because Stelmakh "did not cooperate in the household chores."Then Szalachowski, who was drunk, "began to punch and kick the victim in the face, head and abdomen."Next he took him to the yard behind the house, where he went on beating him, and tied a cord around his neck, attaching one end of it to an iron set in the wall.
"Szalachowski raised his head from the ground and held it in the air," killing his housemate, in the words of the sentence released on Tuesday. Szalachowski's rage did not end there. The convicted man "moved the body to a tool shed and left it there, covering it with a board." There it remained until 19 April, more than a week after the murder.Then Szalachowski hacked the body into pieces to dispose of it. He separated the head from the trunk, cutting off the arms and the lower part of the legs. During the night of 20 April, Szalachowski "put the trunk in a sports bag, and dumped it in a garbage bin near the house." The next day, at six in the morning, he disposed of the rest, dropping it in another garbage bin about 200 metres away from the house.Six hours later, about noon, two women found the remains in the bin, when they lifted the lid and saw a man's head inside. Shocked, they ran to a nearby cafeteria and called the police.Two days later the police arrested the five housemates of the victim, including Szalachowski, who turned out to be the killer.
During the trial, the man confessed his crime.
The judge gave him a six-year prison sentence after ruling that his intoxicated state was an extenuating circumstance."His intellectual and volitional faculties were seriously impaired due to the previous consumption of alcoholic beverages," was the judge's reasoning.

Credit crunch in the wake of the US subprime mortgage market crisis signals the end of the Property Bonanza

The appraisers' association Sociedad de Tasación said Wednesday that while the cost of a new home rose on average by 5.1 percent last year in Spain's provincial capitals, the increase in the last quarter with respect to the first six months of the year was only 1.1 percent.The biggest increases took place in Valencia, Almería and Barcelona where prices rose by over 8 percent. Prices fell in Segovia and Vitoria by 2.7 and 2.5 percent respectively. The average price per square meter of a new home last year stood at EUR 2,905.The most expensive city for new housing in Spain last year was Barcelona, where the average price per square meter stood at EUR 4,543. San Sebastián leapfrogged Madrid as the second dearest city in Spain.
One of the main reasons for the slowdown last year was higher borrowing costs. The European Central Bank has raised interest rates eight times from historically low levels since the end of 2005.The credit crunch since the summer of last year in the wake of the US subprime mortgage market crisis also caused banks to tighten lending conditions, further dampening demand for housing.
"If this does not resolve itself and the liquidity crisis persists, demand for housing could fall, which would have an impact on prices," the chairman of the Sociedad de Tasación, José Luis Estevas-Guilmain said.Estevas-Guilmain said a fall in nominal prices this year is unlikely, but added price increases below the rate of inflation could take place if credit restrictions remain in place.Commenting on the Sociedad de Tasación figures, Housing Minister Carme Chacón said house price inflation seems to be stabilising at round 5 percent, and expects this trend to continue until it comes in line with consumer price inflation. According to the latest available figures, consumer prices in November of last year were up 4.1 percent.The Housing Ministry was set up by the current Socialist government, which took power in April 2004, as a means of addressing the socio-economic problems thrown up by the property boom. Chacón noted that house prices then were rising at an annual rate of around 17 to 18 percent.Since then, the administration has put emphasis on government-sponsored housing whose prices are well below those of the free market. It has also been promoting the rental market in a country where over 80 percent of households own their own home, the highest rate in Europe.

Demolition orders are being served on unwitting home-owners across the region.

Antonio Banderas actor and his wife Melanie Griffith have had a demolition order served on their luxurious Marbella beach house.
But it is only one wing of their home La Gaviota, in Los Monteros, that is in for the chop.Their appeal against an original 2003 ruling to demolish the newer wing, which impinges on public beach land, has been rejected.Now their neighbours are insisting that the sentence of the High Court be carried out. The celebrity pair were accused of encroaching on public land despite having received planning permission for the extension in 1995 from Marbella town hall. At the same time more than 300 residents of Mijas have joined together to fight demolition orders on their homes.The group, who number a few expatriates, has been threatened with fines of up to 180,000 euros.In total some 3000 fines have been issued by Mijas town hall.Some of those affected are old and unaware of the latest demands of urban planning laws in the area. Many have also failed to get their projects signed off by either the Junta or water board.A number, such as one man in the Macorra area, built a small home despite being refused permission by the town hall many times.Juan Antonio Ruiz applied to build a tool shed next to the house his father owned in 1996.But, like many homes, built with this type of licence, it turned into a fully-fledged home.
In 2000, he received the first of three official complaint against the home and he has finally been ordered to knock it down, at a cost of 12,000 euros.He is also awaiting confirmation of the fine he will have to pay, but it is likely to be around 65,000 euros.At the same time a large group of illegal houses is to be demolished in the village of La Chorrosquina, near Algeciras.The 30 houses have been built without proper paperwork on the outskirts of the town.The moves have come after new rules were agreed at a high level Junta meeting in November.
The regional authority is now even beginning to carry out the forced demolition of homes built with permissions from local town halls, which have later been found to be illegally built on protected land. Hundreds of miles of illegally built houses face demolition in Spain with many of them belonging to British owners. The illegally built developments are on 480 miles of Mediterranean coast from Barcelona in the north to Marbella in the south, including the Balearic and Canary islands.
It is anticipated that over one million Britons live in Spain for part of or all of the year, having purchased tens of thousands of holiday homes along the shoreline.
Spanish law says beaches are public property and construction is banned within 100 metres of the coastline, however, this has clearly been ignored by builders and local authorities. Government officials are to negotiate with home owners and regional authorities over the sale of illegal properties rather than expropriate them.
There is uncertainty over whether homes are safe as the government has refused to give details. One government official said mass demolition will not take place, it will be done on a case-by-case basis.
Officials still need permission of Spain’s powerful regional governments and town halls, however, there are concerns that the plans will hurt British investment in the area.

Club Class Holidays offering cheap luxury breaks which buyers claim fail to materialise.

Club Class Holidays, based in Fuengirola, is reported to be taking between 3,000 and 30,000 euros to join holiday clubs offering cheap luxury breaks which buyers claim fail to materialise.The company, which has links to former timeshare salesman Costa Killer Tony King, uses a training manual that teaches staff how to crudely fool customers.In a sales manual for staff, trainees are told to treat customers “as if they have the intelligence of 10-year-olds” and to use “bribery, intimidation and lies” to get customers to the presentations in the first place.Middle-aged and elderly couples are the main targets of the holiday-club sharks, who promise a lifetime of five-star hotels anywhere in the world at knockdown prices.But instead of a dream holiday in the Caribbean, they are being offered low-grade hotels and apartments on the Costa del Sol that can be bought just as cheaply at any travel agent.Other buyers find they cannot choose holiday dates and are committed to annual subscriptions even if they do not go away.
In a ruse identical to the timeshare salesmen, many victims are approached while on holiday by sales reps who give them scratchcards saying they have won a bottle of champagne or a free holiday.To collect the “prize” they must attend a presentation, which turns into a high-pressure sales pitch lasting five or six hours.
Consumer watchdogs are so concerned about the hard-sell tactics used by some club reps that they are leafleting UK and foreign airports warning holidaymakers about the one-billion-euro-a-year business.David and Lesley Sylvester, both 60, from Derbyshire, in the UK, agreed to go on a cut-price £99, one-week holiday to Tenerife.As part of the deal, they had to attend a five-hour sales presentation by agents representing a company called Club Class Concierge - and ended up handing over thousands of pounds.“The next morning we recognised its implausibility and asked for our money back,” said David.But unlike timeshare sales, where clients can cancel within 14 days, the Sylvesters say there was no cooling-off period, and they could not cancel.The couple paid £10,050 to join a holiday scheme called Estrella Dorada Mediterrenees.When they tried a “castle holiday” in Austria, they were taken to a rundown students’ hostel in Vienna.They have now successfully taken the company to court in Barcelona, where a judge ruled the couple should get a refund.New EU laws recently announced by the European Commission will bring holiday clubs into line with rules that now protect timeshare buyers – but these will not come into force until 2010.Steve Wright, 48, signed a £5,000 deal with a company called Designer Way Vacation Club, after attending a sales presentation in Huddersfield.
He said: “I was fortunate because I found out in time and I wrote off the £950 deposit.”British members of the Designer Way Vacation Club, operating in the Canary Islands, were charged between £8,000 and £12,000 for a website “key” giving them access to “huge” discounts.Instead, they mostly got normal online travel agencies whose offers they could have found themselves on the internet.The UK’s Office of Fair Trading reckons 400,000 Britons get sucked into holiday-club scams every year.
Sandy Grey, of the Timeshare Consumers’ Association, said: “I would urge people not to go anywhere near these scams.”No one was available to comment at the Spanish HQ of Designer Way Vacation Club.Both Club Class and Designer Way have close links to timeshare millionaire Garry Leigh, who is the brother in law and former employer of Costa Killer Tony King.
Leigh, who has been operating on the Costa del Sol for over a decade, has a shady past.His companies are well-known to the Office of Fair Trading.
Leigh started making his fortune in the 1990s, when he and his father, Tom, ran a Yorkshire-based pyramid-selling scheme called the FPW Club.
They advertised with the slogan ‘Turn £140 into £600 as many times as you like! It’s as simple as that! No catch, no limits.’
Garry and his father reportedly tricked 8,500 investors out of more than £8 million before the Department of Trade & Industry won a court order to stop them.
One of his companies, Matchoption Ltd, went bust owing £300,000. His “silent backers” are said to include notorious Costa gangsters Dennis New and Mohammed Derbah, who helped him get his early Spanish scams off the ground.
It is a dirty business that saw Leigh’s Málaga offices teargassed in 2002 and Leigh seriously injured by knife-wielding thugs.His Incentive Leisure office in Fuengirola in southern Spain is a large impressive building.Leigh and co-director Kim Bambroffe turn up in luxury Bentley cars.
In a recent investigation, the Sunday Mirror claims workers were told to treat customers as practically subhuman.
The bible of shame instructs staff to “sell the sizzle not the sausage” and refers to customers as “UPs” - industry slang for gullible punters.

El Ejido Owners homeless after discovering beach-front apartments are rental apartments

Owners homeless after discovering beach-front apartments are rental apartments. Judges in Almería have opened a fraud investigation into the former president of a top Spanish football club.Gerardo Martínez Retamero, who was in charge of Sevilla-based club Real Betis between 1983-89, is alleged to have sold apartments in a beach-front complex in El Ejido as homes even though they were registered as rental apartments.This has left the owners in limbo as under Spanish law they can only live in their homes for one month a year. For the remaining 11 months, the property has to be available on short term lets to holidaymakers.“Nobody knew that they were tourist apartments until now. The authorities have told us that we are obliged to rent out the apartments for 11 months out of 12,” apartment owner Miguel Sillas said.The owners have also been hit with a huge tax bill. Under Spanish law, purchasers have to pay 7 per cent tax on residential property. However, owners of tourist apartments have to give 16 per cent of the purchase price to the taxman.
Retamero, who unsuccessfully stood for election as head of Spain’s FA in 2004, has denied any wrongdoing, stating he is “a victim of subtle blackmail” by the owners of the apartments in the Lagos de Almerimar complex.“From day one, they were sold as tourist apartments. This was stated in the private contracts that were signed by the buyers.”

Alleged web of corruption at Marbella town hall and the Xerez Club Deportivo

Secret deal comes to light that saw Roca buy into club. judge investigating the alleged web of corruption at Marbella town hall has turned his attentions towards a top Andalucía football club.Óscar Perez is looking into the secretive 2002 purchase of second division Xerez Club Deportivo by Juan Antonio Roca – the former chauffeur turned urban planning chief at the centre of the Malaya investigation.According to reports, Roca used bribes he had received in his role at the council of the resort town to buy 50 per cent of the Jerez-based club.The magistrate has implicated in the investigation José María Gil Silgado – the president of the club during Roca’s two-year ownership – and lawyers who mediated in the clandestine deal that only came to light this week.Amassing a multi-million-euro fortune in only a few years, Roca asked for money in exchange for building permits in a web of corruption that extended to former Marbella mayors, councillors, the construction and bullfighting industries and even the local police force. This is not the first corruption link between Marbella and football. Roca’s ex-boss was the deceased Jesús Gil y Gil. Not only was he mayor of the town (1991-2002) but also owner of top-flight club Atletico Madrid. In 2002, Gil was sentenced to six months behind bars and banned from holding public office for 28 years after he channeled 75 million euros of council funds into the football club.Gil died of a brain hemorrhage in 2004.

Airplane, loaded with 600 kilos of hashish had to make an emergency lin rice fields close to the Isla Menor in Sevilla

Members of the National Police and Guardia Civil from Sevilla have caught some drug runners when their light airplane, loaded with 600 kilos of hashish had to make an emergency landing in rice fields close to the Isla Menor in Sevilla. The two crew were arrested despite the fact that when the authorities arrived on the scene the plane had no one inside. Witnesses said the crew tried to escape on foot, but they were later found following a helicopter search and arrested. The 600 kilos of drug was packed into 20 bails.

Safe house for illegal immigrants who came into Spain on false documentation.

Moroccan woman who was being held against her will in a house in Estepona was rescued by police on Wednesday, after she managed to contact a friend in Ciudad Real through an Internet web site. She said she was being held by a man and a woman, and had been there for some days.Police in Ciudad Real passed the information onto Estepona, and the 23 year old was found in a property near the marina on Monday, two days after the kidnap was reported to police in Ciudad Real.Four arrests were made – the two who were holding the woman, and two Moroccan immigrants who were found to be in the country illegally. Europa Press said the property was used as a safe house for illegal immigrants who came into Spain on false documentation.

Spanish tax office confirming that it is joining a growing list of countries investigating citizens with bank accounts, in Liechtenstein

A rapidly expanding international probe into tax evasion centred on Liechtenstein spread to Spain on Tuesday, with the Spanish tax office confirming that it is joining a growing list of countries investigating citizens with bank accounts, companies and foundations in the Alpine principality.The potentially massive case of tax fraud emerged earlier this month when Germany admitted to paying EUR 4.2 million for information on German nationals with accounts at LGT, a private bank owned by Liechtenstein's royal family. Britain, France, Italy, Sweden, New Zealand, Australia and the United States have since launched their own inquiries. Spain on Tuesday became the latest to target its citizens who had allegedly been using LGT to hide money from the tax office."We are analysing information about Spanish citizens included in these lists of bank accounts and deposits in Liechtenstein, which were used, presumably, for tax evasion and fiscal fraud," the Spanish tax office said in a statement.It said that after it has studied the information it will decide whether to launch further investigations or to turn individual cases over to prosecutors to bring criminal charges.

Mari Luz Cortés girl found in Naples could be that of the missing five year old youngster from Huelva

Interpol is reported to be investigating whether a girl found in Naples could be that of the missing five year old youngster from Huelva, Mari Luz Cortés.The Government delegate in Andalucía, Juan José López Garzón, has today said that there was no confirmation of the identity as yet. It seems the investigation started when a Spanish businessman of Italian origin, and resident of Cataluña was alerted by his mother who still lives in Italy, that they had found an indentified girl in Naples who was no older than five and whose origin and identity was unknown. It’s also reported that the child cannot speak Italian and is in a state of shock, only repeating the word ‘mama’. Despite latest reports that the child has an Asiatic appearance, Mari Luz’s father is reported to be planning to leave for Naples.
Mari Luz was last seen when she left her home in the El Torrejón district of Huelva on 13th January to buy a packet of crisps at the local sweets kiosk. Several searches in the Huelva area have proved fruitless and did not result in any clues.
The Mari Luz case has resulted in considerable coverage in the British press looking for links to the Madeleine McCann case, given that Huelva is close to the Portuguese border.Authorities in Italy say the unidentified child found in Naples is not Mari Luz, the five year old girl who has been missing from her home in Huelva for more than six weeks. The child in question is in a care centre in the Italian city, is said to be no older than five, and cannot speak Italian. She was reported to be in a state of shock, only repeating the word, ‘mama’.Authorities there have now received a photograph of Mari Luz and say there is no similarity in the two girls’ appearance.
The investigation began when a Spanish businessman of Italian origin who is resident in Cataluña was told by his mother in Italy that an unidentified girl had been found in Naples. She was said to be either Asiatic in appearance, or of gypsy race, as is Mari Luz. EFE said the news that the child is not Mari Luz came through from sources at the Spanish Embassy in Rome shortly after Mari Luz’s father, Juan José Cortés, had left for Naples to follow up the initial information.

Killing the golden goose,Survey by Barclays Bank four years ago suggested a million Britons intended to leave the UK for Spain,

A survey by Barclays Bank four years ago suggested a million Britons intended to leave the UK for Spain, but in the past two years the UK market has dropped so significantly that some developers have stopped promoting Spain to Britons.Jesús Pérez set up Seville-based Area 10 New World to sell Spanish properties to UK buyers. In 2006, he switched to selling homes in Romania, Hungary, Germany and Portugal. 'A few years ago I was selling six houses in a single day to Brits,' he said. 'Things changed so quickly that we no longer promote Spanish properties .'The national government started to implement a campaign to clear any developments deemed to be too close to the beach, under the 1988 Ley de Costas, or Coastal Law. Though it insists it is not planning widespread demolitions, the government has not placated homeowners who say the drive is unfair as the law is being applied retroactively to properties built legally in the 1970s.A lobby group set up to fight the campaign says that the government's drive could affect tens of thousands of families, around 10 per cent of whom are British expats.Clifford Carter, 59, and his wife María José Ruiz Giner, 58, have been told they no longer own the ground on which their home in El Saler, Valencia, is built because the house breaches the Ley de Costas. Carter, a retired electronics engineer from south London, said: 'We have owned the chalet since 1976 and it was built legally 17 years before the Ley de Costas came into effect. We received a letter from the government saying we are no longer the legal owners of the land. We've been told we can live here until we die, but we cannot sell the house or pass it on to our children. It is scandalous.'



Half of the country's estate agents have closed, last year 50,000 construction workers lost their jobs and 20,000 fewer new homes are expected to be sold this year.

Britons are being scared off buying property

The most spectacular violator of planning laws has been the council in the Costa del Sol town of Marbella. Planning chiefs allegedly took bribes to grant licences to 30,000 houses. In 2006, police arrested 28 people, including the mayor, Marisol Yagüe, and the former head of planning, Juan Antonio RocaNicolás - the alleged mastermind of the fraud. Police investigating allegations of corruption and fraud seized property and goods worth a total of £1.7bn.Roca, 53, is said to have approved 600 developments during his 15 years in office, taking a 10 per cent 'commission' to ignore planning restrictions and becoming one of Spain's richest men.

Britons are being scared off buying property on Spain's Mediterranean coast, with the number of potential buyers plummeting after a series of corruption and planning scandals and the announcement of plans to demolish thousands of illegally built homes.New figures,by the Costa del Sol Association of Constructors and Promoters, show a dramatic fall in the number of non-Spaniards purchasing villas and apartments in the popular tourist area. Foreign buyers, of whom an estimated 40 per cent are British, spent €540m (£406m) on property in the area in the first 10 months of last year. Over the same period in 2005, the figure was €1.84bn (£1.38bn) - a drop of 70 per cent in two years.Economists cite higher mortgage repayments, oversupply and concerns about the economy as factors. But José Prado, president of the association in Málaga, said: 'The single most significant factor in this horrific decline has been the threat of demolition.'

Soldiier shot accidentally shot through the neck during an exercise

30 year old soldier was seriously injured at around midnight last night when he was accidentally shot through the neck during an exercise at the Las Navetas army training camp near Ronda. The victim, whose identity has not been confirmed, is recovering from surgery at the Carlos Haya Hospital in Málaga, to where he was transferred after initially being taken to Ronda Hospital.

Lightning strike kills in Cadiz

60 year old construction worker died on a building site in the Los Barrios district of Cádiz. The victim, who has been identified as José Iglesias Conejo, was apparently struck at around 11.45am when he got up to put on a raincoat.
His workmate, 59 year old Antonio Espinosa Moya was also injured after being thrown several metres in the same strike. In a separate incident, firemen were called to evacuate around a dozen people from four properties in San Roque's Miraflores district affected by leaky roofs. This week's heavy rains have also flooded part of Jérez's courthouse building as well as La Antilla beach and Estepona's sporting marina, where several parked cars were left standed.

200 burglaries in the province of Malaga North Africa gang caught

Civil Guard, acting on the results of investigations carried out from Alicante, arrested a score of people accused of being behind 200 burglaries in the province of Malaga. The highly organised gang, mostly from North Africa but including some Spaniards, operated by waiting for the occupants to leave a house before entering and stealing their valuables. Receivers of stolen goods also formed part of the operation.

Cargoes of cannabis shipped undercover of darkness over the Strait from Ceuta to the Costa del Sol

Cargoes of cannabis shipped undercover of darkness over the Strait from Ceuta to the Costa del Sol.Details have been released of a National Police operation against a drug smuggling gang which operated between Ceuta and the Costa del Sol, and which brought large amounts of cannabis into Spain illegally. Central government offices in Ceuta said eleven arrests have taken place in Marbella, Estepona< and Ceuta, and that six of them were from the Autonomous City, two from Málaga province, and the remaining three were Moroccan.It has been a joint investigation on both sides of the Strait, which brought information that the gang planned to make a drugs run to Estepona on the 5th of this month. The haul amounted to more one and a half tons of cannabis, and would, according to information from EFE, have brought the smugglers almost 2.5 million €.Also confiscated in the operation were the Zodiac boat the smugglers used for the trip across the Strait of Gibraltar, a stolen van and two other vehicles, satellite telephones, and GPS navigation equipment.

Court investigation into the false Bills which were issued during the GIL administration in Marbella

Ángeles Muñoz, the Partido Popular Mayor of Marbella, presented a document at a press conference on Tuesday, which comes from the Tribunal de Cuentas, the National Court of Auditors, and is their report on Town Hall accounts between 1991 and 2006. It covers the time when the town was run by first the GIL Party, and then by the tripartite government led by Marisol Yagüe, with the Partido Andalucista, and former members of GIL and PSOE.The court notes hundreds of millions transferred to municipal companies without any type of controlEFE notes that the report highlights payments made for building work which had either already been previously completeor had not been carried out, and also noted prices paid well above the market price. Property expropriations were also well below market price. The court said 653 million € was transferred to municipal companies during that time ‘without any type of control,’ and conclude that those years of government saw ‘the structuring of an administrative organisation which allowed funds to be misappropriated from Marbella Town Hall,’ with the governing team at the Town Hall abusing their majority position on municipal bodies to do so.Other irregularities noted in this damning document include contracting of personnel and staffing levels, the lack of any specific budgets, and negotiating planning agreements with property which no longer belonged to the Town Hall.There was news earlier this month of a new court investigation into the false Bills which were issued during the GIL administration in Marbella, where three ghost companies invoiced the Town Hall for work which was never carried out. The investigating judge has already charged ten people for misuse of public funds and forgery.

Trafford Centre España,Trafford Centre for Torremolinos

Peel Holdings, the property and investment giant, is set to take its Trafford Centre shopping mall international with a £500m scheme on the Costa del Sol.
After years of planning and negotiations with the Spanish authorities, Trafford Centre España has been given the green light. The development, being led by Lindsey Ashworth, one of Peel founder John Whittaker's key lieutenants, will take place on a 80-acre site in Torremolinos. With planning permission granted, the next stage for Peel will be to raise the cash for the development - which should not pose too many problems, given the outstanding success of the original Trafford Centre, which attracts more than 30 million visitors a year. Construction should begin early 2009 and will take around two years. Trafford Centre España will follow the original closely - it will offer around one million sq ft of retail, entertainment and leisure space, anchored by department stores and a cinema. It will also feature a similar style of architecture. In recognition of its location on the popular Costa de Sol, the development will also include a five-star hotel and, eventually, some luxury apartments. Mr Ashworth said Trafford Centre España would have `universal' appeal, and would not be purely focused at the large ex-pat community on the Costa del Sol, or to visiting tourists. He explained how the development came about: "John bought the land in the 1980s. The original site was 40 acres. We tried to get the scheme through planning, but had no success. About five years ago, we teamed up with adjoining landowners, who shared our aspirations.
"While there will obviously be a flavour of the original Trafford Centre, the major difference is, because it's in a warm climate, it can be outward-facing. Bars and restaurants will have terracing and some will be built around a lake."
Mr Ashworth said the site was superbly located, 10 minutes from Malaga and half an hour away from Marbella, where Mr Whittaker has a home.
"Like the original, Trafford Centre España has got excellent connectivity - a new motorway is being built right outside it," said Mr Ashworth.
"It will be aimed at everybody - local people and tourists.
"When we started, the new motorway extension was not even proposed, so time has been very kind to us.
"There's nothing like this in Spain - the nearest thing to what we have here is Xanadu in Madrid, and it's nowhere near as nice.
"There is a huge market out there and people like to shop in a pleasant environment and that is what we will provide."
He said there had been cynicism over whether the Trafford Centre - which celebrates its 10th birthday this autumn - would work.
"We proved people wrong when they said it would fail because it was too near Manchester. We all thought it would do well, but I think it has exceeded all our expectations."
Peel, which owns Liverpool John Lennon Airport, the Manchester Ship Canal and a number of other key property assets in the UK, already owns some property overseas, principally in Bermuda and Barbados. Trafford Centre España is the first large-scale, mixed use international development that Peel has begun.

House Jacking in Ciudad Quesada

A gang of robbers broke into the home of 80 year-old promoter Justo Quesada in Ciudad Quesada, while he and his wife were in the house. The gang of at least 3 men threatened a guard on duty at the house with a pistol, which allowed them to gain entry and once inside they stole 30,000€ in cash plus other valuables. Fortunately nobody was injured at the hands of the gang, which is believed to be the same band of foreigners which have struck recently at San Miguel and Almoradí. on 15th January an armed gang of 8 entered a house in San Miguel and threatened the occupants and their children in order to steal jewellery and cash. The same bunch are thought to have been responsible for a robbery in Almoradí on 1st February, when a woman, alone in her house with her children, was injured after resisting the robbers, who stole jewellery and other items of value

‘El Ardilla’ (The Squirrel). Major Drugs Gang Arrested In Torrellano

National Police raided a house in Torrellano used by an organised gang which distributed drugs throughout the province of Alicante and the surrounding regions. The same house was attacked 2 years ago, almost to the day, by another gang from France, which resulted in the death of one of the attackers.The police raid resulted in the detention of 9 gang members, including it’s leader Enrique C, known as ‘El Ardilla’ (The Squirrel). A search of the premises revealed a cache of firearms of various descriptions, 1.6 kilos of cocaine, a kilo of hashish and other drug related paraphernalia, plus 26,000€ in cash. Two jackets bearing the crest of the Guardia Civil were also found, which may have been used by the gang in attacks on their rivals. A stranger item found was a coffin – in a raid on the same premises some years ago, a live deer was found inside! All the drugs were hidden underneath the house and were located by a police drugs dog.The police had been tracking the gang for some time and built up a picture of it’s structure, which was well organised in pyramid form, with precise orders relating to it’s operations passing from it’s leader down through the various branches which dealt respectively with the transport, distribution, sales and packaging of drugs. Security measures it used made it the police operation very difficult but they gradually built their case before striking.
The house is one of two on a finca in Torrellano, where accommodation was provided for gang members by El Ardilla and his family. The nine people arrested are aged between 27 and 44, three of whom come from Alicante and 2 from Elche. After appearing before a court, El Ardilla and his son were remanded in custody while the other 7 were given bail.

black cocaine are being smuggled to Spain

Increasing amounts of black cocaine are being smuggled to Spain, with police discovering couriers of the drug which is undetectable to sniffer dogs and regular tests, the daily El Mundo reported on Tuesday.Police detained two Romanian women whose bags had inner linings made with the rubber-like substance, press reports said.
Flying in from Brazil, the women made a stopover in Portugal, deliberately left their bags at Lisbon airport, and then requested them to be brought to a Madrid hotel, in an attempt to mislead police.Police seized 16 kilos of the drug. The haul, which was destined for the Dutch market, was estimated to be worth a million euros.
Black cocaine is a combination of regular cocaine and various chemicals, making it very difficult to detect.

60 suspects have so far been called in for the final round of declarations in Marbella

Marisol Yagüe,ex Mayor of Marbella was the first suspect to appear before the Malaya judge, Óscar Pérez, on Monday, in his final round of court declarations before the corruption case is handed over to the provincial court in Málaga for trial. As with all the suspects who will appear before the judge, Yagüe was formally notified of the charges against her, but, in her case, refused to answer any questions.Also before the judge on Monday was the former Deputy Mayor, Isabel García Marcos, who told journalists as she left that she has nothing to hide, and said her former colleagues who appeared were optimistic and unworried, because ‘they can at last express themselves and because what they say is noted down, not what is invented.’ She spoke of the judge as a ‘professional with manners,’ which she referred to as an ‘important difference.’ The EFE news agency interpreted that as a comparison with his predecessor at the head of the Malaya case, Judge Miguel Ángel Torres.Four former Marbella councillors were also in court on Monday, and another six come before Óscar Pérez on Tuesday. It is the first time that defence lawyers have the chance to ask questions or to request new evidence.It’s understood that around 60 suspects have so far been called in for the final round of declarations.

1.5 million € Armed Robbery in Puerto Banus

Three armed men waved pistols as they attacked a Jewelery Store 'Boutique Tourbillón'in upmarket Puerto Banus close to Marbella. the home of the superrich. The armed robbers overpowered the security gaurd in a well planned Hiest.They stripped the fitting of jewellery and watches.1.5 million € worth of top name watches have been stolen from a jewellers in Puerto Banús, Marbella, according to police sources. Three or four people, thought to be from Eastern Europe, took part in the attack after smashing the windows of the establishment with large hammers. The National Police in Marbella are now investigating the robbery and are waiting to see the recordings from security cameras in operation in the area.It happened around noon yesterday and the thieves were armed with pistols which may have been fake. They wore hats and large sunglasses and managed to overpower the security guard at the Boutique Tourbillon in Muelle Ribera before he could react. He was unhurt in the attack.
It all took a few minutes and the men escaped in a large car on the A7 motorway direction Málaga.

Spanish society’s feelings of insecurity overall have taken off.

The Spanish press statement about crime in Spain.For one thing, the downtown areas of the big cities are breaking down at a remarkable rate. In the name of multiculturalism and coexistence, entire neighborhoods are becoming black holes of crime, prostitution, drug trafficking, and consumption, as well as mafia-style contracts. It is no longer about petty theft or misdemeanors; we speak about real crime in the middle of the streets, wild assaults to jewelers, gang raids. The law of the jungle reigns; police stations are jammed with complaints pressing charges; officers cannot cope with the load. In addition to the lack of human resources and equipment, there is legal apathy; never before had it been so clear the feeling of a legal revolving door. In Spain, the crime rate is obviously on the rise under the Zapatero Administration. While the ones in charge mess around with conveniently fabricated numbers and statistics, one thing has become increasingly clear. In recent years, Spaniards have started to feel more and more insecure, not only out in the streets, but within their own homes. Facing the passivity of this Administration, Spaniards see a sort of quiet terror settling in which will most likely escalate.


On the other hand, crime has gone out of control in qualitative and quantitative fashion outside downtown areas. It is characterized by violence with no limits; it is no longer about sneaking into houses, and running away with the booty, but instead entering forcibly to torture and murder in order to reap maximum benefits. Some housing developments in Madrid’s surrounding areas already live in fear, and rightly so; the citizens know intuitively that, when facing paramilitary assaults, they lack access to adequate security measures.
The Guardia Civil (Civil Guard) cannot keep up with the task of patrolling extensive rural areas. Given the circumstances, this body’s performance has been better than expected; gangs take advantage of the scarce human resources and equipment available, they rely on preparation, money and lack of scruples. Without the necessary means, the security forces always come out on the losing end. Facing the passivity of this Administration during all the legislative term, there are more crimes every day, and each time they become more violent. The autonomous communities try to lessen with great difficulty this untenable situation. Thus, the government winning in March will undoubtedly have to undertake the necessary reforms.
The next administration must equip the National Police and Guardia Civil with the necessary means and human resources to fight this type of crime. They should spare no effort. In addition, it is urgent to reform the law in order to adapt it to this new reality. We must speed up judicial proceedings, take a tougher stance on the matter of sentencing till the bitter end, or proceed to deport all foreign criminals with expediency; these are necessary measures. Between Alonso and Rubalcaba we have lost four years. Regardless of what new policy is put in place, it will have arrived late. However, if the next Administration puts its nose to the grindstone and makes a real effort, it will not be too late to reverse the situation.

Spanish society’s sick and tired of crime and corruption

In Spain, the crime rate is obviously on the rise under the Zapatero Administration. While the ones in charge mess around with conveniently fabricated numbers and statistics, one thing has become increasingly clear. In recent years, Spaniards have started to feel more and more insecure, not only out in the streets, but within their own homes. Facing the passivity of this Administration, Spaniards see a sort of quiet terror settling in which will most likely escalate.
For one thing, the downtown areas of the big cities are breaking down at a remarkable rate. In the name of multiculturalism and coexistence, entire neighborhoods are becoming black holes of crime, prostitution, drug trafficking, and consumption, as well as mafia-style contracts. It is no longer about petty theft or misdemeanors; we speak about real crime in the middle of the streets, wild assaults to jewelers, gang raids. The law of the jungle reigns; police stations are jammed with complaints pressing charges; officers cannot cope with the load. In addition to the lack of human resources and equipment, there is legal apathy; never before had it been so clear the feeling of a legal revolving door.

On the other hand, crime has gone out of control in qualitative and quantitative fashion outside downtown areas. It is characterized by violence with no limits; it is no longer about sneaking into houses, and running away with the booty, but instead entering forcibly to torture and murder in order to reap maximum benefits. Some housing developments in Madrid’s surrounding areas already live in fear, and rightly so; the citizens know intuitively that, when facing paramilitary assaults, they lack access to adequate security measures.
The Guardia Civil (Civil Guard) cannot keep up with the task of patrolling extensive rural areas. Given the circumstances, this body’s performance has been better than expected; gangs take advantage of the scarce human resources and equipment available, they rely on preparation, money and lack of scruples. Without the necessary means, the security forces always come out on the losing end. Facing the passivity of this Administration during all the legislative term, there are more crimes every day, and each time they become more violent. The autonomous communities try to lessen with great difficulty this untenable situation. Thus, the government winning in March will undoubtedly have to undertake the necessary reforms.
The next administration must equip the National Police and Guardia Civil with the necessary means and human resources to fight this type of crime. They should spare no effort. In addition, it is urgent to reform the law in order to adapt it to this new reality. We must speed up judicial proceedings, take a tougher stance on the matter of sentencing till the bitter end, or proceed to deport all foreign criminals with expediency; these are necessary measures. Between Alonso and Rubalcaba we have lost four years. Regardless of what new policy is put in place, it will have arrived late. However, if the next Administration puts its nose to the grindstone and makes a real effort, it will not be too late to reverse the situation.

Hidalgo money laundering case

The Hidalgo money laundering case in Marbella has now also revealed the payment of commissions for building licences in Estepona. El País has printed the transcripts of phone taps included in a police report which is part of the case summary, which indicate a series of payments and deals were made with civil servants in or linked to Estepona Town Hall.
El País has today printed the transcripts of phone conversations including a municipal architect and Jan Nadir, one of the people charged in the Hidalgo case
At the centre of the allegations is Jan Khan Nadir who wanted to buy land in the town. He is already facing charges of VAT fraud worth 130 million € in Belgium linked to a petrol station business. The paper names one of the five architects who work in the Town Hall, Arturo Cebrián, as being involved and prints the transcript of call between him and Nadir. He has been an employee of the Town Hall since 2004 and runs a business called Arce Arquitectura. El País says his main job is to inform on the licences being applied for, and he was part of

Jesús Gil roller sells for a knocked down price.

The roller was sold for a little over 39,000 € and now becomes the property of the Grupo Franco y Proyectos, which is based in Salzadella. The two other bids presented came from private individuals but were both around 3,000 € below the winning bid. The reserve price was set at 34,650 €.The car has been put up for auction before, twice by the Management Committee which ran the town for a year after the Town Hall’s dissolution in 2006, but both were called off after no bids were presented. And the previous Mayor of Marbella, Marisol Yagüe, announced that it would be put up for sale in February 2005: the Rolls was valued at that time at 250,000 €.The Rolls Royce which was used by the late Mayor of Marbella, Jesús Gil y Gil, an eight cylinder 1992 Silver Spur has a new owner, a construction company from Castellón.

McCanns spokesman regrets the reaction of Juan Cortés

McCanns spokesman regrets the reaction of Juan Cortés and says that the couple only wanted to help"Is shameful that Mari Luz's father presents complaints"It is "surprising and shameful that Mari Luz's father presents complaints about us in a press release". This was the reaction of Clarence Mitchell, spokesman for the McCanns when he was informed by the 24 Horas that the father of Juan Cortés does not authorise the distribution of the 18 thousand posters with the images of Maddie and the Spanish girl in Spain and Portugal."We regret the confusion. We only wanted to help Mari Luz's family and honestly we thought we had permission from the girl's father to this joint campaign", said Clarence Mitchell. The problem is that the 18 thousand posters were already sent by post, last Thursday to Spain."Our only hope is that the owners of schools, restaurants and other public places are aware of the reaction of Mr. Juan Cortés and do not display the posters", said the spokesman of Kate and Gerry McCann."As I explained to you newspaper last Saturday, we did believe to have the permission of the Cortés family. Few days after the disappearance of Mari Luz, a Kate's friend that speaks Spanish contacted the father of the Spanish girl and told him about the intention of the McCanns in printing a poster of both children. At that time Mari Luz's father said he would appreciate everything that the McCanns could do". Clarence Mitchell will now talk with Kate and Gerry about the situation and also with the volunteers that cooperated in the poster campaign. "How can someone be furious with another person for wanting to help to find the daughter?", said an outraged Mitchell.

The Civil Guard have arrested a Moroccan man

The Civil Guard have arrested a Moroccan man as a suspect in the kidnapping of a 12 year old child in Torre Pacheco in June 2006. They believe him to be the leader of the gang which snatched the boy, and which released him the following day after a 50,000 € ransom was paid by the family.The boy’s father owns a well-known local company.EFE said the new suspect has a previous arrest record and was originally taken into custody on 6th February when he was caught breaking into a factory in Los Dolores. He used a different name on that occasion. He has now been identified as M.H. and was wanted under three separate warrants.The other gang members were arrested shortly after the boy was kidnapped.

110lb of cocaine with a street value of £2.5 million

Two packages washed up on the coast contained a total of 110lb of cocaine with a street value of £2.5 million.
The first package was washed up on the beach at Bude, north Cornwall, on February 7 and consisted of a number of packets wrapped in sacking.
Another package was found on a beach near Carleon Cove on the Lizard Peninsula the following day - between 60 and 70 miles from the first.
Devon and Cornwall Police said that forensic analysis confirmed the packages contained cocaine, and inquiries were continuing.
HM Customs spokesman Bob Gaiger said a number of packages of drugs had been washed up on the south west coast over the last 10 years."But all these wash-ups are very difficult to pin down and investigate," he said.

Amy Fitzpatrick reward

The parents of missing Irish teenager Amy Fitzpatrick are offering a cash award for information on her whereabouts.
The 16-year-old - who's originally from Dublin - disappeared near her family home in Spain on New Year's Day.Her step-father has announced that he will pay a 'substantial' amount of money to anyone who can help in the search for Amy.
Amy Fitzpatrick family, the young Irish girl who disappeared from Mijas on the night of New Year’s Day, has announced what is quoted by EFE as a ‘substantial’ reward for reliable information which could lead to finding the missing teenager. The news came in a statement from Dave Mahon, the partner of Amy’s mother, Audrey, who said all information would be treated in the strictest confidence, and calling on anyone who may have a possible lead to contact either the family or the Civil Guard.There has been no news on whether detectives have managed to locate a vehicle which they believe Amy may have taken, a British-registered white Ford Fiesta, with the registration number C955 SLK. Anyone who may see the vehicle is asked not to touch it to avoid destroying any evidence.

Marisol Yagüe will be first to declare

Ex Mayor of Marbella, Marisol Yagüe,appears in court among 34 others charged.
The new instruction judge in the case, Óscar Pérez, has called the main accused to declare in Marbella again as he tries to establish the extent of the corruption and those responsible in Marbella Town Hall.
Marisol Yagüe will be first to declare today, followed by a list of previous local councillors Victoriano Rodríguez, José Antonio Jaén, Vicente Manciles, María del Carmen Revilla and the ex-deputy Mayor Isabel García Marcos.
Other ex councillors will declare tomorrow, and the 21st sees more declarations, including the ex local police chief, Rafael Del Pozo.
Ex Mayor Julián Muñoz is called to declare on the 25th, together with the last five councillors. Following that from the 26th onwards the businessmen implicated in the case will be called to court. All 86 accused in the case will attend these sessions from today until March 3.
Defence lawyers will be allowed to be present for the first time in court today as reporting restrictions on proceedings are lifted. It’s thought that this series of hearings will be the last before the case itself gets underway in the Provincial Court in Málaga.

A substantial reward is on offer to anyone who can provide reliable information on Amy's whereabouts.

Stepfather David Mahon revealed yesterday he was prepared to pay a "substantial" amount of money to anyone who could help unravel her mystery disappearance.
parents of missing expat Amy Fitzpatrick have offered a cash reward for information on her whereabouts.Franco Rey, spokesman for Mr Mahon and Amy's mum Audrey, said: "A substantial reward is on offer to anyone who can provide reliable information on Amy's whereabouts. Any information received will be treated within the strictest confidence."The amount has not been specified but is thought to run into four figures.Mr Rey said: "David doesn't want to make an amount public as he feels he would be putting a price on Amy but it is a substantial amount." Amy has not been seen since 10pm on New Year's Day when she left a friend's house to walk to her nearby home on Spain's Costa del Sol.Friends of the teenager held a small party on February 7 to mark her 16th birthday.The reward offer comes after Amy's mother and stepfather travelled to Spain's Costa Blanca near Alicante to publicise her disappearance. Mr Mahon (36) has also travelled to Tangiers in northern Morocco to investigate the possibility the teenager was snatched and taken to Africa.
Rewards have also been offered for missing Briton Madeleine McCann and missing Spanish girl Mari Luz Cortes.The family of five-year-old Mari Luz, snatched from her home in Huelva in south-west Spain on January 13, is offering €300,000 for information on her whereabouts.Rewards totalling £2.6m were offered within 10 days of Madeleine McCann's disappearance on May 3 last year from the Algarve holiday resort of Praia da Luz.

No Nos Olvideis ,Don't forget us Cortés family say they are against a poster campaign launched in Spain by the McCann family

The Cortés family say they are against a poster campaign launched in Spain by the McCann family which shows images of four year old Madeleine alongside their daughter, Mari Luz, who disappeared in Huelva on 13th January, and others pictured with Yeremi Vargas, who was seven when he disappeared from Gran Canaria last year.
Mari Luz’s father, Juan José Cortés, said after a meeting with Manuel Chaves, President of the Junta de Andalucía, this weekend, that, while he is not against collaborating in the search for Madeleine and ‘even helping to draw up a poster of all the missing youngsters,’ the lines of investigation into the disappearance of the two young girls are distinct, and are being carried out in two separate countries. EFE said he is considering taking legal action for using his daughter’s image for the campaign.The news agency noted his comment that the press in Portugal is reporting that the cost of the poster campaign is being met with 4,000 € from each family.Juan José Cortés said after the meeting with Chaves, ‘the President has understood the pain we are suffering, and this type of meeting helps us to at least feel we have the support of the administration.’The Poster campaign linking the disappearance of Madeleine McCann with two missing Spanish children is being launched today.Nearly 18,000 are being sent out across Spain. They will show Madeleine with either Mari Luz Cortes, five, or Yeremi Vargas, seven.They carry the headline No Nos Olvideis - Spanish for "Don't forget us" - and phone numbers where possible sightings can be reported.Mari went missing in Huelva, 120 miles from the Portuguese resort of Praia da Luz, on January 13. Madeleine vanished from Praia da Luz on last May 3 .Yeremi disappeared on Gran Canaria in March 2007.The Helping To Find Madeleine support group produced the posters.Kate and Gerry McCann's spokesman Clarence Mitchell said: "We know the Portuguese police looking for Madeleine have examined both cases and our investigators have also looked at them and continue to keep an open mind."In Portugal, the police inquiry into Madeleine's disappearance is about to end, it was claimed yesterday.Justice minister Alberto Costa told a Lisbon hearing: "We're at a stage where we're approaching the conclusion of the process."

Special Forces of Arturo Beltran

soldiers seized 23.5 tonnes of cocaine – enough for about 200 million lines of the drug – in the world's biggest ever cocaine bust. It was destroyed in a public bonfire. Calderon is hoping his crackdown will bring his administration rewards from the US, which has frequently urged its southern neighbour to be more aggressive against drug mafias. The US Congress is debating a $1.4 billion anti-drug aid proposal for Mexico, including high-tech phone-tapping equipment and possibly Black Hawk helicopters.The proposal has been tacked onto a bill requesting more funding for US military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. Calderon argues the US government has a responsibility to help out because US drug users fund the traffickers - analysts estimate that Mexican drug trade to the US is worth around $10 billion to $30 billion a year.Most of the weapons fuelling the bloodshed are also bought in US gun stores and smuggled south over the Rio Grande."How are we supposed to confront these guys if they come at us? We need the army to wipe them out"Osiel Mendoza, Mexico City police officer
"It's a bi-national problem," said a senior US drug official in Mexico who withheld his name for security reasons. "It's an extremely bloody uphill battle. Narco-organisations have a developed infrastructure. It is being threatened and we are seeing their brutal response."However, critics worry that Black Hawks or other such tools given to Mexico could fall into the wrong hands. In the last two decades, hundreds of police, soldiers and politicians have been convicted of working for the cartels. One entire unit of army special forces deserted in the late 1990s to form a paramilitary commando called the Zetas, who work as bloody enforcers for the Gulf Cartel. Their rival, the Sinaloa Cartel, imitated their paramilitary style by training hundreds of would be enforcers in special weapons and tactics. After years of beheadings and reprisal massacres, these two cartels recently reached a truce, only to turn their wrath on the federal government, according to Mexican and US drug officials.The level of firepower of the drug gangs has been shown in raids on cartel safe houses in recent weeks. Police stormed one middle-class Mexico City home to find 30 guns, 12 grenade launchers, 30 grenades and more than 40 bullet-proof jackets with the initials FEDA – a Spanish acronym for "Special Forces of Arturo Beltran", an alleged drug gang leader.A raid on a Tijuana warehouse used by a cartel for training even unearthed a shooting range and assault course.Low ranking police officers complain they are outgunned and are risking their lives for salaries which are as low as $600 per month."How are we supposed to confront these guys if they come at us?" Osiel Mendoza, a Mexico City police officer, said to Al Jazeera.
"We need the army to wipe them out."

Hashish had come from Tetuan in Morocco, shipped over from Safi or Tan Tan

While the debate over bugging continues in the UK, police in Tenerife make no bones about the advantages of tapping not one but twenty telephones, which was the case last week when it helped them bust a gang of local and Moroccan traffickers in Güímar.
The police swooped as the men were in the act of transferring 1,100 kilos of hashish in a van to a safe house.Hashish had come from Tetuan in Morocco, shipped over from Safi or Tan Tan and had been offloaded somewhere along the south Tenerife coast.

With Paddy Doyle until days before he was shot dead

The driver of the vehicle who is in his early 20s is well known to Limerick gardai investigating ongoing criminal and gangland activity in the city.He has just returned to Limerick from Spain where he was in the company of murdered Dublin criminal Paddy Doyle until days before he was shot dead
Siezed bullet-proof BMW worth €100,000 belonging to a leading member of one of the country's most dangerous criminal gangs after a high-speed car chase.The driver of the car, who is a close relation to the vehicle's owner, was arrested following the pursuit after he failed to stop the high-performance vehicle at a garda checkpoint in Limerick city.Officers also recovered a bullet-proof vest in the vehicle. The arrested man is likely to face charges in connection with the incident.The top-of-the-range black BMW, which was fitted with bullet-proof glass at a cost of €100,000 to the owner, belongs to a leading member of the Dundon-McCarthy gang. The car owner, who is behind bars, and the arrested driver remain a target for gangs based in the St Mary's Park area of the city.The vehicle remains impounded following the high speed chase on Tuesday.

Just returned to Limerick from Paddy Doyle incident on the Costa del Sol. Spain

Siezed bullet-proof BMW worth €100,000 belonging to a leading member of one of the country's most dangerous criminal gangs after a high-speed car chase.The driver of the car, who is a close relation to the vehicle's owner, was arrested following the pursuit after he failed to stop the high-performance vehicle at a garda checkpoint in Limerick city.Officers also recovered a bullet-proof vest in the vehicle. The arrested man is likely to face charges in connection with the incident.The top-of-the-range black BMW, which was fitted with bullet-proof glass at a cost of €100,000 to the owner, belongs to a leading member of the Dundon-McCarthy gang. The car owner, who is behind bars, and the arrested driver remain a target for gangs based in the St Mary's Park area of the city.The vehicle remains impounded following the high speed chase on Tuesday.The driver of the vehicle who is in his early 20s is well known to Limerick gardai investigating ongoing criminal and gangland activity in the city.He has just returned to Limerick from Spain where he was in the company of murdered Dublin criminal Paddy Doyle until days before he was shot dead
Doyle was shot dead in the Costa del Sol last week.The Limerick man who returned to the city a fortnight ago has served three years for drug dealing has openly threatened to kill opposing members in Limerick city's ongoing feud. He was released from prison last November.

New biometric tests for the Costa del Sol border surveillance purposes and focusing first on the Mediterranean Sea

Visitors to Europe will face biometric screening and automated security checks under proposals for a shake-up of EU border controls.Under plans to strengthen checks at European borders laid out by the European Commission, international travelers would also have their stay logged and monitored by an electronic system, which could become operational by 2015.The system would alert authorities if the person was recorded as overstaying the length of their visa.Biometric data would be submitted by travelers from outside the EU when applying for a visa, while those not needing a permit would be checked on arrival.Automated border control systems and guards would be able to check visitors' identities using the biometric data, with EU and trusted travelers from outside the EU able to speed up the process using automated gates.The EC is also investigating the possibility of requiring electronic authorization for outside travelers as an alternative to requiring a visa.From 2009, all EU passports will feature a digital fingerprint and photograph and, from 2011 non-EU citizens who apply for a visa will have to give their biometric details.The measures would apply to the 24 nations within the EU's Schengen zone for passport-free travel. All EU states except the Bulgaria, Cyprus, Ireland, Romania and the United Kingdom are part of the border-free area, to which non-EU members Norway and Iceland also belong. The United Kingdom is believed to be studying whether to opt into the arrangements.The EC is also looking at creating a European Border Surveillance System with the aim of preventing unauthorized border crossings, reducing the number of illegal immigrants dying at sea and reducing cross-border crime within the EU.The commission says the system would use "state-of-the-art technology" for border surveillance purposes and focus first on the Mediterranean Sea, the Canary Islands and the Black Sea before being widened to the "whole maritime domain" of the EU.Data gathered for the system would be protected by security regulations and would be kept for no longer than five years.

Voluntary tax made the payments in the municipal offices

The Partido Popular have demanded that the Junta de Andalucía remove responsibility for town planning away from the Socialist controlled local council in the village of La Viñuela in Málaga province.It follows reports that hundreds of owners of illegally built properties in the municipality have been asked to pay a ‘voluntary tax’ of upto 12,000 € to make their properties legal and that their licences to build have been revoked and their homes face demolition.
The PP spokesman in the village, Francisco González, said that those affected, mostly foreign residents, built their homes with the licence granted by the Town Hall, but are now being told that such licences are no longer valid on judicial order after appeals placed by the Junta de Andalucía.González says that asking for money as the Town Hall has done is not part of any recognised judicial procedure and for this reason he has called on the Junta to withdraw town planning responsibilities from Juan Millán, who he considers is responsible for all this. The PP is also demanding that the regional government regularise the homes concerned.The Socialist Mayor of La Vinuela, Juan Millán, has meanwhile denied that he ever required a tax to be paid to regularise the homes and has blamed a third party for ‘possible fraud’ in the matter. However some owners claim that they have already made the payment in municipal offices.The Junta has meanwhile said it will open an investigation into the whole affair, which they have described as ‘unheard of’. Sources at the Junta say they want to see if the tax allegations are correct or not.


Our mission

SOHA is a newly formed group of local residents whose mission is:
the protection of the rights of Axarquia residents in accordance with article 8 or the European Convention on Human Rights
to help residents protect their homes with legal help and direct action
to actively campaign for the establishment of an amnesty for honest home-owners in Axarquia.
Save Our Homes in Axarquia was formed in January 2008. We have no ambition other than to save our homes. We have no alliances with any external group or political party.
We aim to achieve our objectives through peaceful means, through discussion and engagement at the highest levels possible. We wish to encourage our political leaders to see that the demolition of homes causes widespread negative effects not only to homeowners but the population as a whole. Depressed economic activity, fewer europeans arriving, empty houses and higher unemployment. No good can come of this other than an agreement to do things right in the future by all parties.
Should it become necessary we will engage legal services to fight our case even up to the European Court of Human Rights. This takes a lot of money and one of our most pressing objectives is the raising of funds, it is more cost effective if we all pull together than to pay for it individually.
Ultimately, though we hope it will not, we will be prepared to take to the streets to plead our case and even stand together as one between the buldozers and our homes. Stand with us.

Join SOHA now.

Helicopter is being used to fly over Málaga province to search for illegally built properties

Environment Prosecutor for the Costa del Sol has announced that a helicopter is being used to fly over Málaga province to search for illegally built properties. Members of the SEPRONA environment department of the Guardia Civil will man the flights and take photographic and video evidence. The first flight took place on Wednesday, and Diario Sur today shows the craft over the La Viñuela area. SEPRONA is particularly concerned about illegal constructions in forestry areas because of the risk of fire they represent.

Alicante death alley Bandidos evicted

Police moved into one of the highest crime areas of Alicante on Monday, the Barrio del Carmen in the North of the city, to evict 65 homes which El País newspaper said had been illegally occupied. The area is known locally as the ‘callejon de la muerte,’ – ‘death alley,’ and is, according to police sources quoted by El País, a known haven for drug traffickers.The paper reports some moments of tension as police – more than a hundred officers in total - put up three metre high fencing to stop anyone going back in, and oversaw the removal of furniture from the flats. Four people were arrested.The Valencia Housing Institute, who built the blocks eight years ago, have announced a renovation programme of 3 million €.

Ciudad de la Luz film studios investigation by European Commission

Public funding of the Ciudad de la Luz film studios in Alicante is under scrutiny by the European Commission, who have announced an in-depth investigation to determine if funding from the Generalitat de Valencia, the regional government, could have distorted competition between European studios. It follows complaints from two film companies in Europe, and there are concerns that the Generalitat’s investment could have violated European regulations on state aid. Brussels said the Ciudad de la Luz complex is wholly owned by a company which is itself owned by the Valencia government through the Sociedad de Proyectos Temáticos de la Comunitat Valencia.
The European Commissioner for Competition, Neelie Kroes, said in a statement released to the press that the studios have so far received 200 million € of public money, and pointed out that the final amount could be higher once construction is complete. The EC said the Spanish authorities’ argument is that the public support was not state aid as a private investor would have invested on the same terms: the statement adds that the Commission, ‘doubts that a private investor would have provided 100% funding for such a new large-scale entrant in a competitive market.’
The latest Asterix movie, Asterix at the Olympic Games, was shot at the Ciudad de la Luz, and premiered in Spain earlier this month.

La Viñuela Bandidos give us 6,000 € and 12,000 € or else

Residents of the village of La Viñuela in the Axarquía, Málaga province are receiving a letter from the local socialist-controlled town hall, which asks them for the payment of what is called a ‘voluntary tax’ so that their illegally-built property can be declared legal. The amount being requested is between 6,000 € and 12,000 €.Most of the people affected are British and German, and they have said that they will create a protest group to defend their rights and to denounce what they describe as this odd system of paying tax. Some 300 people attended a protest meeting at the El Camping restaurant next to the reservoir last week to set up the protest group.PP spokesman in the Town Hall, Francisco González, said that around 50 British residents had received the letters over recent days, and that some of them had paid already, in cash or by cheque. He said that fear had led many to hand over their savings. González said the amount requested was supposed to be inline with the size of the property concerned, but it seemed to have been set more arbitrarily according to the wealth of the family concerned.The letters are dated from the time the illegal building started, and show the Town Hall official stamp, but are not signed by any individual, nor do they have a return address.
La Opinion de Málaga reports that such letters would lack any judicial value in the legalisation of the properties

Real estate deals in the most dynamic zones

The Spanish Tax Authority, Hacienda, and the Spanish Social Security System are joining forces in a fight against Tax fraud. New computer links will interchange information to detect any possible frauds, and particular attention is to be made on real estate deals, even more so in areas of the country described as ‘the most dynamic zones’.News of the crackdown was given by the General Director of Agencia Tributaria, Luis Pedroche. The Secretary of State for Tax and Budgets, Carlos Ocaña, underlined that it was the Government’s design to crack down on fraud more each year, acting both in areas of prevention and prosecution.New computer connections between the tax and social security services are to be used, with particular attention being made on real estate deals

Mari Luz Cortes witnesses saw a girl who answers her description being put into a van

A large demonstration took place in Seville on Monday to call for the safe return of Mari Luz, the five year old gypsy girl who has been missing from her home in Huelva for more than four weeks. It was headed by her parents, Juan José Cortés and Irene Suárez, and they have now contracted the services of a private detective agency to help them find their daughter.Mari Luz was last seen when she left her home in the El Torrejón district of the city on 13th January to buy a packet of crisps at the local sweets kiosk. A report from Huelva Información on Monday speaks of two witnesses who say they saw her that afternoon. One, they say, who was driving by at the time, saw a girl who answers her description being put into a van near the square where she lives, where two people were waiting inside the vehicle. The paper said Mari Luz’s parents have called on any father who was in the area and could have been seen having a minor disagreement with his own daughter to come forward so that the statement from the witness can be discounted from police enquiries. The van in question was white, according to reports.

Marbella residents bus pass

Marbella residents will soon have unlimited use of the town’s nine bus routes for only 36 euros a month once the new transport company’s pass comes into force. This means that getting around the town on several buses will cost only 1.1 6 euros a day, as opposed to the 1.15 euros it currently costs for just one bus journey.

Costa del Couscous

Costa del Cous Cous

Three friends, all of whom have moved to Essaouira in the past year, are among tens of thousands of European citizens now moving to what is becoming the hottest retirement destination in the world: the "Costa del Couscous".Moroccan port town of Essaouira, 160km west of Marrakesh.
"Once everyone spoke about the Cote d'Azur, then the Costa del Sol, now it is Morocco," said Anne Locquet, an estate agent in Essaouira. "They are pouring in. More and more every day."

Although British, Italian and Spanish immigrants are among the wave of newcomers, the vast majority are French. Attracted by the sun, cheap property and tax breaks, their numbers have rocketed in the past three years. There are cheap flights, and French is widely spoken in the former colony that retains strong cultural links - couscous was recently voted the most popular single dish in France.
Felix, a former fighter pilot who recently arrived in the city of Fez, said that he was leaving behind a "sad and expensive" France.
In Marrakesh, local authorities say that they have issued 8000 residence permits to French nationals, many retired.
The Institut Francais, the French Government's cultural centre in the city, is now tailoring parts of its programme to suit elderly citizens. In Meknes, a small industrial city near Fez, in the north of Morocco, 1000 foreigners - most of them from France - have now registered with the town hall. As only a fraction register, the total number of retired French in Morocco is not known, but some estimates put it as high as 50,000.
"It has exploded exponentially," said Laurent Paul Alteresco, director of Repimmo.com, an estate agency that offers retirement properties in Morocco. "We get 30,000 [website] visitors and 400 serious inquiries a week."
Monique Benotman, a former teacher from Jura has been in Essaouira for 18 months. She said she wanted "some sun and to do some good" and now teaches French to poor children in the streets around her flat in the old part of the city.
Evelyne Feraud, from Aix-en-Provence in the south of France, has launched a jewellery workshop, targeting her compatriots who visit Essaouira as tourists. "The problem in France is tax and all the regulation. It is much easier here. Provence is beautiful but expensive. If I could have all I have here back home, I would have stayed there - but I can't."

Terrorist threat in Southern Spain (update)

Spain’s Pakistani community has grown from a few thousand residents a decade ago to about 70,000 today, as immigrants have been drawn to Spain by easy entry and to Barcelona’s Raval district by cheap rents. They have injected new life into the decrepit neighborhood, opening small businesses, but law enforcement officials say some have engaged in petty crimes like money laundering and credit card fraud.Pakistanis have also sent home millions of dollars through the informal system of money transfers, some of it financing extremist groups there, the officials add.
As the terrorism suspects congregated in the largely Pakistani neighborhood here over the past few months, they were joined by a young man who called himself Asim. He had come from the Pakistani borderlands where the leadership of Al Qaeda is said to have regrouped.
The suspects, he later told Spanish investigators, envisioned a wave of spectacular attacks: Coordinated suicide bombings would start in this city’s vast subway system and then sweep through Portugal, Germany, France and Britain if certain demands were not met.
Asim had been sent to Spain to be a suicide bomber, but he also was an informant for French intelligence working in the no man’s land of Waziristan in Pakistan. After he got word to his handlers of an impending attack, Spain’s military police swooped into the neighborhood of Raval in the early hours of Jan. 19 and arrested 14 men. Now the officials unraveling the case say it demonstrates the growing threat of terrorist activities migrating to Continental Europe from Pakistan.
The largely Pakistani cell formed quickly in Barcelona with support, and perhaps direction, from the tribal areas of Pakistan, the authorities said. According to the arrest warrant in the case, three suicide bombing suspects arrived in Spain within the last four months and the bomb making suspect had recently spent five months in Pakistan.

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

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

International drug smuggling network operating in Palma, Madrid and Barcelona.

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